Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have one last question. The Chairman awakened some memories that I forgot to whinge about first time around. I could write books about the number of cases where refugees have been put on the long finger and tagged along with bits of information here and there. I have a particular gripe about one issue and that is GDPR insofar as it applies to directly elected Members of Parliament. I objected to it on the first day it was announced and introduced. I have no problem with people who are not elected Members of Parliament, For instance many of the parliaments throughout Europe have members who are appointed to parliament, and that is fine. However, I object to people who go before the electorate and get directly elected by the public, who then find themselves questioned as to whether they have the permission of the constituent to ask the question. I reject that out of hand. The sooner we can do something about it, the better, because we got the global permission of the public on the day of the election to ask any question we like. In actual fact, to show how ridiculous the situation is, if I wanted to write to complain about somebody, would I have to go back to the person concerned and ask permission to make representation against him or her? I find it frustrating and annoying on a regular basis. It was not supposed to happen in regard to Departments but occasionally it pops its head up there as well. It is not at all unusual to be questioned, in the very first instance that you make the call, as to whether you have the permission of the individual concerned to raise this question. I answer that by saying I do not need the permission, nor does any other publicly elected representative. I hope Mr. Deering will bear that in mind. It happens to be my gripe.

Another issue the Chairman referred to is officials within the system who actually watch parliamentary questions when they come in and say we will give that Member the old long-haul dragged out reply that is not answered. I will regale Mr. Deering some other time, when we have more time, with some of those. It infuriates some of us who know that within the system is a pot of information that an official will not give out and will not respond under any circumstances to the question being raised. That is my gripe; I do not require an answer.