Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 516: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of applications for investigation that have been made to the referee since the introduction of the Interception of Postal Packets and Telecommunications Messages (Regulation) Act 1993; the number of investigations that have been undertaken; the number of complaints that have been upheld; the number of complaints that have not been upheld; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35503/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The office of the Complaints Referee was established pursuant to Section 9 of the Interception of Postal Packets and Telecommunications Messages (Regulation) Act 1993, as amended. The office of the Complaints Referee provides an independent complaints procedure in respect of the State's lawful interception and telecommunications data retention and access regimes. The current Complaints Referee is His Honour Judge Caroll Moran, Judge of the Circuit Court, who may be contacted c/o President of the Circuit Court Office, The Four Courts, Dublin 7.

As the Complaints Referee is an independent office, my Department has no definitive knowledge of the numbers of applications made, investigations undertaken, complaints not upheld and complaints upheld. In the latter regard, where the Complaints Referee concludes that there has been a contravention of the relevant statutory provisions, the Referee shall, inter alia, make a report of his findings to the Taoiseach rather than to me as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.