Mary Henry (Independent)

I second Senator McDowell's amendment. This is an important matter. Like Senator McDowell, I read what the Taoiseach said about this Bill not affecting individuals. I am sure the Minister has heard from those who were victims of abuse within various institutions. As we spoke at great length about this on Committee Stage, I will not delay the House but there is a huge difference between files that contain information and those that relate to a person. As I said on Committee Stage, the Government is trying to make it more difficult for individuals to obtain information on themselves which may be extraordinarily important. One of the good things about the Freedom of Information Act was that people were able to obtain information that related to themselves. Others are also extremely anxious because they believe they will not be able to get hold of files that may contain mistakes in personal information. I support Senator McDowell's amendment.