Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 199: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children further to Parliamentary Question No. 339 of 21 March 2006, if assurance will be offered by her that the outstanding information will be provided by the hospital at this late stage; and if an explanation will be offered by the hospital as to the reason this information has not been forthcoming despite many requests in this regard. [18415/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Deputy is referring to a previous Parliamentary Question tabled in March, 2006 and answered by my colleague the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen. The request for access to information in this case used the provisions set out in the Freedom of Information Act, 1997.

Where a request has been submitted under The Freedom of Information Act, 1997 and the requester is not satisfied with the response, the Act provides an appropriate appeals mechanism, ultimately to the Office of the Information Commissioner. A party to a review, or any other person affected by a decision of the Information Commissioner following a review, may appeal to the High Court on a point of law arising from the decision.

Ready access to relevant information is central to patient care and there is a duty of care on health agencies and health care professionals in the processing and management of sensitive personal information. As the hospital in question is a public body in its own right, the management and any appeals pertaining to the request is the responsibility of the hospital in the first instance. Therefore, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on any aspect of this specific case.