§ Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ Whether the six cross-border implementation bodies will be subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and whether the domestic legislation of both states with regard to freedom of information will apply. [HL5I8]
§ Baroness AmosThe six North/South Implementation bodies were established by an international agreement between the British and Irish Governments, and are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or the equivalent legislation in the Republic of Ireland.
However, the Implementation Bodies Agreement 1999 provides that a code of practice on access to information held by the bodies will be drawn up by the Irish and Northern Ireland Ministers with responsibility for freedom of information for approval by the North/South Ministerial Council. That code is in preparation.