Functions and Records

An Ceoláras Náisiúnta The National Concert Hall FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT, 1997 SECTION 15 REFERENCE BOOK Functions and Records the NATIONAL CONCERT HALL an CEOLÁRAS NÁISIÚNTA November 2009 Freedom of Information Section 15 Reference Book PAGE 1

CONTENTS SECTION 15 REFERENCE BOOK 1. PREAMBLE 3-4 2. THE NATIONAL CONCERT HALL - AN INTRODUCTION 5 3. THE MISSION STATEMENT 6 4. ARTISTIC POLICY 7 5. CONTACT DETAILS FOR PERSONNEL 8 6. ACCESS TO INFORMATION 9-10 6.1 MAKING INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC 9 6.2 RIGHTS OF REVIEW AND APPEAL 10 6.3 INTERNAL REVIEW 10 6.4 REVIEW BY THE COMMISSIONER 10 7. FEES 11 Freedom of Information Section 15 Reference Book PAGE 2

1. Preamble The Freedom of Information Act, 1997, established three statutory rights: a legal right for each person to access information held by public bodies; a legal right for each person to have official information relating to him/herself amended when it is incomplete, incorrect or misleading; and a legal right to obtain reasons for decisions affecting oneself. The Act asserts the right of members of the public to obtain access to official information to the greatest extent possible consistent with the public interest and the right to privacy of individuals. This reference book has been prepared and published in accordance with the requirements of section 15 of the Act. Its purpose is to facilitate access to official information held by this organisation, by outlining the structure and functions of the National Concert Hall; information on the classes of records we hold and information on how to make a request to the Department under the Freedom of Information Act, 1997. Routinely Available Information The National Concert Hall currently makes information routinely available to the public in relation to its functions, activities and schemes. Such information will continue to be available informally without the need to use the FOI Act. This reference book highlights, in relation to each of the organisation s activities, where information of this nature is available. The FOI Act is designed to allow public access to information held by public bodies which is not routinely available through other sources. Access to information under the Act is subject to certain exemptions and involves specific procedures and time limits. This reference book provides a guide to the structure of the National Concert Hall so as to help you to access information under the FOI Act. Information Available in Section 16 Reference Book Section 16 of the Freedom of Information Act, 1997, requires the publication of information regarding rules and practices in relation to certain decisions by public bodies. These are set out in the reference book entitled: Freedom of Information Act, 1997 Section 16 Reference Book. Rules and Practices of the National Concert Hall (2002) which sets out the rules, procedures, practices, guidelines, interpretations and precedents used for the purpose of decisions, determinations or recommendations under schemes operated by the National Concert Hall. This Guide will be updated periodically to reflect changes in the operation of these schemes or the organisation s internal procedures. Availability Both the Section 16 reference book and this Section 15 reference book are available, for viewing or downloading, on the National Concert Hall s Internet Web-site at: www.nch.ie Copies of both publications are also available from the National Concert Hall at: The National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2. Tel: 01 4170077 Fax: 01-4170078; Freedom of Information Section 15 Reference Book PAGE 3

F U N C T I O N S A N D R E C O R D S Confidentiality The National Concert Hall undertakes to use its best endeavours to hold confidential any information provided to it in confidence, subject to the National Concert Hall s obligations under law, including the Freedom of Information Act, 1997, which came into force on 21 st April 1998. Any person wishing that any of the information supplied to this organisation should not be disclosed because of its sensitivity, should, when providing the information, identify the same and specify the reasons for its sensitivity. The National Concert Hall will consult about this sensitive information before making a decision on any Freedom of Information request received. Freedom of Information Section 15 Reference Book PAGE 4

2. The National Concert Hall An Introduction The National Concert Hall is one of the nation s finest cultural assets. It is a centre of excellence, of encouragement and of education in the musical and performing arts. It is a performing venue for everyone, young and old, families and friends from all parts of the country and from abroad. The National Concert Hall was established by the Government in 1981, as Ireland s premier concert venue and as a home for the National Symphony Orchestra. It is an organization that comes under the aegis of the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands. It now stages some 700 events per annum, many of national and international significance. It has an audience throughput in excess of 300,000 per year. The National Concert Hall s facilities currently include a main auditorium seating 1,200 people, originally built in 1865 as the site of the Great Exhibition of that year and completely refurbished by the Office of Public Works. There is a second small performance space for an audience of about 250, located in the John Field Room. Learn & Explore events are held mainly in the Kevin Barry & John Field Rooms. The complex also includes a small restaurant seating up to 100, a small retail outlet and limited office and storage facilities. Offices, library and recording studio space is also provided for RTÉ, the main tenant. In addition, there are changing rooms and an artist bar/café available for musicians. The core business of the National Concert Hall is to provide musical events and to enable the patron to access and enjoy this art form. The National Concert Hall s business is divided into three main areas of activity: Promoting and funding of a wide range of musical events and an Education and Community Outreach programme called Learn & Explore Hiring out the facility to other promoters including RTÉ Ancillary business activities including catering, bars and shop Freedom of Information Section 15 Reference Book PAGE 5

