Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill 2026: Committee Stage (Resumed)
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-26
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Lynn Ruane (IND), University of Dublin

This is for a practical understanding. The screening process only begins after search warrants have been issued. If a screening is done on whether something falls within the realm of journalistic privilege, who, at whatever level of An Garda Síochána, actually carries out the screening process? This is unlike a solicitor with disclosure in court and what can or cannot be considered. Several gardaí could raid a home or use a warrant to remove someone's devices and those gardaí will have access to everything that exists, and they will have to go through it line by line and page by page to determine what is and is not relevant. All of a sudden, a group of people has access to highly privileged information that has nothing to do with the scope intended under the warrant. They are then deliberating on that. This is people's lives and all the data they have gathered over the years, including every time somebody has contacted them about something. There could be personal information about people and things unrelated to a crime. Who exactly is sitting down and screening whether this is to be considered in the context of journalistic privilege? Who exactly has sight of all this and how do they make that determination? What do they do with all that information that has nothing to do with the intended use of the warrant?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-26