Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 November 2019
55. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the process and procedures in place for handling data access requests from public authorities and An Garda Síochána; the way in which the data is requested and released; the decision maker in the context of deciding whether to release or refuse data requests from the bodies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48403/19]
View answerMy Department is fully committed to keeping all personal data submitted by its customers, safe and secure during administrative processes.
All data access requests must be made in writing, citing the relevant legislation. Requests are triaged by a designated officer. This is to primarily ensure that each request is made in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and that sufficient information has been provided to identify an individual. During triage, the request will be refused if it is not requested in accordance with the Act or if insufficient data has been provided to identify an individual.
It should be noted that in An Garda Síochána, the requests are authorised at Chief Superintendent level.