3. The Mission Statement The following encompasses the mission of the National Concert Hall:- To entertain, educate and engage through exceptional musical performances in an internationally renowned concert hall. To provide a visionary programme of activities, accessible to all, and to foster the development and promotion of music in Ireland. To expand our audience base by offering a range of imaginative and stimulating programmes, accessible to all. To nurture the artistic excellence of our resident orchestra the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and other RTÉ Performing Groups, by providing them with outstanding new facilities to meet their artistic objectives. To offer wide access to high-quality music education through our Learn & Explore programme. To foster the future of music by commissioning and performing new works, supporting young musicians, and developing new partnerships. To manage the National Concert Hall in accordance with sound business practices. To apply high standards in the recruitment and retention of staff throughout the organisation, and to support and develop the career path of each employee. To attract funding and support through effective and far-sighted leadership. Freedom of Information Section 15 Reference Book PAGE 6

4. Artistic Policy The Artistic Policy and Guidelines for promotions at the National Concert Hall are as follows:- To offer a balanced and innovative programme of events across a wide range of music reflecting the high standards appropriate to the hall of a National Institution. To plan jointly with the RTÉ performing groups and especially the National Symphony Orchestra, to celebrate special anniversaries, special events and new music. To support our national musicians and composers To present the finest of International Orchestras, ensembles and soloists. To support contemporary music, both Irish and international by encouraging its performance as part of a balanced programme and by the commissioning of new works. To provide three world-class performance centres of architectural significance and acoustic excellence. To develop learn and explore programmes and to particularly encourage young audiences. To encourage awareness of the national role of the National Concert Hall throughout Ireland by encouraging patrons to attend from all parts of the country. To promote lectures, readings, exhibitions etc. which relate to national artistic expression and ideally relate to music making. To support promoters by recognising the very high value to the National Concert Hall s overall programming. This includes commercial promoters, a wide variety of essentially non-profit making promoters, schools, youth and community groups, third level colleges of music and charitable organisations. To urge all Promoters to take into consideration the National Concert Hall s Mission Statement, which is to aspire to present the highest calibre of music-making appropriate to each sphere of activity. Freedom of Information Section 15 Reference Book PAGE 7

5. Contact Details for Personnel The National Concert Hall is located at Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2. Tel: 01-4170077 Chief Executive s Office - Ext. 311/346 Finance - Ext. 301/302/351/360 Personnel & Operations - Ext. 331/350/352/362/408/426 Marketing & Public Relations - Ext. 317/312 Box Office - Ext. 424/404/300/329 Information Technology - Ext. 338 Learn & Explore - Ext. 363/366 Corporate Associates - Ext. 365 Friends - Ext. 372 Stage - Ext. 350/408/345 Electricians - Ext. 347/390/391 Reception - Ext. 0 Security - Ext. 340 Catering - Ext. 308/328 RTE - Ext. 305/306/335/339 Freedom of Information Section 15 Reference Book PAGE 8

6. Access to Information 6.1 Making Information available to the Public Under the FOI Act, anyone is entitled to apply for access to information not otherwise publicly available. Each person has a right to: access to records held by the National Concert Hall correction of personal information relating to oneself held by the National Concert Hall where it is inaccurate, incomplete or misleading, access to reasons for decisions made by the National Concert Hall directly affecting oneself. NOTE: The National Concert Hall is required to acknowledge receipt of a request under the Act within two weeks and is obliged to respond to the request within 4 weeks. The following records come within the scope of the Act: all records relating to personal information held by the National Concert Hall irrespective of when created, all records created from commencement date 21 st April 1998, all other records necessary to the understanding of a current record. Applications for information under the Freedom of Information Act should be addressed to: John Nolan, FOI Manager, National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2 Tel: 01-4170077 Fax: 01-4785263 e-mail: John.Nolan@NCH.ie Applications should be in writing and should indicate that the information is being sought under the Freedom of Information Act. If information is desired in a particular form, (e.g. photocopy, computer disk, personal viewing etc.), this should be mentioned in your application. Please give as much information as possible to enable the staff of the National Concert Hall to identify the record. Please include a daytime contact telephone number to enable our staff dealing with your application to contact you should any clarification be required in relation to your request. If you have difficulty in identifying the precise records which you require, the staff of the National Concert Hall will be happy to assist you in preparing your request. Freedom of Information Section 15 Reference Book PAGE 9

