Access to Environmental Information

European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007

The 2007 Regulations, give legal rights to those seeking access to environmental information from public authorities.

The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has prepared guidance for public authorities and others in relation to the implementation of the Regulations.

Applications under the Regulations for environmental information should be made in writing to the Information Officer, Dún Scéine, Harcourt Lane, Dublin 2 or by email to

The request should:

  • state that the application is being made under the Access to Information on the Environment Regulations 2007,
  • provide daytime contact details, and
  • clearly indicate the specific environmental information required, and the preferred form and manner of access.

Normally, decisions on requests made under the Regulations are notified within one month of their receipt by the Authority.

While there is no initial fee when lodging a request for environmental information the Regulations do provide that a public body may charge a reasonable fee for search and retrieval and the copying of records when it makes available environmental information in accordance with the Regulations. In this regard, the National Transport Authority applies the same fee structure as that which applies to Freedom of Information requests.

If your request for environmental information is refused wholly or partially, or you consider that your request was not properly dealt with in accordance with the provisions of the Regulations, you may, not later than one month following receipt of the decision, request the Authority to carry out an internal review of the decision. No fee will be charged for the internal review process.

A written outcome of the review, informing you of the decision will normally be issued to you within one month of the date of receipt of the review request. If you are not satisfied with the decision following the internal review process, you may appeal the matter to the Commissioner for Environmental Information.