Ministerial Appointments

Wednesday, 1 July 2026

Questions (292, 293, 294)

Erin McGreehan

Question:

292. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health when it was decided by her Department and agreed with the Health Research Consent Declaration Committee (HRCDC) that persons making applications to the Minister for membership of the Committee would be informed that they must instead make their applications through the Committee; if that agreement was formally recorded by the Department and the HRCDC: if the arrangement was requested by the Committee or by her Department; if the HRCDC sends all applications it receives to the Minister for her decision; and if the applications forwarded come with a recommendation (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49987/26]

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Erin McGreehan

Question:

293. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health whether her Department considered the data protection implications of the arrangement with the Health Research Consent Declaration Committee (HRCDC) whereby it requires applicants for membership of the Committee to provide their personal data to the Committee without a statutory basis for that requirement. [49988/26]

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Erin McGreehan

Question:

294. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the reason the Health Research Consent Declaration Committee is able to periodically publicly invite expressions of interest for membership of the committee. [49989/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Health (Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 292, 293 and 294 together.

The Health Research Consent Declaration Committee (HRCDC) was established as required by the Data Protection Act 2018 (Section 36(2)) (Health Research) Regulations 2018 (S.I. No. 314/2018). Under these Regulations, the Minister for Health is responsible for the appointment of members.

The HRCDC secretariat provides the required secretarial assistance to support the HRCDC. While the Regulations do not explicitly prescribe the methodology for recruitment to HRCDC vacancies, the HRCDC secretariat uses 'Expression of Interest' (EoI) campaigns as a standard administrative practice. This open approach is grounded in wider government policy, specifically the principles of transparency, diversity, and merit-based selection required by the ‘Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards’. In line with standard procedures, applicants consent to the processing of their data by the HRCDC secretariat when submitting applications. Recruiting members through an ‘expression of interest campaign’ ensures that the HRCDC maintains the highly specialised legal, ethical, clinical, and public-representative competencies necessary to fulfil its statutory mandate effectively. Following the Expression of Interest campaign, the HRCDC secretariat submits the recommended individuals to the Minister for Health for appointment as per the Regulations.