Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

In terms of the provision of information, how many breaches of the policy have occurred in the Department over the past five years and what prosecutions have been taken against staff members who leaked this confidential information? The Minister said the Department takes the strongest possible line in this regard. He will be aware of two specific cases mentioned in the media earlier this month. In the case of the member of staff who leaked information to his criminal brother, was a prosecution taken against that person by the Garda? Another senior official in the Department improperly accessed and passed on records of approximately 40 individuals to newspapers. That individual subsequently retired, but what action was taken against that person? Did the Department prosecute that individual? What other disciplinary actions, if any, have been taken with regard to these two individuals?

What plans does the Minister have to detect improper access in the future? I am concerned that the Department did not know about these two cases until the Garda informed it of one case and it was informed by one of the people whose name appeared in a newspaper of the other.

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