Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister's assurance. There is, of course, a section 10 investigation under way at present on the way the public services card has been rolled out and the single customer view system. It is interesting because we are talking about forensics and crime. It is funny that while we hear the phrases "cybersecurity" and "cyberterrorism" floated around, there have been very serious concerns about the way data has been stored in the single customer view data system.

I welcome the Minister's assurance. It is very important that we do not simply attempt to give legal sanction retrospectively to activities which may have taken place outside proper legal grounds in the period previous. While the legislative context may change, it is still important to note that data gathered improperly must be dealt with in a way that fully acknowledges this. This is not to pre-empt, as we do not know what the discussion will be or what the outcome of the Data Protection Commissioner's investigation will be.

I welcome this. I recognise the need for the exchange of forensic information and information relating to vehicle registration, although I would say this is an area we need to monitor very closely and ensure it is in line with all areas of policing. We must ensure its usage and application does not end up extending inappropriately. I know that is absolutely not the intention.