I propose to take Questions Nos. 146 and 147 together.
The information session achieves a necessary balancing of EU and constitutional rights in the Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022. Through the inclusion of a phone call in this process, the two sets of competing EU and constitutional rights are balanced in a way that does not limit the information that can be provided to someone availing of the legislation, while still acknowledging the privacy rights of mothers.
While I believe that an information session will be required in a minimal number of cases, it will be necessary where a parent has actively ‘opted in’ and registered a preference for no contact on the Contact Preference Register. Where an information session is required and a relevant person chooses to abstain, the person can still make a subject access request. That application will then be considered in accordance with the GDPR.