asked the Minister for Social Welfare the circumstances in which documents from his Department, some of which were covered by the Official Secrets Act, were found in a street in Dublin; the action taken as a consequence; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Documents.
85.
Waste paper generated at headquarters offices of my Department falls into two categories, namely, ordinary non-confidential material and confidential waste. There are special arrangements to deal with waste of a confidential nature which is placed in special coloured plastic bags and sealed before removal.
Investigations have revealed that a small number of documents in the form of draft letters relating to unemployment payments appear to have got into the ordinary non-confidential waste disposal system by mistake. These documents were found with other waste matter in the vicinity of the Department's office in Townsend Street. The problem would seem to have arisen because Townsend Street is at present closed to vehicular traffic due to resurfacing, and it was necessary to transfer waste by handcart to where the corporation refuse lorry was parked in Luke Street a short distance away. My Department disposes of around 250 tonnes of confidential waste yearly and a somewhat similar quantity of ordinary waste. I am, however, concerned to ensure the proper disposal of all confidential material and to this end I am having a full and comprehensive review carried out of the methods of handling confidential waste in the Department to ensure that satisfactory arrangements are in place which will prevent any repetition of the type of incident referred to by the Deputy.