Amendment Nos. 33, 34 and 36 form a group that seeks to replace the definition of "next of kin" with a new definition of "close relative". The three amendments together replace the current next of kin mechanism with a new close relative mechanism for requesting information about deceased relevant relatives. Amendment Nos. 33 and 34 replace references to "next of kin" with references to "close relative" while amendment No. 36 creates the new definition of "close relative". The effect of these amendments in Part 4 is…

Obviously, a deceased person is not protected in that respect under the general data protection regulation, GDPR. I am struggling to understand the Minister's response to the effect that the balance is being tipped. However, a balance is being created in favour of, say, parents over siblings with respect to next of kin. Why is it necessary to balance that hierarchy of parents over siblings in terms of access, or am I understanding that wrong?

I move amendment No. 34: In page 32, line 4, to delete “next of kin” and substitute “a close relative”.

I move amendment No. 35: In page 32, to delete lines 5 to 13 and substitute the following: “(2) For the purposes of this Part, the following shall be considered to be the next of kin of a deceased relevant person: (a) his or her mother or father; (b) his or her brother or sister; (c) his or her uncle or aunt; or (d) his or her nephew or niece.”.

I move amendment No. 36: In page 32, between lines 13 and 14, to insert the following: “(2) For the purposes of this Part, the following shall be considered to be the close relative of a deceased relevant person: (a) his or her mother or father; (b) his or her brother or sister; (c) his or her uncle or aunt; or (d) his or her nephew or niece.”.

Briefly, this amendment seeks to provide that an application for a tracing service shall be made to the agency and may be made by a parent, a grandparent, a sibling, an uncle or an aunt, or a niece or a nephew for the purposes of obtaining personal information or records relevant to a person, which are held by the relevant person. This is to ensure all individuals to whom this legislation relates are able to access their own personal information, much in line with the contributions made on the previous set of amend…

I will not come back in but I will press the amendment.

I move amendment No. 38: In page 60, line 34, to delete “a” and substitute “an accessible”.

Amendment No. 38 seeks to ensure a public information campaign held under section 60 is undertaken in an accessible manner. On Committee Stage, our amendments, which would have required a public information campaign to be held in line with the Government's commitment to the use of plain English, were ruled out of order. Amendment No. 40 provides the Minister shall ensure any public information campaign conducted under this section is conducted in a manner consistent with the State's obligations under the United Nat…

I move amendment No. 40: In page 61, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following: "(2) The Minister shall ensure that any public information campaign conducted under this section is conducted in a manner consistent with the State's obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.".

I move amendment No. 42: In page 64, between lines 31 and 32, to insert the following: "(2) For the avoidance of doubt, no Articles of the General Data Protection Regulation, other than those referred to in paragraphs (a) , (b) , (c) and (d) of subsection (1) , shall be restricted in the performance of functions or fulfilment of obligations provided for in this Act.". These amendments seek to ensure that, other than the limitations described in section 68, no element of the GDPR shall be restricted by any provision…

I move amendment No. 43: In page 64, between lines 31 and 32, to insert the following: “Rights and obligations under Article 15 of the General Data Protection Regulation 69. For the avoidance of doubt, no rights or obligations under Article 15 of the General Data Protection Regulation shall be restricted or infringed upon by any provision of this Act.".

I move amendment No. 44: In page 64, line 37, after "her" to insert "in an expedient manner". Amendment No. 44 aims to ensure the provision of counselling supports to parents and relevant persons is not subject to inappropriate delays by stipulating that counselling support shall be arranged expeditiously for parents and relevant persons on application. An amendment specifying that counselling support should be provided within a specific timeframe was not accepted on Committee Stage. This version of the amendment d…

I move amendment No. 45: In page 65, between lines 7 and 8, to insert the following: “(5) The Minister shall, within 18 months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas outlining the number of persons who have been provided with counselling services under subsection (2) and shall identify any obstacles to persons availing of such counselling services in an expedient manner and shall identify any mitigation measures which may be necessary to ensure the expedient delivery of counse…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 8, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following: “(c) a person who was otherwise illegally adopted,”.

This grouping of amendments seeks to ensure that illegal birth registrations are specified in the Bill along with incorrect birth registrations. Currently, the Bill only applies to people whose births were illegally registered before 31 December 1980. It is a deeply flawed decision to insert a date limit, as there is no evidence to suggest that illegal registrations ceased on 31 December 1980. Any person illegally adopted outside this date limit might not be able to access his or her rights under the Bill. The Bill…

I move amendment No. 2: In page 8, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following: “(c) a person who was subject to an illegal birth registration,”

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.

I second the amendment.