Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation

I would like to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2014 for copies of all correspondence(including attachments) between: - Ministers, including Minister of State, Staff in the Minister(s) Office(s), Units of the Department (Eg: Functional mailboxes) and staff at the Grade of Assistant Secretary General and above at the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation and: - Elected representatives, staff, agents or BoD members from the following organisations from 1 Jan 2025 to date: • UL Student Life/UL Students Union CLG. • Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn (formerly the Union of Students in Ireland), please search for both terms. • UL Postgraduate Students Union (PSU). I would also like to request all internal correspondence to or from staff at the Grade of Principal Officer (to or from staff at PO level and above) and above which references any of the above organisations. If any correspondence above is in a thread, I would like to also request the full thread. I would also like to request copies of all documents presented to the Minister, Minister(s) of State and all staff at the level of Assistant Secretary General and above which reference any of the above organisations.Please bear in mind the limitations of the scope of exemptions to the release of records set out in part 8 of the FOI Act 2014. If an exemption is used where there is a public interest test to be applied, I request that the details as to the examination of the public interest, how the test was applied and all relevant factors taken into account be included in the letter of response, in accordance with Paragraph 7.12 of the Code of Practice for Freedom of Information for Public Bodies, published by the CPU. Revised Request: 1. All pre-budget submissions made by organisations in the Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science sector to the Department/Minister of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, including those by students unions and AMLÉ in relation to Budget 2026. 2. All emails (including attachments and threads) between the following staff (i) Assistant Secretary General, Work and Pensions; (ii)Georgina Hughes-Elders, Principal Officer, Work and Pensions;(ii)The Secretary General;(iv)Assistant Secretary General, Expenditure Policy; (v) Deputy Secretary General and staff from the HEA and DFHERIS(at PO level or above) during the calendar year 2025 relating, in part or in whole to Budget 2026 3. All emails (including attachments and threads) within the Vote 45 Section during the calendar year 2025 which make reference to one or more of the following: Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn (formerly the Union of Students in Ireland) (ii)University of Limerick Student Life (iii) UL Postgraduate Students Union (iv) University of Limerick. Please limit this to staff at PO, ASG, AP and AO grades. 4. All documents presented to the Secretary General and the Minister in relation to budget 2026 in relating, in part or in whole to the FHERIS vote. 5. Minutes of all meetings held with DFHERIS or HEA staff, including Minister, DFHERIS which were attended by the PO heading the DFHERIS vote section, as well as any notes, electronic or handwritten made of that meetings by said PO. Please bear in mind the limitations of the scope of exemptions to the release of records set out in part 4 of the FOI Act 2014. If an exemption is used where there is a public interest test to be applied, I request that the details as to the examination of the public interest, how the test was applied and all relevant factors taken into account be included in the letter of response, in accordance with Paragraph 7.12 of the Code of Practice for Freedom of Information for Public Bodies, published by the CPU. Including a new part 6, for "All correspondence received by the Minister and his Private Office from the following organisations since 1 January 2025, UL Student Life, Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn and UL PSU.