F U N C T I O N S A N D R E C O R D S 6.2 Rights of Review and Appeal The Act sets out a series of exemptions to protect sensitive information where its disclosure may damage key interests of the State or of Third Parties. The applicant will be advised where the National Concert Hall invokes these provisions to withhold information. Decisions based on third parties may be appealed. Decisions in relation to deferral of access, charges, forms of access etc. may also be the subject of appeals. (see 6.3 and 6.4 below) 6.3 Internal Review You may seek internal review of the initial decision which will be carried out by an official at a higher level if: you are dissatisfied with the initial response received i.e. refusal of information, form of access, charges etc., you have not received a reply within 4 weeks of your initial application. This is deemed to be a refusal of your request and allows you to proceed to internal review. Requests for internal review should be submitted in writing to: John Nolan, FOI Manager, National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2 Tel: 01-4170077 Fax: 01-4785263 e-mail: John.Nolan@NCH.ie Such a request for internal review must be submitted within 4 weeks of the initial decision. The National Concert Hall must complete the review within 3 weeks. An internal review may affirm, vary or annul the original decision in relation to a request. The internal review process must be exhausted before an appeal may be made to the Information Commissioner. 6.4 Review by the Commissioner Following completion of internal review, you may also seek independent review of the decision from the Information Commissioner. Also, if you have not received a reply to your application within 3 weeks, this is deemed to be a refusal and you may appeal the matter to the Commissioner. Appeals in writing may be made directly to the Information Commissioner at the following address: Office of the Information Commissioner, 18 Lr. Leeson Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 01-3695689 Fax: 01-3695674. Freedom of Information Section 15 Reference Book PAGE 10

F U N C T I O N S A N D R E C O R D S 7. Fees 1. There are two types of charges under the FOI Act: (i) 'up-front' fees that accompany a request for a record under section 7 of the FOI Act (or subsequent application for review under section 14 or 34) and (ii) fees/deposits on foot of requests under section 7 related to the cost of search and retrieval and copying of records. 2. This section sets out the arrangements in relation to both sets of charges as they apply to requests for (a) personal and (b) non-personal information. A summary table of both sets of fees follows. 3. The introduction of "up-front" fees places an additional onus on public bodies to practice good decision making. Where there is any doubt about the nature and/or scope of information being sought, there should, where possible, be dialogue with the requester to ensure that both decision maker and requester alike are clear about the subject matter of the request. Exemptions to the right of access, including harm and public interest tests, where relevant, should be thoroughly considered before being invoked. Steps taken to efficiently locate and retrieve records should be documented, especially where a request is likely to be refused on the grounds that a record does not exist or cannot be found. Public bodies should also take care to ensure that requests and internal review applications are processed within the required time limits. Personal information 4. A request for a record containing only personal information related to the requester is exempt from the 'up-front' fee, both in respect of the initial request and any subsequent internal review or review by the Information Commissioner 5. In respect of the second set of charges i.e. for search and retrieval and copying, the Act provides that in the normal course a person seeking a record containing personal information about him/herself can only be charged in respect of the cost of copying the records released. Furthermore, where it would not be reasonable to impose this charge because of the limited means of the requester and the nature of the record concerned, no such copying charge should apply. 6. Where a significant number of personal records are involved, the cost of search and retrieval of records released will apply. Departments should use reasonable judgment in applying this rule: for example the ready retrieval of a few hundred pages of text electronically would not warrant the imposition of a retrieval charge; on the other hand the efficient retrieval of a lesser number of manual records from across various sources would. Freedom of Information Section 15 Reference Book PAGE 11

