Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

First of all, I have not had time yet to go through the full report of the DPC. However, the DPC contacted the Department of Health in March 2021 following the airing of the "RTÉ Investigates" programme to notify the Department that the DPC was commencing an investigation on foot of the allegations regarding data processing raised in the programme. I am informed that the DPC did not find evidence on the 29 litigation files examined that the Department had proactively sought information from other Departments or co-defendants other than the HSE, as was claimed at the time. The DPC also did not find an infringement of data protection law arising from the fact that the Department stored this information for the purposes of defending litigation. The files relate to active litigation and the DPC recognised that there are a number of obligations that require defendants to retain documents that relate to open litigation.

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