Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is crucial to get this right. In the Data Protection Bill which is before the Houses huge discretion is given to Ministers to provide for exemptions from the GDPR following consultation with the Data Protection Commissioner. If, following that consultation, Ministers are to disregard data commission infrastructure, we will have to be very concerned about the GDPR. It is crucial to get this right and we are not satisfied that it is.

Mr. Duggan said private company access would be voluntary, but will there be any measure to stop a company from refusing to provide a service because it is not satisfied as to a person's identity? Could a company put up a sign stating it only respected the public services card, or could it simply refuse to accept a driving licence or a passport? We have seen that there is a nuanced difference between what is mandatory and compulsory. Do we need another imaginary line between what is voluntary and what is required?