Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Ross, to the House. I thank him for taking us through this legislation in a comprehensive way. It is tricky enough to read, but it is very clear in its message. It is about sharing data and tackling national and international crime.It is about having knowledge about the movements of people within the Union or between Oslo and somewhere else. It is important that we have data sharing, which is an important instrument and tool in terms of tackling people involved in terrorism and other activities. No one who is compliant with the law has anything to fear. I have always said that, such as when I advocated installing CCTV in my own town. I had a lot of opposition in terms of the impact on people's right to movement, etc. However, the greater right is the protection of our citizens and the importance of addressing full threats or anything to do with terrorism and dealing with them. Law abiding citizens across this Union have nothing to fear from this legislation.

I note what has been said about DNA and the importance of fingerprinting and data sharing. The registration of vehicles is a further added mechanism of tracking down the movement of people around the Union. It is important that we share that data. I initially had some concerns about data protection generally. That is an area I am conscious of, as are I think most of us. I am reassured by what the Minister said today about the Data Protection Commissioner. If people feel data is retained on a system that is not correct or needs to be changed, they have an opportunity to address this, as the Minister pointed out very clearly in his statement. There is also a role for the Data Protection Commissioner within Ireland and internationally with her counterparts. If people genuinely have a concern or if there is some wrong information or misinformation they certainly have the right to make a case and have matters rectified.

I think this is very important legislation and I am happy to support the Bill. I again thank the Minister.