Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The availability of information and information of different types on various issues is central to what this Bill is about. In discussing the first group of amendments, we referred to who may use this legislation. We are now talking about what they may look for and the type of information they may seek. As we know, there are rights to broad categories of information provided for in this legislation. These include rights to the birth certificate, birth information, care information, early life information, incorrect birth registration information and to provided items. As such, I argue that the amendments being suggested by the Senator are unnecessary. The information set out in the amendments proposed by her is already encompassed by the definition of "early life information" in the Bill as passed by the Dáil.Paragraphs (e) and (f) of the definition of "early life information" contained in section 2 state in (e): "information on his or her health, physical or emotional development, " and in (f) "information on any medical treatments, procedures or vaccinations administered to him or her,". There is also a definition of medical information within which information about vaccines would fall as well. The information about vaccines is explicitly covered in the definition of early life, and it is also implicitly captured in the definition of medical information. I believe the amendment is superfluous.

It is unclear to us what is being proposed in amendment No. 7, and on that basis we cannot accept it. From listening to the Senator, I think what she seeks to include is already encompassed in the definition of "care arrangement". Paragraph (d) provides for "an arrangement under which a child was cared for as a resident of an institution specified in the Schedule". I believe that encompasses the sort of institutions that might be within the definition provided there, but I am not entirely clear on that. I hope that reassures the Senator on the issue of vaccines.