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HRB welcomes appointment of the Health Research Consent Declaration Committee

Minister for Health, Simon Harris, TD, has appointed 15 people to the Health Research Consent Declaration Committee (HRCDC).

Personal data under european law protection

Welcoming the appointment of the Committee, Dr Darrin Morrissey, Chief Executive at the HRB said,

‘This Committee is an essential part of making the Health Research Regulations work. The Regulations make explicit consent the default position for use of personal data for health research. It is recognised that in limited circumstances such consent is not possible, which is why the committee is needed. The Committee will consider applications from researchers where obtaining consent will not be possible, but the public interest in carrying out the research significantly outweighs the need for consent'.

‘I believe the representative mix of skills and perspectives on this committee, including public and patients, will ensure decisions are made that strike the balance between protecting personal data, supporting important advances in health research in the public interest and data protection legislation'.

Read more on the HR-CDC website.