Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Gabhaim buíochas don Teachta as am a roinnt liom. Níl ach trí noiméad agam, agus tá sé deacair morán a rá maidir leis an mbealach a chuireadh é seo os ár gcomhair. Tá sé scannallach nár tugadh eolas dúinn mar gheall ar seo go dtí oíche aréir. Cad is fiú domsa nó éinne eile freastal ar chruinnithe gach seachtain chun iarrachta a déanamh ghnó an Teach a eagrú nuair a chuirtear rudaí os ár gcomhair sa Teach cosúil leis na trí píosaí páipéar a fuaireamar ón Rialtas mar gheall ar seo chun plé a dhéanamh an lá dár gcion? Ní leor sin, agus is scannall é go bhfuil orainn díospóireacht a bheith againn ar rud nach raibh feicthe againn go dtí aréir, in anneoin go raibh fhois ag an Rialtas go raibh sé le teacht ó mí Feabhra nuair a chríochniagh an idir-phlé ar seo. Bhí fhois acu ó deireadh mí Bealtaine go raibh sé chun teacht níos tapúla, agus bhí fhois ag an Rialtas coicís ó shin go mbeadh sé os comhair an Teach. Fós, níor dhúirt an Rialtas le héinne ar an dtaobh seo den Teach go raibh sé ar an mbealach chun seans a thabhairt dúinn ár jab a dhéanamh agus cinnte a dhéanamh nach rachaidh an reachtaíocht seo tríd an Teach gan cíoradh cheart a dhéanamh air.

It is a disgrace that we have so little time to analyse this. It is hugely important and, once we have passed it, there is no going back unless the Minister can persuade the other 26 countries to stop it at this stage or include a review clause so we can return to this and examine the protections for the data we are transferring to another jurisdiction. Under the existing passenger name records regime between the EU and the US, those in the EU can have access to the material provided. If one asks a United States airline to provide one with the data it will supply to the regime in the United States, it will not supply it for security reasons. This is the type of regime in existence with regard to data protection and access to our records.

We must be careful when agreeing to pass data to other countries which do not have the same standards of data protection as us. Data can be incorrect and a protection does exist whereby one can correct it, but if one does not know it is wrong there is no point in having this. One will end up like Mr. McBrearty, who was refused entry into the United States because the information in this country was wrong. How are we to guarantee the information in the United States, even at this stage, has been corrected in his case? Many other Irish and European citizens will find out their information is stored wrongly only when they end up being sent back from an airport.

This is rushed legislation and it is not accountable. We cannot stand over the fact that we have not had the opportunity to scrutinise it. At the very least it should be referred to committee. The committees of this House have a little expertise because they dealt with the previous PNR data agreements. Tá mé i gcoinne é seo a rith ag an am seo toisc nach bhfuil go leor ama againn don cheist seo ná go leor eolais againn faoi ach oiread.

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