Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise two specific matters with the Taoiseach. The first relates to the records of the interdepartmental committee to establish the facts of State involvement with the Magdalen laundries or, as it is more commonly known, the McAleese report. In its statement on mother and baby homes last month, the Government committed to ensuring that the rights of all citizens to access personal information about themselves and their rights under GDPR are fully respected and implemented. The Government also committed to providing the additional resources necessary to fulfil this commitment. The Government's confusion on GDPR rights demonstrates the need for Departments to invest in data protection expertise. This point is relevant to the Taoiseach's Department as it holds the records of the McAleese report. The Taoiseach has confirmed that persons can access their records and I want to know what preparation and additional expertise he has put in place to ensure that this commitment can be met.

I also want to raise with the Taoiseach the significant number of data protection breaches identified by Departments last year. In total there were 778 breaches across 15 Departments but just three Departments accounted for 80% of these breaches. The Department of Social Protection accounted for more than half, followed by the Departments of Justice and Foreign Affairs. Of considerable concern are the breaches that took place within the Department of Justice, notably the loss of a USB stick relating to the Hickson commission of investigation. The device was lost in transit along a one and a half kilometre route between two Department buildings on Hanover Street and Haddington Road in Dublin and was never recovered. The loss was recorded in May 2019 but the first the victims learned of this data breach was in the media last month. The Taoiseach is aware that victims of Mr. Bill Kenneally have fought a long battle for the establishment of this inquiry. They have also raised very significant concerns that have not been adequately addressed by the Minister for Justice or the Garda Commissioner. I hope the Minister for Justice has informed the Taoiseach of these matters.

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