FOWReq/08/024 Mr Colin Coyle Sunday Times Bishop's Square Redmond’s Hill Dublin 2 30 May 2008 Dear Mr Coyle | refer to your request dated 26 April 2008 under the Freedom of Information Act, 1997 (FO! Act) for access to records held by this Department. | am replying in respect of Part 3 of your letter. In response to your request, | have, after a thorough search of the Department's records, found no correspondence between Margot Wallstrom, Vice-President of the European Commission and the Department or Minister in relation to the Lisbon Treaty. | have found two records in relation to the leaked British Government memorandum Published in the newspapers. One document is publicly available already and | enclose a copy of it for ease of reference. | have decided to refuse your request in relation to the other record. Schedule of records ‘A schedule is attached at the end of this letter. It shows the documents that this Department considers relevant to your request. It also gives you a summary and overview of the decision as a whole. Access Arrangements | consider photocopies to be an appropriate form of access in this case. Accordingly, a Photocopy of the records described as to be released is enclosed Right of Appeal You may appeal this decision. In the event that you need to make such an appeal, you can do so by writing to the Freedom of Information Unit, Department of Foreign Affairs, 76-78 Harcourt Street, Dublin 2. Your correspondence should include a fee of €75 for processing the appeal. Payment should be made by way of bank draft, money order, postal order or personal cheque made payable to the Secretary General, Department of Foreign Affairs. You should make your appeal within 4 weeks from the date of this notification, however, the making of a late appeal may be permitted in appropriate circumstances, A week is defined in the Act to mean 5 consecutive weekdays, excluding Saturdays and public holidays (Sundays are also excluded, as they are not weekdays). The appeal will involve a complete reconsideration of the matter by a more senior member of the staff of this Department. Yours sincerely Ciaran Bye First SecretaryFO! REQUEST REFERENCE: Our Ref FollReq/08/024 ‘Schedule of Records Record No. | Brief Description of No. of Decision _| Basis for Refusal (Section Record Pag GrantiPart of Act) GrantRefuse 7 Reply to Parliamentary Question 16837/08 1 Publicly NA available (copy attached for Z convenience) 2 Letter from British | ‘Ambassador to Ireland to Dan Mulhall, Director General, EU Division, Department of Foreign Affairs (14/4/08) Refuse Subsection (1) of Section 24 provides that information may be withheld where its disclosure could adversely affect the international relations of the State, ‘Subsection (2) (b) of Section 24 applies to records containing a communication between a Minister of the Government and a diplomatic ‘mission or consular postin the State or a communication between the Govemment or a person acting on behalf of the ‘Government and another ‘government or a person acting ‘on behalf of another ‘government,