Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join in paying tribute to the former Senator Martin McAleese, not just for the contribution he made in this House but for the contribution he made long before he came in here. The first time I met him was when I was Lord Mayor of Cork. I met him a number of times during that year and he was always very much aware of the organisations and groups he and the President were visiting on the particular days they were in Cork. He had significant knowledge of what was involved and of the contributions people were making at local community level. He was also very much involved in dealing with people in Northern Ireland and made a significant contribution there.

I would like to raise the issue of the ruling by the data protection agency requiring the cards containing the results of blood tests on newborn children to be destroyed. All of these cards, known as Guthrie cards, are stored at Temple Street hospital, but now all of them, from 1984 to 2002, are to be destroyed.

Many medical people, including Senator John Crown, have objected strongly to this decision on the basis that these essential records could be used for research in the future. I ask that this wrong decision be rescinded and that these records be retained for future research. While the ruling of the Data Protection Commissioner may have some substance, I do not think all of the issues were considered in this case. I ask that the matter be taken up with the Minister for Health and the various Departments involved and that the decision be reversed.