First Previous (PART III Collection of Information) Next (PART V Protection of Information)

21 1993

STATISTICS ACT, 1993

PART IV

Use of Records of Public Authorities for Statistical Purposes

Access to records of public authorities.

30. —(1) For the purpose of assisting the Office in the exercise of its functions under this Act, the Director General may by delivery of a notice request any public authority to—

(a) allow officers of statistics at all reasonable times to have access to, inspect and take copies of or extracts from any records in its charge, and

(b) provide the Office, if any such officer so requires, with copies or extracts from any such record,

and the public authority shall, subject to subsection (2) of this section, comply with any such request free of charge.

(2) Subsection (1) of this section—

(a) shall not apply to records pertaining to a Court, the Garda Síochána, the prison administration or the Ombudsman or any of his officers;

(b) shall apply to medical records which are not publicly available only with the agreement of the Minister for Health;

(c) shall in all other cases have effect notwithstanding anything contained in any enactment other than provisions for the protection of public order or the security of the State.

Co-operation of public authorities with the Office.

31. —(1) The Director General may request any public authority to consult and co-operate with him for the purpose of assessing the potential of the records of the authority as a source of statistical information and, where appropriate and practicable, developing its recording methods and systems for statistical purposes, and the public authority shall comply with any such request, in so far as resources permit.

(2) If any public authority proposes to introduce, revise or extend any system for the storage and retrieval of information or to make a statistical survey it shall consult with the Director General and accept any recommendations that he may reasonably make in relation to the proposal.

(3) The Director General or any public authority may request the National Statistics Board to arbitrate on and, when agreement cannot be reached, to make recommendations to the Taoiseach for his decision on proposals made by the Director General under subsection (1) or (2) of this section.

(4) Subsections (1) and (2) of this section—

(a) shall not apply to records pertaining to a Court, the Garda Síochána or the prison administration;

(b) shall in all other cases have effect notwithstanding anything contained in any enactment other than provisions for the protection of public order or the security of the State.