Consultant told price of freedom

Dublin consultant, Mr Michael Grange of Acorn Associates, the man who cost the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment more than £100,000 through a succession of almost 200 freedom-of-information requests last year, has been scolded by the Information Commissioner in his latest ruling.

FOI chief Mr Kevin Murphy threw out his appeal against a retrieval charge of £90.75 handed down by the Department for a full listing of all its files on record. In handing down his judgment Mr Murphy said "unreasonable or unco-operative behaviour by a requester. . . may justifiably lead to the conclusion that certain (if not all) of the requests on hand from that requester are frivolous or vexatious."

So if Mr Grange wants the key to the Department's files he'll have to stump up the £90.75. This would bring his total expenditure on his 194 FOI requests to the Department to the princely sum of £126.45.