The Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy, has indicated that he may change his proposals to restrict access to personal information under the Freedom of Information Act.
Concluding the second stage of the legislation in the Dáil, the Minister said that if deputies had practical suggestions in this regard, he would welcome them at Committee Stage, which is due next week.
The Bill proposes to alter the information which people are entitled to from documents 'relating to' personal information, to documents 'containing' such information.
Some groups, including the One in Four organisation, representing the victims of child sexual abuse, claim that this would severely restrict their efforts to discover the truth about their past.
However, Minister McCreevy made it clear he was not planning to change other aspects of the Bill which have come under criticism, saying the measure was not a 'draconian rolling back' of the original act, but a sensible package of measures designed to protect effective Government.
Government wins vote after FoI protests
Earlier today the Government comfortably won a vote on the Order of Business, called for by Labour Party whip Emmet Stagg as a protest against the Freedom of Information Amendment Bill.
Opposition parties continued to object to the Government's controversial plans to change the Act.
On the Order of Business, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny called for the Government to delay the legislation until the incoming Information Commissioner could give her views.
Labour's Pat Rabbitte said the Government could not do what they were doing without the collusion of the PDs.
Trevor Sargent of the Greens accused the Government of operating a 'secret dictatorship under cover of democracy' and called on PD Deputy Fiona O'Malley to vote with the Opposition, as she had expressed disquiet about aspects of the Bill yesterday.
Sinn Féin's Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked what it was that the Government wanted to hide.
Defence Minister Michael Smith, who was taking the Order of Business, said that eleven hours had been offered for the Second Stage, but that the Opposition had wasted two and a half hours of that 'fillibustering'.
He said that people had a chance to give their verdict on the Government's first five years and had done so, and had also passed a verdict on Fine Gael and Labour. He added that he did not think Deputy Ó Caoláin should accuse the Government of hiding anything.
