Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 September 2020
919. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Justice if external bodies or companies have been engaged with regard to the social media evaluation reports being prepared by the transparency unit of her Department; the amounts paid in consultancy or training fees in relation to the activity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21605/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra920. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Justice if the data protection implications of the social media evaluation reports being prepared by the transparency unit of her Department have been evaluated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21606/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 919 and 920 together.
As the Deputy will appreciate, the spread of Covid-19 is unprecedented in almost every aspect for every sector, both private and public, and this includes communications.
A key objective of Government throughout the Covid-19 pandemic has been to be able to provide regular updates in uncertain times to the public.
As part of my Department’s initial response to the Covid-19 pandemic, my officials implemented social media listening as part of their communications duties, to ensure that the Department could react effectively to issues as they arose in relation to services being provided across the Justice Sector.
To do this my officials followed “hashtags” and keywords that related to An Garda Síochána, prisons, family law, domestic violence, stillhere.ie, family courts, immigration, asylum, and direct provision. This work meant the Department was in a position to respond earlier to issues that were arising online, when most of its workforce was working remotely.
It also enabled my Department to respond to, or investigate issues, that were being raised on social media platforms that were not being raised directly with the Department, its service providers, or through the various helplines or supports put in place for various agencies. Understanding the conversations that were happening online also assisted my Department in responding to queries raised by national and regional journalists on behalf of the public. This initial response to the pandemic is not now required and has been discontinued.
With regard to the Deputy's question regarding data protection, I would like to assure the Deputy that my Department takes its obligations with regard to data protection very seriously, and that this was taken into account as part of this recent work preparing social media evaluation reports. I also wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has not engaged any external bodies or companies as part of the social media evaluation reports being prepared.
