Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I do not believe that the guidelines are good enough or respect the spirit of section 40 of the GDPR legislation that we put through the Houses of the Oireachtas. The guidelines do not respect the unique electoral situation that we find ourselves in. There are only two countries in the world that have a similar electoral PR-STV system - Ireland and Malta.

The amendments were brought in, in the Seanad, to deal with the uniqueness of our political system. Yesterday, I spoke to the staff in my office and asked them for one example, which was SUSI. Do the witnesses think it is acceptable that a Member of the Oireachtas should have to ask a client to go on the SUSI website and name him or her as an advocate given the fact that we have an applicant's personal public service, PPS, number, date of birth, address and all other relevant references? Do the witnesses think it is acceptable that a Member of the Oireachtas should have to demean him or herself and ask a client to go on a website of a public body to name him or her as an advocate?