Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have come across difficulties for next of kin in getting information as to how people are in hospitals. People have a perception that next-of-kin status has a standing but it does not have any legal standing and there is no right to information attaching to it. Yet, we are prescribing in legislation a right to medical information for all the right reasons. It is perfectly reasonable that we would do so but it is interesting that outside of the context of information and tracing, adoptees and all that goes with that, there is not necessarily a right to that information in other contexts. That is where there is an anomaly and, as a result, an enhanced right is being provided here for all the right reasons. Trying to find that point of relevance will be a challenge.