Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister mentioned something about income to the State earlier; he might give us some information on that. From the foundation of the State, we have tended to outsource things. We have outsourced education, health care in some cases, and the so-called "care" of children in some instances. We have difficulty taking direct responsibility for things. I see the current issue falling within that same category.

Information is now a commodity, and the ease of access to information by large corporations is significant. I do not believe it is easy for the citizen to make a complaint if he or she is targeted on the basis of there being grouped information. What can the citizen do about it? The very fact that this legislation is happening tells us everything about the mindset that was in place when the system was designed. The design is about remedying something that was not adequately thought out in the first instance. That tells us that citizens and data protection were not front and centre in this process, yet that is where we should have started from. I do not believe there is adequate protection. There is a two-pronged approach, and every time I have come across such an approach, for example, to parking fines, it has worked to the disadvantage of the citizen.

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