Data Protection

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 June 2023

Tuesday, 20 June 2023

Questions (412)

Paul Murphy

Question:

412. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she agrees that the report from her Department given to the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee in December 2019, which stated that her Department received free travel pass “usage data” which “indicates that a FT Travel pass was used at a particular time and date” and that “this data is non-identifying and does not provide journey duration or fare collected” was inaccurate, given the finding of the Data Protection Commissioner that her Department was collecting massive amounts of excess data using the free travel pass, including identifying information, journey duration and fare collected. [29311/23]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection (Deputy Heather Humphreys)

The recent finding of the Data Protection Commissioner, which was on foot of an individual complaint made a number of years ago, has been noted by my Department. 

However, it is noteworthy that the Commissioner did not make any order following its investigation of this complaint because it found my Department had already implemented the necessary measures in relation to transparency from August 2016, and in relation to proportionate and necessary data collection from February 2020.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.