‘We’re treated like mushrooms - kept in the dark and fed...’ says Limerick councillor
LIMERICK COUNCILLORS are treated like mushrooms, kept in the dark and fed..., believes one local representative.
Cllr Liam Galvin tabled a motion at a Newcastle West Municipal District meeting that the council calls on the Government to review GDPR rules regarding housing and giving out information to them as councillors / directors of this council.
Cllr Galvin said they are directors of the council, whether they like it or not.
“The difficulty arises when we are out walking around and we are asked the question of who is moving into that council house or who has got that council house.
“As councillors we are entitled to the same information as council staff who have the information. They know who is getting the house but we don’t. We are being treated like mushrooms - kept in the dark and fed...” tailed off Cllr Galvin.
The Fine Gael man said it is becoming practically impossible to do their jobs.
Cllr John Sheahan spoke about the amount of red tape in general being faced by councillors doing their jobs.
He said consent forms have to be filled out by some people who councillors make representations for.
“When I spoke to TDs about this they ask me what am I talking about,” said Cllr Sheahan.
In reply to Cllr Galvin's motion, Caroline Curley, director of service at the housing directorate, said the council, including the housing directorate, are committed to meeting all relevant data protection, privacy and security requirements whether originating from legal, regulatory or contractual obligations and is committed to protecting the rights and privacy of individuals in accordance with current data protection legislation.
“Councillors and other elected public representatives are data controllers in their rights. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 clearly sets out the responsibility of the council and elected representatives to manage personal data securely.
“Section 40 of the Data Protection Act 2018 specifically refers to elected representatives making representations to organisations seeking personal data,” said Ms Curley.
The council, having regard to the significant requirements under the data protection legislation, has a dedicated data protection officer and a data protection unit to ensure data governance protocol is embedded throughout the organisation and specifically within each department of Limerick City and County Council.
“The motion submitted would require a change to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 which took effect in May 2018,” concluded the reply from Ms Curley.