Data Protection Act 2018 (Section 60(6)) and (Section 51(3)) Regulations 2026: Motion Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-24 ============================================================ Victor Boyhan (IND), Agricultural Panel I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, and I thank her for a comprehensive report on what is a motion in regard to Data Protection Act 2018 regulations of 2026 for two scoping exercises. It is a highly sensitive area. We talk many times about the lived experience but it takes courage, guts and bravery to pour out your vulnerability regarding the many injustices perpetrated against you. It is important to say that many people were banging on a lot of doors for a long time and were given the cold shoulder. I do not want to get into the personalities here because it is not helpful. We now know a lot more information about it. I want to acknowledge particularly the significance of the "Prime Time" and "RTÉ Investigates" current affairs programmes that carried out extensive public scrutiny of the issues that we are talking about here tonight. That is the great thing about public broadcasting and the public service broadcasting. They do the State a great service because they shine a light in very dark places where for years people have successfully navigated and snaked around corridors to avoid being exposed. Brave and courageous people were not going to be kept down. We see this so much in the work of advocates, and particularly political advocates. Each and every one of us know those people and I suppose that is what motivates most of us. Not too many of us are politicians and I do not particularly want to be a politician with a big "P" but I do want to be an advocate with a big "A". That is where we bring power and we give voice to people outside. Remy Farrell SC and Lorcan Staines SC are very eminent, able and capable people. They will facilitate and they are doing a scoping report. The thing we have to watch, and hopefully as time progresses and they complete this first phase of their work, is that maybe we would come back, or someone from the Minister of State's Department will come back, to at least keep us informed. What people do not want is for this thing to get stalled. Yes, it has to be right. Yes, due process has to be taken. Yes, all sides have to be heard and of course we have to afford that to everyone. It is only fair, right and proper that we have a sort of due process but it is important that the work commences. The Minister of State has confirmed here today, which I think is great, that she is coming here not to tell us that something might happen or might start but that it has started. This is really positive news. I ask the Minister of State to convey my thanks to the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, who is ultimately the lead Minister in this Department. I know from speaking to the Minister of her absolute commitment to get justice but we have to tread carefully, we have to be very careful and we have to go through the processes. As my colleague has said, they are complex issues, they are sensitive issues and they are still very raw for many people although they happened quite some time ago. The important thing now is that there are no inordinate delays, that the people involved are kept informed at the various stages of the process, and while we might have a scoping report and recommendations we must get ready for the next phase and the next phase. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House, for setting it out really comprehensively and for giving us an overview of the issues involved. Let us keep ourselves informed and updated, which may be to the relevant sectoral committee that has an interest. It is important now that we get on with the work. The Government made a commitment and it has delivered, or shall we say it has commenced the work. That is very positive news and I want to thank the Minister of State for coming to the House tonight to share that with us. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-24/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:46+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-03-24