Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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571. To ask the Minister for Health the length of time a person should have to wait to receive a medical file or record from a hospital after requesting same. [37788/18]

Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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572. To ask the Minister for Health the information a hospital is permitted to redact from a person's medical file or record when producing a copy of same following a patient request either through freedom of information, FOI, or the general data protection regulation, GDPR. [37789/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 571 and 572 together.

As the Deputy's questions relate to medical records held by hospitals, I have arranged for the questions to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.

Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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573. To ask the Minister for Health if a hospital is permitted to have a mandatory requirement that persons must request their hospital file or record via a freedom of information request. [37790/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Generally, access to one's medical records should be provided routinely and administratively, having regard to privacy, confidentiality and the public interest. An application may be made in writing to the appropriate service or agency providing sufficient information (date of birth, current and previous addresses, date of contact with the specific services etc.) to help in locating records.

People may also access their medical records, from publicly funded hospitals, under the Freedom of Information Act, 2014. They may apply in writing to the public body that holds the records and for medical card holders, that public body is the Health Service Executive (HSE). Patients of the public system may also be entitled to their medical records under the Data Protection Acts.

People who attend a private hospital may access their records under the Data Protection Acts.