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.
My Department is responsible for fulfilling data subject rights, including the right of access to personal data. I am very mindful of the importance to people who were born in Mother and Baby Homes of access to their personal data.
Individuals may make a subject access request to my Department in respect of records in the Mother and Baby Homes archive relating to them. My Department operates a dedicated telephone information line to provide information to callers on procedures for making subject access requests. Information is also available on my Department’s website, including a Guide which provides responses to Frequently Asked Questions.
In accordance with GDPR requirements, my Department fulfils GDPR requests within one month of the identity of the requestor being validated. In situations where my Department is unable to fulfil these requests within this timeframe, due to the complexity of the request, my Department informs individuals within one month of receipt of their request, explaining the reason for the delay, and my Department commits to delivery of the data within a further two months.
My Department is committed to meeting its obligations as a data controller when dealing with Subject Access Requests (SARs) and is responding on a case by case basis to individuals in accordance with the requirements of GDPR.
