Written answers

Tuesday, 6 November 2007

Department of Social and Family Affairs

Data Protection

9:00 pm

Photo of Róisín ShortallRóisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 292: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 64 of 31 October 2007, the number of investigations under way into individual security breaches or alleged breaches in his Department; the basis on which each of these cases were commenced; if, in relation to all investigations, they are current or completed; the sanctions the Data Protection Commissioner has taken against his Department; the number and amount of fines paid in each case; and the number of civil cases that are being or have been taken against his Department and the outcome of any concluded to date. [27570/07]

Photo of Martin CullenMartin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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There are six investigations currently underway in my Department in relation to alleged unauthorised access to and disclosure of personal data. The investigations relate to the records of eleven individuals, as follows;

The Department launched an investigation into possible data protection violations following articles in a national newspaper in April 2007 alleging that private investigators working for insurance companies had access to social welfare records. When contacted by the Department, the journalist provided the names of five individuals whose personal data is alleged to be on the private investigators' files.

The Data Protection Commissioner wrote to the Department in late June 2007 to advise that personal data was discovered on private investigator files during the course of his Office's audit of an insurance company. He supplied details of two individuals whose personal data was available.

In July 2007 The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner referred complaints to the Department from two members of the public who suspected that their personal data had been accessed and passed on to third parties. Each case is the subject of a separate investigation.

Two complaints have recently been received from members of the public who are concerned that their personal data may have been disclosed to third parties. Each complaint is the subject of a separate investigation.

All of these investigations are on-going and some are at an advanced stage. No sanction has been advised by the Data Protection Commissioner. The Department has fully co-operated with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner in relation to the issues raised, and welcomes notification of his intention to carry out an audit of the Department's procedures for processing personal data in the near future.

No civil proceedings have been initiated against the Department in relation to information security breaches.

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