Galway Bay fm newsroom - The Data Commissioner has ruled that Irish people don’t have an “absolute right” to have their names spelt correctly.
It's after a man lodged a complaint alleging that the HSE was in breach of EU rules when University Hospital Galway told him its computer software does not allow for fadas.
According to the Irish Times, 51 year old Ciarán Ó Cofaigh, a television producer, said UHG refused to include the fada on his name when he was attending the hospital for radiotherapy.
After an eight-month investigation into the complaint, the commission has ruled an individual’s right to have their records rectified “is not an absolute right” and “depends on the circumstances in each individual case”.
It recommended the HSE keep Mr Ó Cofaigh updated about the ability of its systems to accept fadas in the future and that it put a note on his hard-copy file to say he disputes the accuracy of his name on existing records.
The HSE admits its systems in “various” locations do not accept the accent, which it acknowledges is an integral component of the Ireland’s first official language and necessary to properly spell Irish names.
Mr Ó Cofaigh accused the commission of interpreting the EU rules “in a very narrow way”, which has rendered them “meaningless” in his case.