F U N C T I O N S A N D R E C O R D S Non-personal information 7. A request for a record or records containing non-personal information must be accompanied by a fee of 15 or, if the person is covered by a medical card, by a fee of 10. 8. In the normal course, a fee should also be charged equal to the estimated cost of search, retrieval and copying of any records released. Search and retrieval would normally involve two stages: firstly, location of the broad set of records in which those requested might be found; secondly, identifying, extracting and assembling the particular records sought for examination. It should be emphasised that it is not permissible to charge for the time taken subsequently to examine the record sought with a view to determining whether it may be released. Deposits 9. Where the appropriate "up-front" fee has been paid and the estimated cost of search and retrieval of the records sought is likely to exceed 50.79, a deposit of at least 20% of this amount should be charged to and paid by the requester. The process of search and retrieval of the records should not commence until the deposit is paid. 10. Notice of a request for a deposit must be provided in writing to a requester within ten working days of receipt of a request. It is recommended that notice of a deposit should issue as soon as possible so as to allow a public body adequate time to process a request subsequent to payment of the amount sought. Such notice should indicate an estimate of the length of search time etc. involved, assert that the search will not commence until the deposit is paid, and advise that a decision on the request will be determined by reference to the date of the payment of the deposit. 11. A public body must, if approached on the matter by the requester, advise as to changes to the request which, if made, would have the effect of reducing or eliminating the deposit sought. Where this occurs, the date of amending the request should be regarded as the date on which the request was received. 12. Where a deposit is paid: The eventual fee for search and retrieval and copying to be charged must be reduced by the amount of the deposit paid, A refund must be made where the amount of such a fee in respect of records actually being released is less that the deposit paid. 13. A fee in excess of 50.79 may be charged if, for one reason or another, a deposit was not sought due to a failure to estimate accurately the cost of searching and retrieving records. In such circumstances, it is recommended that evidence be placed on file showing that a genuine attempt had been made to estimate costs within the initial 10 working day time frame. Freedom of Information Section 15 Reference Book PAGE 12

F U N C T I O N S A N D R E C O R D S Waiver or reduction of fee/deposit 14. A fee or deposit in respect of search and retrieval and copying (but not an "up-front fee) may be waived on one or more of the following grounds:- (i) Where the administrative and related costs involved in collecting a fee on foot of a request are likely to exceed the fee itself i.e. where the cost is estimated at less than 10.00; (ii) Where a person of limited means is seeking only personal information relating to him/ herself; (iii) Where some or all of the information involved would be of particular assistance in understanding an issue of national importance a fee or deposit can be reduced or waived. 15. As regards (iii) it should be noted that a number of significant conditions must be met before this provision can be invoked. Most fundamentally the issue must be one of genuine importance to the Irish nation as a whole, and not just to individuals or interest groups. Secondly, there must be a very strong likelihood that the information would be particularly helpful to understanding the issue. Failure to pay a deposit or fee 16. A failure to pay an "up-front" fee invalidates the request. In the event that a public body and a requester are in dispute as to whether such a fee is owing or are in dispute as to whether the standard or reduced fee should be charged, it is open to the requester to apply for an internal review of the decision to charge the fee. There is no charge for internal review applications relating to a decision to charge a fee or a deposit. 17. Where a person, having paid a deposit in respect of search and retrieval/copying, subsequently fails to pay the balance of the fee due in respect of records to be released, the public body can retain the deposit. An eight week period should be allowed from the time of notification for the person to pay the balance of the fee outstanding. A similar period might be appropriate in respect of the period to elapse before a deposit is deemed not to have been paid. 18. Where a person has failed to pay a fee or deposit in respect of search retrieval/copying, the Act confers discretion on a public body to refuse the request or a subsequent FOI request. This should be approached in a reasonable way. It is recommended that failure to pay a deposit should not ordinarily be a basis for refusing a subsequent request. An exception might arise where a requester is persistently making requests which are neither proceeded with, or withdrawn, when deposits are sought. 19. Where a person fails to pay a fee in respect of search retrieval/copying, the public body may retain the records until such time as the fee is paid. The discretion that exists to refuse subsequent requests should be considered in a practical and fair way. Where considerable expense was incurred in processing a request it would be reasonable for a public body to require payment of the amount outstanding. Alternatively, a public body might simply impose a deposit well over 20% on a subsequent request where the likely costs involved were likely to exceed 50.79. Where a fee outstanding from a previous request is not significant, the matter might be disregarded, unless this follows a pattern of non-payment. Freedom of Information Section 15 Reference Book PAGE 13

