Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Many questions have already been answered. I will follow up on two areas. I was delighted to hear Dr. Lynch talk about implementation in terms of making Departments work better together. I want to pick up on the issue around data, which I think is incredibly important.

We hear over and over at the health committee about the fact that services and the roll-out of policy are hamstrung when data on what people need are constrained and not available. Making sure Departments are joined up in their data collection is crucial. Obviously, with regard to disability, data on health would be very important. We heard previously about issues around registers for diabetes, heart conditions and cancer. That can really impact outcomes because it relates to how easy it is for a person to access services and care.

My question is not just on how we can optimise this or the challenges to data sharing between Departments. Obviously, there will probably be challenges and difficulties. Given the past few months, however, what are the concerns or challenges in terms of data security? We must ensure that where data is being collected on people in terms of preventative health or accessing services, we are mindful that while we are utilising that data during the UNCRPD process, we are also safeguarding it and walking that tightrope of general data protection regulation, GDPR, and people's human rights. That is one issue.

As so much has already been covered, my second question is around our definition of disability, which various NGOs have raised with me a number of times in recent months.

We have a number of definitions for disability such as those in the Disability Act 2005, the Equal Status Act and the census. Some are broader than others. Will the witnesses inform us with what definition we are working? Do multiple definitions being in play pose a challenge to the implementation of something like the optional protocol? Have we had any advice on this issue from the Attorney General's office?