FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUESTS UP BY 38 PER CENT LAST YEAR There was a 38 per cent increase in the number of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests made last year in comparison with 2014, new figures show. The figures are included in the Office of the Information Commissioner’s (OIC) annual report, which also shows a 20 per cent increase in the number of reviews completed within the four month time-frame set out in the Freedom of Information Act.
IRISH MOTORSPORTS UNDER THREAT FOLLOWING EUROPEAN COURT RULING A recent European Court of Justice Ruling which clarified European law on Motor Insurance has put the Irish Motorsport Industry under threat according to Irish MEPs. They are now fighting to have the have the EU Motor Insurance Directive amended before October, The Irish Times reports. In a landmark case, the European court effectively extended the scope of compulsory motor insurance to the use of motor
NEW THREAT TO FACEBOOK AS IRISH COMMISSIONER QUESTIONS KEY DATA LAW Irish Data Commissioner Helen Dixon said yesterday that her office now has doubts over the legality of so-called «model contract clauses», data transfer instruments relied upon by many businesses in their transactions with US firms. Ms Dixon, who is the primary European data regulator of the world’s biggest social media and online firms, said that she will now refer the question to the High Court and the European
There has also been a 65 per cent year-on-year increase in 2016 so far, according to the Irish Examiner. Information commissioner Peter Tyndall, speaking at the launch of the report, said it was “the largest year-on-year increase since 1999’’. Mr Tyndall also warned that he is planning to pay closer scrutiny to the failure of some public bodies to issue timely decisions under the Act. In 2014, the cost of appealing a Freedom of Information decision was reduced from €150 to €50. Mr Tyndall said that had led to a 80 per cent increase in the number of appeals made to his Office in 2015.
vehicles on private land. Mr Hayes said the judgment has “massive implications, potentially requiring that compulsory motor insurance covers all private places, including private farmland, racetracks and private car parks”. He added: “Many Irish racetrack representatives have said that this ruling will effectively shut down Motorsport in Ireland as there is no market availability for such mandatory insurance. “Their concerns are very real and the risk is that places like Mondello Park will be closed down if these new rules are forced upon EU Member States.”
Court of Justice. If the ECJ strikes model contract clauses down, as many observers expect it would, it leaves thousands of European companies in a new limbo over their data transfers to the US. Last year, the ECJ struck down the ‘Safe Harbour’ treaty between the EU and US, on the grounds that it was insufficient to protect the data privacy of EU citizens. The court said that the revelations by the US whistleblower Edward Snowden demonstrated that US authorities are indiscriminately snooping on European citizens’ personal communications. Technology firms are among Ireland’s biggest employers.
NEW EU RULES BAN 10-CIGARETTE
Vendors must also cease trading tobacco products with “characterising flavours” such as vanilla or candy, but flavoured products that have an overall market share of greater than 3 per cent will remain available until 2020.
Packs of 10 cigarettes are being withdrawn from sale and the size of graphic health warnings on tobacco products is increasing as part of EU which came into effect in the middle of May.
The EC has said it will establish a procedure for determining what constitutes flavoured tobacco products and will impose bans accordingly.
A new directive by the European Commission (EC) means member states must comply with regulations that ban the sale of smaller or promotional packs, which are perceived as being more attractive to younger smokers due to the reduced cost. The minimum carton size will now be 20.
The directive also includes changes to the regulation of e-cigarettes, which must now abide by maximum nicotine concentrations and maximum cartridge volumes.
Ireland had already introduced a similar measure in 2007. Graphic photos and text outlining the adverse consequences of smoking must now cover 65 per cent of the front and back of cigarette and roll your own tobacco packs. Irregular-shaped packs that can potentially obscure the visibility of health warnings have been banned.
Health warnings will become mandatory for e-cigarettes, informing consumers that they contain nicotine and should not be used by non-smokers. E-cigarette packaging will include a list of all ingredients contained in the product and nicotine concentration. Ireland became the first country in the EU to introduce legislation for plain cigarette packaging in 2015, but the policy has not yet been implemented due to protracted legal wrangling.
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