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Irish Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Official documents are quietly disappearing from departmental websites. Why?
In George Orwell's 1984, Winston's job is making awkward documents and reports disappear down the 'memory hole': 'Day by day and almost minute by minute, the past was brought up to date. In this way every prediction made by the Party could be shown by documentary evidence to have been correct…' The Irish Civil Service appears to be implementing the suitably Orwellian practice of 'unpublishing'. The past is being 'brought up to date' through the disappearance – deliberate or otherwise – of official documents from departmental websites. Why? Could it be because they provide information that could be used to hold those departments (and their political masters) to account for failing to deliver their plans? Last week, when writing here about the figures that show shocking numbers of Irish children going to bed hungry, I was looking for the research on food poverty commissioned by the Department of Social Protection in 2024. Under ' The Action Plan on Food Poverty and the associated research report are available ', the site said 'Item was unpublished or removed'. READ MORE That column was published last Tuesday. In the afternoon, I checked the site again and, remarkably the 'unpublished' bit had itself disappeared. The documents had been, to venture further into Newspeak, un-unpublished – in effect, restored. This tells us that the availability or otherwise of public policy and research documents can be deliberately manipulated. Shining a dim torch down the memory hole, here is a sample of purposefully disappeared evidence. 1. In 2017, the then minister for housing published a crucial online map showing, as the press release headlined, 'Over 2,000 hectares of land suitable for housing in State/semi-State ownership' with 'potential for up to 50,000 new-build homes on these lands'. The link now goes merely to the home page of the Housing for All website. There is no map of these sites. 2. That map was part of Rebuilding Ireland, the grand housing strategy published by the government in 2016. The redoubtable housing policy analyst Lorcan Sirr tells me: 'It looks like nearly all the Rebuilding Ireland policy information and documents have been taken down from the Department of Housing's website.' 3. The Department of Health's link to the Project Ireland 2040 infrastructure plan, launched with great fanfare in 2019, now reads: ' Item was unpublished or removed is the government's overarching policy initiative to make Ireland a better country for all of us, a country that reflects the best of who we are and what we aspire to be.' Screenshot of the text which now greets readers. 4. The Department of Public Expenditure's announcement of updates to the same plan now reads: 'The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath TD, has today launched an updated Item was unpublished or removed … This suite of material underlines the steady progress being made in the implementation of Item was unpublished or removed .' Screenshot of the website text as now presented to the public. 5. The unveiling of the 2022 white paper on the transition to a decarbonised economy now tells us that the relevant ministers 'have launched the Item was unpublished or removed which was approved by Government today'. 6. The plug has been pulled on the Government's policy statement 'to ensure security of electricity supply to 2.4 million homes and businesses throughout Ireland', issued by Eamon Ryan in 2021. 'The Policy Statement can be accessed/viewed Item was unpublished or removed' . 7. The announcement of the then government's plan on artificial intelligence now says: 'The Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation Dara Calleary today published the Item was unpublished or removed … A number of key achievements have been delivered so far including: delivering the Item was unpublished or removed in October 2022'. 8. The Department of Education's link to the Report of the Expert Group on Student Participation, launched by Norma Foley just last year, now reads: 'The full report and detail can be found at Item was unpublished or removed'. 9. The announcement in 2021 of the Department of Health's plan to 'reduce levels of salt, sugar, saturated fats and calories in processed foods' was accompanied by a roadmap for implementation. It is now an announcement that the minister 'today launched Item was unpublished or removed'. 10. The Department of the Environment's plan on cutting pollution from solid fuels now boasts that 'to reduce its effects, we introduced the Item was unpublished or removed in October 2022'. 11. The 'vision to make Shannon Estuary Region a renewable energy powerhouse', published by the Taoiseach and Tánaiste in 2022, has been washed away on the 'unpublished or removed' tide. 12. The name of the financial industry's lobby group that meets regularly with the Government to discuss its plans for the sector has been deleted. The lobby now meets 'on a quarterly basis with the Item was unpublished or removed" . 13. The public submissions on the implementation of the Lobbying Act in 2020 have gone down the memory hole: 'These submissions have been published and can be viewed at Item was unpublished or removed .' 14. The bioeconomy strategy on 'the production of renewable biological resources' has been un-published on the Department of Climate, Energy and Environment site. 15. As a piece de resistance, the public consultation on the review of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act now informs us that 'For more details on the review process, the review roadmap is available at the following link: Item was unpublished or removed'. The range of departments engaged in this disappearing act strongly suggests it is not accidental. These documents are not secret. They could, presumably, all be accessed by using FOI – if you know exactly what you're looking for and can wait for weeks or months. Some can be found elsewhere online. And bear in mind that they represent thousands of hours of work by public servants themselves. The function of the memory hole is to make it harder for citizens, civil society organisations, opposition politicians and journalists to hold ministers and senior civil servants to account for what they have and have not done. Every prediction made by the Party can be shown to have been correct.
