Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Senator wants to delete section 23(2)(c). Section 23 deals with data sharing and data exchange. It is intended to allow the Courts Service to obtain information from the Revenue Commissioners or the Minister of Social Protection to assist in the recovery of fines. As the Senator points out, paragraph (c) allows for a person or body other than Revenue or the Minister for Social Protection to be prescribed. It is included to avoid having to amend the Bill, if necessary, in the future to apply these provisions to another body. For the time being, the Minister is satisfied that only the Revenue Commissioners and the Minister for Social Protection are concerned and has no plans to prescribe any other body. It would, however, be remiss of him to exclude the possibility of data sharing or data exchange with another body in the future. For that reason we cannot accept the amendment. As any such future prescription would have to be made by regulation that would have to be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas, the Senator's reasonable concerns could be addressed at that time. The legislation would be discussed in the future if a new body was to be prescribed as one with which data could be shared.