Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I accepted the amendment in the Seanad that the data protection officers and public bodies party to a data sharing agreement would certify that the agreement is in accordance with the principle of data protection as articulated in Article 5 of the GDPR. This is a technical amendment to tidy up the wording and to make specific reference to Article 5.1 of the GDPR, where the data protection principles are set out. Basically this is referencing the GDPR. It is strengthening the fact that while the GDPR is there, and we have to have regard to it, it is really just underlining the fact that we have to have regard to it. Does it in any way change the construct of the Bill? No. Does it make it any stronger than it was before we drafted it? Probably not. What it does is satisfy any doubt that might exist that there is not enough reference to the GDPR. It is on that basis that we are going ahead with it.