Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Again, I do not expect the commissioner to comment on policy or political matters, but she talked about a risk analysis leading to this investigation. The commission did not rush into this. Finally, it was broadened out and the commission carried out a risk analysis. Then came the investigation and all that ensued. I have heard the argument that people have embraced this card and that there are no complaints at all about it. I have heard that the Department has carried out fact-finding searches when in fact it has carried out market research to tell us that people are not objecting to this card at all. I read most of the commissioner's report. I would like the commissioner to elaborate on her point that this is not just about privacy.

Ms Dixon spoke about control and the predictability of information that belongs to me or any other individual, and about how that is managed and the degree of control I have over that. Perhaps she could elaborate on that in light of the market research which the Minister and the Government are relying on to claim this is all a big fuss about nothing.