What is AIE? 

The European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007 gives legal rights to those seeking information on the environment from public bodies. These regulations came into force on 1 May 2007 and where amended by the European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 and 2014. The amalgamation of these four pieces of legislation should be read together as one, and may be referred to as the European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007 to 2018. 

How do I make an AIE request to the National Museum of Ireland? 
 
If you wish to seek access to information on the environment under the AIE Regulations, you will need to: 

• Make your request in writing or via email. 

• Indicate that the information is being sought under the AIE Regulations. 

• Be as clear and specific as possible in making your request and provide as much information as possible to enable us to identify the records that you require. 

• You don’t need to state the reason why you are making the request. 

• If you would like to receive access to the information/records requested in a particular format, (e.g. photocopies, electronically etc), please mention this when submitting your request. 

• Include a daytime telephone number or email address and your postal address to help us to contact you if any queries arise in relation to your request. 

• Requests should be posted to:  

AIE Officer,  
National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History,  
Collins Barracks,  
Benburb St,  
Dublin 7,  

D07 XKV4 

• Alternatively, requests can be emailed to foi@museum.ie  

How will my request be dealt with by the NMI? 

• The NMI will acknowledge receipt of your request in writing by post or email within 10 working days. 

• The NMI will make every effort to respond within 1 month of receipt of your request. If we are unable to meet this timeline then we will write to you within 1 month to advise you when a response will be issued. The response will issue not more than 2 months from the receipt of the original request in accordance with the AIE regulations. 

If you are dissatisfied with the initial response or if you have not received a reply within the appropriate timeframe then you can submit a request for an internal review, in writing within 1 month of receipt of the original response, to the AIE Officer. 

The NMI official who undertakes the internal review will write to you within one month of the date of receipt of the review request and explain the outcome of the review. 

What fees are payable in relation to my AIE request? 

There is no application fee payable for submitting a request for information under the AIE Regulations. 

In accordance with the AIE Regulations, we may charge fees relating to the time spent by staff on answering requests for information, to include time spent on searching for the information and the presentation of this information in the form required. A reasonable fee for supplying information on the environment, (which includes time spent by staff searching for the information, cost of compiling, photocopying, printing and posting) may also be charged. 

We have set the following charges: 

• Search, retrieval and copying of records: €20.00 per hour 

• Photocopy: €0.04 per sheet 

Details of any charges to be applied will be advised in the final decision letter. 

These charges may be waived where the total cost is estimated at less than €10. Charges will also be disregarded if the record contains only personal information and if, having regard to the means of the requester, it would not be reasonable to apply one. There is no fee payable if you wish to receive electronic versions of the documents via email.  

No fee is payable if you wish to seek an internal review of our initial decision in relation to your request. 

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the internal review and wish to submit an appeal to the Commissioner for Environmental Information for an independent review. A fee is payable to the Commissioner for Environmental Information for an independent review. Please visit the Commissioner for Environmental Information website for further information. 

Where can I find more information? 
 
Further general information in relation to the European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007 to 2014 can be found on the website of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, by clicking on the following link Department-of-the-environment-climate-and-communications 

You can also visit the website of the Office of the Commissioner for Environmental Information at ocei.ie