Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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220. To ask the Minister for Health if a person is ordinarily allowed access to their recently deceased partner's medical records - general practitioner and hospital (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45184/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The Medical Council's "Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Medical Practitioners" advises that confidentiality is a fundamental principle of medical ethics and is central to the trust between patients and doctors. Patients are entitled to expect that information about them will be held in confidence. Patient information remains confidential even after death. Therefore, there is no automatic entitlement to releasing medical records to a third party.