Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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198. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the resources available to the survivors of mother-and-baby homes once they receive their information; if the social worker quoted in his Department's letter will make themselves available to all who need help deciphering and understanding the information they have been sent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23374/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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On 28 February 2021, with the dissolution of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, my Department became the data controller for all the personal data contained in the records and databases that transferred from the Commission.

Former residents of Mother and Baby Homes can make a subject access request to my Department under the GDPR for access to their record. I am very mindful of the importance to people who were born in Mother and Baby Homes of access to their personal data.

My Department has worked intensively to ensure that it is appropriately resourced to handle subject access requests from former residents of mother and baby homes. It has put in place a multi-disciplinary team to respond to requests from individuals. My officials are available to assist individuals who may have queries in relation to the material received by them in response to a subject access request.  In addition, individuals may also access the services of my Department’s social work team which is available to provide specific support, information and advice to individuals in the context of a response to a subject access request.