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Departmental Records

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021

Tuesday, 27 July 2021

Questions (3370)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

3370. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which persons may access Land Commission records in cases in which they contain information on blood relatives now deceased. [39332/21]

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Written answers

Access to the records of the former Irish Land Commission (ILC) held by the Records Branch of the Department at its premises in Portlaoise is governed by the Land Purchase Act Rules 1939 (S.I. No. 341 of 1939). Order XIX of the rules states—

Certified copies of Abstracts of Title or documents connected therewith, agreements for sale between vendor and purchaser, undertakings to purchase from the Land Commission, conveyances to purchasers, vesting orders and fiats, shall not be issued without leave of the Judicial Commissioner or the direction of the Examiner, except to vendors or purchasers their successors in title or their respective solicitors.

As can be seen from the above, in the case of a person such as those identified by the Deputy, who is not the registered owner (i.e. successor in title) of the lands in question, there is no automatic right under the Rules to gain access to Irish Land Commission records relating to their ancestors.

It may be of interest to the Deputy to know that the Data Protection Act 2018 (No. 7 of 2018) permits data processing for ‘archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes’. If an individual considers that their request falls within one of these provisions, then they should contact my officials in the Records Branch and make their case.

Every request is considered on its own merits having regard to the purposes of the request, the likely volume of documentation involved and the impact that complying with the request will have on the ability of my officials to carry out their regular duties. Arising from the current public health advice relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, my officials continue to work remotely where possible and practicable to do so.

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