Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 6:

In page 16, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following:“15. Information contained on the register in relation to a credit information subject who is an individual shall be accessible by such individual’s spouse, guarantors and executors in circumstances where such spouse, guarantors and executors have a reasonable entitlement to such information.”.

This amendment relates to certain circumstances in which information on the register concerning individuals would be provided to others. I accept that this is a very difficult and sensitive area, but the matter was raised by the National Consumer Agency during the public consultation phase, and it has a certain point. It considers that consumers should have limited access to the records of another individual held on the register if said individual is liable for a debt. For example, guarantors and spouses may be liable for the debts of another person. Although I fully respect the right of each individual to absolute confidentiality, if there is somebody else with a financial interest in a level of indebtedness, there should be a way of working that into the legislation. It would be in a person's interest to have access to information on the register about the amount of debt being carried by certain people if there is a direct financial interest in the case.

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