Access to Information on the Environment

The European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 133 of 2007), gives legal rights to those seeking access to information on the environment from public authorities.

These Regulations came into effect on 1 May 2007, and were revised in 2018 as the European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007 to 2018.

An official consolidated version of the Regulations is available here.

Information relating to the environment held by, or for, a public authority must be made available on request to any person subject to certain exceptions. The Regulations provide a definition of environmental information and outline the manner in which requests for information should be provided to public authorities. The Regulations also provide for a formal appeals procedure in the event that a person is unhappy with a decision on their request.

Making a Request

The Access to Information on the Environment (AIE) Regulations 2007-2018 gives you the right to access environmental information held by, or for, Public Authorities.

If you wish to request access to information on the environment that the Authority holds, please submit your request in writing. Please provide contact details including a telephone number and outline the environmental information required.

Please state in your email / letter that your request is submitted under the AIE Regulations 2007-2018.

Requests should be sent to:

AIE Officer
The Pensions Authority
Verschoyle House
28-30 Lower Mount Street
Dublin 2
D02 KX27

Or by e-mail to foi@pensionsauthority.ie

There is no fee for making an AIE request.

The Authority will notify you of the decision on your request within one month of our receiving it. On receipt of an AIE request, the Authority will issue you with an acknowledgement letter outlining the date the request was received and the latest date by which a decision will be issued.

What if I am unhappy with a decision?

You can request an internal review of the decision if your request for environmental information has been either wholly or partially refused, or if you believe it has not been dealt with in accordance with the provisions of the AIE Regulations. You should make this request for an internal review within one month of receiving the final decision.

Requests for internal reviews should be submitted to:

Head of Operations
The Pensions Authority
Verschoyle House
28-30 Lower Mount Street
Dublin 2
D02 KX27

If you are unhappy with the outcome of the internal review, you may ask the Office of the Commissioner for Environmental Information (OCEI) to review the matter. You should request an appeal to the OCEI within one month of receiving the decision of the internal review.

AIE Statistics

The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment maintain a database of AIE requests since 2013 – National AIE Statistics.

This shows the numbers of AIE requests received by all public bodies nationally, along with certain other relevant details.

The Authority has received no AIE requests since the introduction of the DCEE database in 2013.