THE OFFICE of the Data Protection Commissioner has expressed serious concern at the way sensitive personal information on homeless people is being shared by local authorities and homeless service providers.
The Irish Timeshas learned that the office has deemed that personal questions which homeless people are asked before accessing State services - such as whether they have been involved in offending behaviour - are excessive and not relevant.
It also found that the Homeless Agency - a body responsible for co-ordinating homeless services in the capital - has no "legal personality". As a result, it has cast doubt as to whether any personal information relating to homeless people should be processed by the agency other than where services are provided directly by Dublin City Council.
Furthermore, the office has expressed "serious reservations" about the widespread sharing of homeless people's Personal Public Service Numbers (PPSN) within the homeless sector. It found that the legitimate use of such data only exists where services are being provided by the city council.
The office said it was hopeful that its investigation will lead to a revised data collection model which "fully respects the rights of a vulnerable segment of our population." It said it was satisfied that the Homeless Agency was working towards that goal also.
The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner's investigation follows a complaint by the homeless charity Trust.
It claimed that invasive personal questions were adding to the isolation of homeless people.
Alice Leahy, the co-founder of Trust and a commissioner in the Irish Human Rights Commission, welcomed the office's findings.
"This validates what we have been saying for some time. I'm looking at this from a human rights perspective. And it's a fundamental aspect of human rights to be treated with dignity and respect," she said.
"It's very important to understand that these are poor, vulnerable people. If the rest of the population is aware of the importance of protecting the privacy of their personal information, think of how it must feel for people with little if any voice."
Ms Leahy added that highly sensitive and personal details could prove very damaging if elicited in an insensitive and unprofessional way by relatively unskilled staff, especially where homeless people suffer from mental health problems.
The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner expressed concern that information recorded on the "holistic needs assessment" form was not being collected on a "need to know basis". It also said some of the questions on previous offences and details regarding probation were "excessive" and that it could not find any legitimate reason why these were needed.
The Homeless Agency has argued that the form is a "vital element" in its strategy of eliminating long-term homelessness in Dublin by 2010, and that the process of filling it out is voluntary. It has also stressed that homeless people are not being treated less favourably if they do not complete it.
