Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will just take a couple of minutes. I will share time. This is very important because it branches into, and this has already been very well spoken about in the Chamber, the case that has been going on today and the far-reaching implications of that. The fact is that law enforcement persons in Ireland, throughout Europe and across the world are watching this situation very closely because the retention of data and how it is used in criminal investigations it is so important.

One thing we must be very careful about here is that we get what we wish for and the implications of that. While this is very important to protect people's information and all that, it is, of course, paramount and goes beyond everything else to be able to investigate a wrongdoing and get to the bottom of a crime, whether that is a financial or physical crime, and not shield wrongdoers by means of what I would call bureaucracy. We must be very careful. It is very hard to legislate for that. It is very hard to put measures in place that will protect society from people using them as a shield to carry out or get away with wrongdoing.

One thing I must touch on in discussing this is the whole issue of the general data protection regulation, GDPR. Sometimes, especially when one, as a politician, hears so much about the GDPR, one would have to say that it is probably one of the greatest excuses for people doing and answering nothing and getting away with everything. It seems to be case of people saying they cannot deal with something now because of the GDPR. Again, I do not want the protection of people's privacy to be used or put as an obstacle in the way of people getting work done or achieving things and completing jobs they are supposed to do. I also wanted to make that point.

It is definitely a case that we have to be very careful of how we proceed with this, however, especially in light of the very important review and referral of that court decision, which was being dealt with this morning. That is of paramount importance, not just for the family of a person whose life was taken, for which I have the nothing but the utmost respect, of course, but also in the context of the wrongdoing that could be covered up by using those types of situations.

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