Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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417. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department facilitates the release of personal information under the general data protection regulation, GDPR, by persons with personal data in the archive of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. [34752/20]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse consisted of two separate and distinct Committees: the Confidential Committee, and the Investigation Committee.

The specific mandate of the Confidential Committee was to hear the evidence of those survivors of childhood institutional abuse who wished to report their experiences in a confidential setting.

The Investigation Committee was to inquire into the manner in which children were placed in, and the circumstances in which they continued to be resident in institutions during the relevant period and to inquire into the abuse of children in institutions and to determine the causes, nature, circumstances and extent of such abuse.

The testimony of persons coming before the Investigation Committee was subject to challenge, including by legal representatives of those individuals, institutions and organisations against whom allegations of abuse were made. The operating procedures used by the Investigation Committee are published on Commission's website. The complainant, their legal representatives and all respondents got copies of all documenation at the time.

The records of the Commission are not Departmental records and the release of these records is a matter for the Commission.