Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We will come back to the question of the 1998 legislation when we will debate this matter later today. Has the Minister fully read the report of the Data Protection Commission? Will she agree that it is carefully researched, detailed and analytical? On the face of it, it seems extraordinary that the Office of the Attorney General which spent much less time considering it was able to come to a diametrically opposed conclusion. In the circumstances, will the Minister agree that it is only right and proper that we should see the legal advice on which the Government’s position is based? Is there some rule, of which I am not fully aware, that precludes the Government from showing us the legal advice received? It is only fair that we should receive a detailed analysis of how the State’s law officer came to a diametrically opposed conclusion. Is the Minister aware that several public bodies, including the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Road Safety Authority, and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, have backed off from demanding an individual be compelled to produce a public services card to avail of services they offer? Does that indicate that they do not have as much faith in the Office of the Attorney General as the Minister appears to have?

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