Seanad debates

Tuesday, 11 March 2003

Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage.

 

When the legislation was enacted in 1997, I spoke on this section. I pointed out that part of the section the Minister of State quoted, section 2, the definition of personal information, or else section 12, rules out personal records of a human resources or personnel nature. GardaĆ­ have had an arrangement for many years whereby they have full access to all their files after a period of five years. The original Act was more restrictive than what was available to gardaĆ­ at that time, and they would be people who would be dealing with sensitive information in sensitive places. In the light of what we have learned in the meantime and in the light of the difficulties which Senator Higgins is dealing with on our behalf, perhaps it should have been even more open.

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