PSI What is the purpose of the PSI

PSI

What is the purpose of the PSI Directive 2013? The Directive on the re-use of public sector information provides a common legal framework for a European market for government-held data (public sector information). It is built around two key pillars of the internal market: transparency and fair competition. It focuses on the economic aspects of re-use of information rather than on the access of citizens to information.

Focus It addresses material held by public sector bodies in the Member States, at national, regional and local levels, such as ministries, state agencies, municipalities, as well as organisations funded for the most part by or under the control of public authorities (e. g. meteorological institutes). Since 2013 content held by museums, libraries and archives falls within the scope of application as well. The Directive covers written texts, databases, audio files and film fragments; it does not apply to the educational, scientific, and broadcasting sectors.

Summary of the Directive All content that can be accessed under national access to documents laws is in principle re-usable beyond its initial purpose of collection for commercial and non-commercial purposes Charges for re-use should in principle be limited to the marginal costs of the individual request (reproduction, provision and dissemination costs) Charges and other conditions for re-use have to be pre-established and published. If a request for re-use is refused, the grounds for refusal and the means of redress need to be explained. Requests for re-use shall be processed within a specific timeframe

Transposition S. I. No. 525 of 2015 - European Communities (Re-use of Public Sector Information) (Amendment) Regulations 2015.

Important points “Appeal Commissioner” means the person who, for the time being, holds the office of Information Commissioner under the Freedom of Information Act 2014 (No. 30 of 2014) Doesn’t apply to documents, access to which could be excluded by virtue of (i) the Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003, (ii) the European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007 to 2014, (iii) the Freedom of Information Act 2014, other than section 15(2) of that Act, (iv) the European Communities (Establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE)) Regulations 2010 (S. I. No. 382 of 2010), or (v) any other enactment, including on the grounds of the protection of national security, defence or public security, statistical confidentiality or commercial confidentiality (including business, professional or company secrets)

Circulars Circular 16/15: Re-use of Public Sector Information – Criteria for charges that may be applied by certain categories of public service body in permitting reuse of information Circular 12/2016: Licence for Re-Use of Public Sector Information