Departmental Legal Cases

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 November 2016

Tuesday, 29 November 2016

Questions (303)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

303. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his Department, or the agencies that report to his Department, entered into any non-disclosure or confidentiality agreements with any organisation due to court action or a threatened court action; and, if so, the persons or groups with which these agreements exist. [37627/16]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

The information requested is being compiled insofar as my Department is concerned, and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible. The information in relation to agencies under the aegis of my Department is an operational matter for each Agency. Arrangements have been put in place by each Agency to facilitate the provision of information by State Bodies directly to members of the Oireachtas. The contact email address for each agency is as below:

Agency	Email address
An Bord Pleanála	[e-mail]
Ervia, Gas Networks Ireland	[e-mail]
Housing Sustainable Communities Agency	[e-mail]
Housing Finance Agency	[e-mail]
Irish Water	[e-mail]
Irish Water Safety	[e-mail]
Local Government Management Agency	[e-mail].
Residential Tenancies Board	[e-mail]
Pobal	[e-mail]

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 42A

My Department does have a number of non-disclosure or confidentiality agreements in place. Some of these include terms that require the parties to keep the very existence of the agreement confidential. I am therefore not at liberty to release further information about parties to these particular non-disclosure or confidentiality agreements.

In relation to those agreements that do not contain such terms, my Department has confidentiality agreements in place with Atlantic Shellfish Limited and David Hugh-Jones and, separately, with Sea Fibre Networks Limited.