Irish Times
12-06-2025
- Irish Times
Department of Social Protection fined €550,000 over facial scans
The Department of Social Protection has been fined €550,000 after data protection watchdogs found 'a number of deficiencies' in its compliance with European data privacy rules concerning the use of facial scans in issuing Public Services Cards. The Department was also ordered to come up with a valid lawful basis for the use of facial scans and facial matching software for the registration of Public Services Cards within nine months, or it must stop using it. The decision is the result of an inquiry that the Data Protection Commission commenced in July 2021, examining the department's processing of biometric facial templates and the use of facial matching technologies as part of the registration process for the Public Services Card. The department uses Safe 2 registration to verify identity when accessing public services. The process involves a photo of the applicant, which is then run through software to check against images used in other Safe 2 registrations. This is designed to prevent duplicate registrations. READ MORE The registration is mandatory for applying for a Public Services Card, of which 3.2 million are in existence, and is necessary for certain services, including welfare payments. [ 'No legal basis' for photo database created using Public Services Card Opens in new window ] However, that means there is ongoing collection, storage and processing of sensitive personal data on a large scale by the DSP, which requires precise legal justification, the DPC said. The inquiry looked at whether the DSP had a lawful basis for collecting biometric data for conducting facial matching as part of Safe 2 registration, if it could retain that data, if it complied with transparency obligations, and if it had carried out an adequate Data Protection Impact Assessment. The DPC found the department had infringed data protection regulations on a number of fronts. In its decision, the regulator said it failed to identify a valid lawful basis for the collection of biometric data for Safe 2 registration at the time of the inquiry. As a result, it also infringed GDPR by retaining biometric data collected as part of Safe 2 registration. The DPC also penalised the department for infringing its obligations on transparency, and for failing include certain details in the Data Protection Impact Assessment that it carried out. The DPC said it had reprimanded the Department of Social Protection and issued the administrative fines. The department must also stop biometric data in connection with Safe 2 registration within nine months of this decision, if it cannot identify a valid lawful basis for the data collection. 'It is important to note that none of the findings of infringement identified, nor the corrective powers exercised by the DPC, pertain to the roll-out of Safe 2 registration by the DSP as a matter of principle. The DPC did not find any evidence of inadequate technical and organisational security measures deployed by the DSP in connection with Safe 2 registration in the context of this inquiry,' said deputy commissioner Graham Doyle. 'This inquiry was concerned with assessing whether the legislative framework presently in place for Safe 2 registration complies with the requirements of data protection law and whether the DSP operates Safe 2 registration in a data protection-compliant manner, and the findings announced today identify a number of deficiencies in this regard.' A previous inquiry into the processing of personal data in connection with the issuing of Public Services Cards was concluded in 2019, with the department initially appealing the DPC's decision before withdrawing the action and coming to an agreement with the watchdog.
BreakingNews.ie
06-05-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Over 30 arrested on outstanding warrants by gardaí in Askeaton
More than 30 people were arrested by gardaí on Tuesday as part of a major multi-agency crackdown on outstanding warrants in Askeaton, Co Limerick. Those arrested for various alleged offences were bailed and remanded to appear in court at later dates. Advertisement The 'day of action' involved many arms of the State's authorities, including local gardaí, armed Garda units, Garda Roads Policing Unit. Revenue Customs Officers, Road Safety Authority, Limerick City and County Council Dog Warden Service, and the Department of Social Protection. Firearms checks, road traffic checkpoints, as well as strategic patrols, were conducted in the west Co Limerick town throughout the day. Gardaí attended at a number of residential homes in the town as part of the operation, in what was the fifth successive day of action across the Limerick County Garda Community Engagement Area, following similar operations in Abbeyfeale, Newcastle West, Rathkeale, and Kilmallock over the last few months. Gardaí said their goal was to respond to the needs of communities in tackling varying issues such as anti-social behaviour, road safety, and compliance with various legislation. The 'days of action' are well-planned in advance and require plentiful resources and logistics, as well as the cooperation of the Courts Services to deal specifically with a large number of warrants at short notice.