F U N C T I O N S A N D R E C O R D S Internal Review 20. A standard "up-front" fee of 75 must accompany an application for internal review under section 14. A reduced fee of 25 applies if the person bringing the application is a medical card holder or a dependant of a medical card holder. No charge applies to the following internal review applications: (a) an application in relation to a decision concerning records containing personal information related to the applicant including a person belonging to a class of persons specified in regulations under section 28(6). Regulations and associated guidelines under section 28(6) of the FOI Act provide for the release of personal information of a minor or disabled person or a deceased person to specified classes of person, including where appropriate parents, guardians, next-of-kin and personal representatives. (b) an application in relation a decision under section 17 concerning amendment of personal information. (c) an application in relation to a decision under section 18 concerning a statement of the reasons for a decision affecting the person. (d) an application in relation to a decision to charge a fee or deposit, or a fee or deposit of a particular amount, under section 47. 21. An internal reviewer may affirm, annul or vary an original decision. A reviewer may therefore affirm the initial decision to charge a fee or deposit, annul such a decision and decide that no fee or deposit is chargeable, or decide to charge a fee or deposit of a higher or lower amount. The basis for any variation made to the original fee should be properly documented. External Review by Information Commissioner 22. A standard fee of 150 must accompany applications to the Information Commissioner under section 34. A reduced fee of 50 applies if (a) the person bringing the application is a medical card holder or a dependant of a medical card holder or (b) the person is specified in section 29(2) i.e. a third party with the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner where a public body decides to release their information on public interest grounds. 23. No charge applies to the following applications to the Information Commissioner: (a) an application concerning records containing personal information related to the requester (including applications arising from a requests under section 28(6)) (b) an application in relation a decision under section 17 (right of amendment of records Freedom of Information Section 15 Reference Book PAGE 14

F U N C T I O N S A N D R E C O R D S relating to personal information) or 18 (right of person to information regarding acts of public bodies affecting the person). (c) an application in relation to a decision to charge a fee or deposit, or a fee or deposit of a particular amount. 'Split' Requests 24. Where a request received by a public body was divided, for administrative reasons, among two or more units/divisions of a public body (which may in some case involve the issuing of more than one decision notice to the requester), the maximum 'up-front' fee that may charged for the request is 15. By the same token, if more than one element of a 'split' request is appealed to internal review, the maximum amount that may be charged for the review is 75. All elements of a 'split' request may be combined for the purposes of calculating search and retrieval fees Failure to Respond 25. A review under section 14 or 34 of the Act may arise in a case where a public body has failed to respond to an initial request for a record or, as the case may be, to a review application under section 14 within the necessary time limit. Such decisions mean that the requester will have made no progress in relation his/her request and can be distinguished from a decision issued in accordance with the detailed requirements of Section 8 of the Act to refuse or partly refuse a request. 26. As there is no explicit provision in the Freedom of Information Act (Fees) Regulation 2003 to the imposition of a fee for such review applications, the Attorney General's Office has advised that it is doubtful that a 'deemed' decision can be considered to be covered by the Regulations. The CPU has also been advised that any possible ambiguity in this area should be construed in favour of the requester. Accordingly, public bodies are advised to treat as exempt from the fees otherwise applicable to such applications any application under section 14 or 34 arising from a 'deemed' decision. Medical Card Holders 27. A medical card holder or a dependant of a medical card holder is entitled to a reduction in the "up-front" fee where the request is for non-personal information. 28. There is an onus on a requester both to claim medical card coverage when making a request and to provide evidence in support of such coverage. While the form of such evidence will be a matter for each public body to consider, it is suggested that this could include a declaration from the requester containing details of the medical card number and issuing health board together with the requester's consent to the verification of such details with the relevant health board. 29. The reduction in the fee for medical card holders does not apply if there is evidence to suggest that the request is being made on behalf of some other person who is seeking to avoid the payment of the standard fee. In case of dispute in such a case, the requester may apply for Freedom of Information Section 15 Reference Book PAGE 15

