Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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236. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the protocol for users and clients of Tusla in respect of access to information on personal files held by Tusla, its agencies or partners. [2111/19]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I am advised by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, that it has procured and implemented a portal for handling subject access requests. The portal allows an individual to submit a request to access information on a personal file held by Tusla. The portal is a secure online tool that is accessible through the Tusla website at

Tusla has advised that when a data access request is received through the portal, Tusla's data protection team confirms the identity of the requester, confirms the scope of the request, and distributes the request to any relevant service areas. Tusla also has arrangements to support internal queries on the matter and tracks the timeframes involved in line with the Data Protection Act, 2018.

Should an individual prefer not to use the online portal, he or she can also submit a data access request by post, phone, or email to Tusla's Head Office or to the relevant local office. Tusla has advised that it assists individuals throughout the process as required. Some requests are made under the Freedom of Information Act and are processed accordingly.

With regard to information which may be held by Tusla's agencies or partners, Tusla requests individuals seeking such information to provide details of any contact points involved in their dealings with Tusla. Where an agency or partner carrying out services on Tusla's behalf is involved, Tusla engages with the agency or partner in question from the initial record retrieval process onwards.

Tusla has advised my Department that its processing of data access requests is under constant review, and that enhancements to the system are made in line with the nature and volume of data access requests received.