F U N C T I O N S A N D R E C O R D S internal review of the decision to charge the standard fee rather than the reduced fee. Requests and Review Applications pursuant to Section 28(6) 30. S.I. No 47/99 - Freedom of Information Act, 1997 (Section 28(6)) Regulations 1998 provides for the release of the personal information of a minor, disabled or deceased person to a parent, guardian, next-of-kin or personal representative, as appropriate, having regard to relevant circumstances and to guidelines published by the Minister for Finance. 31. Section 47(6A)(c) of the FOI Act provides that a fee [i.e. an "upfront" fee] shall not be charged if the record or records concerned contains or contain only personal information relating to the requester or, as the case may be, the applicant. 32. The Attorney General's Office has advised that a broad interpretation of this provision may be employed in so far as FOI requests and review applications made pursuant to S.I 47/99 are concerned. In order to apply for personal records, each such requester must have a close familial, legal or other relationship to the person whose information is being requested. Very often, the latter will be unable to exercise their right of access under FOI directly. 33. Given these circumstances, public bodies may wish to draw no distinction for the purposes of section 47(6A)(c) between such a request and a request for personal information "of" the requester. FOI requests and review applications made pursuant to S.I. 47/99 may therefore be treated in the same way as a request for personal information of a requester for the purposes of charges. This approach is consistent with the approach taken by public bodies to requests made by parents and guardians etc. in relation to search and retrieval and copying fees. 34. It must be emphasised that requests made by parents, guardians and other persons specified in S.I. 47/99 constitute a closely defined set of requests for personal information for which particular provision is made in the Act. Neither the language used in the relevant provisions of section 47 nor its interpretation in favour of such persons not having to pay fees should be considered as having any implication for other provisions where similar language is used. Refund of Fees 35. An 'up-front' fee should be refunded where the requester withdraws a request in full before a final decision on the request is made. Similarly, the fee for internal review (but not the earlier fee for the initial request) should be refunded if the review application is withdrawn in full before a decision is made. There is no provision in the legislation for a refund in whole or in part of an 'up-front' fee if a decision of a public body is varied or annulled at internal review or by the Information Commissioner. 36. Dialogue with FOI requesters is strongly recommended as a means of avoiding unnecessary FOI requests and in terms of bringing clarity to the nature of the information being sought. Dialogue can also serve to avoid individuals being put to unnecessary expense. Freedom of Information Section 15 Reference Book PAGE 16

F U N C T I O N S A N D R E C O R D S 37. It is recommended that an attempt should be made to provide a requester with the opportunity to withdraw a request where the request is for a record that is identified as clearly exempt or outside the scope of the Act. This could include a record that is already available to members of the public outside FOI without having to invoke the FOI Act or a record that has been certified by a Secretary General under section 20(1A). This will provide the requester with an opportunity to receive a refund of the 'up-front' fee paid. 38. It must be emphasised that there is no obligation on a person to withdraw a valid FOI request and public bodies should make this clear when contacting the relevant person in such circumstances. Application under Sections 17 and 18 39. No charge applies to an application under section 17 (right of amendment of personal information) or 18 (reasons for decisions of public bodies affecting the person). A review of a decision on such an application under section 14 or 34 of the Act is also free of charge. A summary of FOI fees is set out below. 'UP-FRONT' FEES TYPES OF REQUEST / APPLICATION STANDARD FEE* REDUCED FEE** REQUEST FOR A NON-PERSONAL RECORD: Initial Request. 15 10 Internal Review. 75 25 Review by the Information Commissioner. 150 50 Request for a Personal Record. No Charge No Charge Application under Section 17 for the Amendment of a Record containing incorrect, incomplete or misleading information. No Charge No Charge Application under Section 18 for the Reasons for a decision affecting the individual. No Charge No Charge * Fee will not apply where a person appeals a decision to charge a fee or deposit, or a fee or deposit of a particular amount. ** Reduced fee will apply in respect of persons covered by a medical card and third parties who appeal a decision of a public body to release their information on public interest grounds Freedom of Information Section 15 Reference Book PAGE 17

F U N C T I O N S A N D R E C O R D S Fees for search and retrieval and copying of records released Search and retrieval: 20.95 per hour* Copying charges ** Photocopy per sheet: 0.04 Floppy disk: 0.51 CD Rom: 10.16 Radiograph: 6.35 * Disregarded if only personal information is contained in the record except where the grant of the request relates to a significant amount of records. ** Disregarded if only personal information is contained in recorded and it would not be reasonable, having regard to the means of the requester, to apply a charge. The National Concert Hall will adhere to any guidelines set out by the Department of Finance in relation to the charging of fees. For further information, contact: John Nolan, FOI Manager, National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2 Tel: 01-4170077 Fax: 01-4785263 e-mail:john.nolan@nch.ie Freedom of Information Section 15 Reference Book PAGE 18

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