Yes they should but this is Ireland where politicians think they can do whatever they want, just look at the pension retention story for TDs et al. Not only does this show the government is out of touch but it also shows Fianna Fail have learnt nothing either. How these people think they are worth the money is beyond me.

It’s just a scaremongering tactic…… I’m not fooled and accept the consequences.

Theres no accurate data base that the State can use for the household charge, as its the owners of the house that are liable for the charge and people renting that have their names on the utility bills are exempt. So even using ESB, Eircom, Airtricity etc still gives a very muddy picture as the Government would have to prove they are owners of the property concerned.

Only accurate database would be the census and that still doesnt give the info in the example of empty or vacant houses and ‘holiday homes’. But they cant use that info…even though im sure every state dept would love to get their grubby hands on it :-)

Is this the same data protection act which also prevents these same organisations from passing peoples information on to debt collection agencies?

Yes it is. AFAIK.
The information is specifically given to organizations for the purpose of both service provision and billing…. I imagine that extends to outsourced companies to allow the same.
What the government is suggesting is to use the information provided to service companies for a completely different thing, thereby contravening the act.

because they write the rules……. that simple

They didn’t make the government leave the country, they simply told their employee’s, the government, what to do and the fallout of a refusal to do as instructed… and moreover it worked

In fairness, the church are fighting equally as hard against eating shellfish and wearing clothes made of mixed fabric. All of which are banned in Levictus.
Eg, have you ever seen the massive protests at the Galway Oyster Festival, and Benny the German has recently issued a papal bull against polyester and nylon.

@ Gerard…. There was a papal letter to the church in the UK, being read out today opposing GAY MARRIAGE as evil and the work of the devil and at the usual rhetoric. Wasn’t male priests raping boys, akin to gay sex in their eyes… AND I AM NOT ASSOCIATING BEING GAY WITH PAEDOPHILA, before any one gets going……. My point is that they should stick to spiritual matters and not legal ones…… Personally I couldn’t care less if two Men, women or a straight couple wish to marry…. I am not responsible for anyone else’s morality, not that it is in my eyes a morality issue…. We should be happy that two people love each other enough to want to commit to each other for life or until divorce…….. Of course the success figures for “GAY” marriages far far out do the failure rates for “NORMAL” marriages

But you’re talking about the USA, where 4 years old school children are on a sex offenders register … What a messed up place

Well I think it’s a disgrace that the school would do such a thing to a poor young girl who is only growing up. I’d hate to think what the school is teaching her, or should I say terrorising her about. She should be moved to a decent school who respects people

it’s seems to be happening a lot at the minute:
http://redtape.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/06/10585353-govt-agencies-colleges-demand-applicants-facebook-passwords

I think that’s stupid. Typical America blowing things out of proportion

Does she have any Facebook rights? She’s 12 – legal age for the site is 13

Paul… thanks for the link

In the interest of fairness regardless if she’s 12 or 15 or whatever under no circumstances should they of gotten her password. The only way someone must give over passwords is when they are under investigation by police other than that I’d tell them where to go

I’m not for this at all, just to be clear. But you can’t have it both ways – illegally having a Facebook account and then crying when something happens. Same as some jacks in this country – working/evading tax/on the dole and then crying when benefits are cut.

Still, they’ve also got to be breaking laws by demanding her password.

But I thought kids had to be over 13 to have a Facebook page anyway?

I agree with you Nicola, and if I find out that my personal details have been given out, I will get a solicitor and begin court proceedings, because that is a breach of our right to privacy, this government has gone too far, and I will not vote for FF or FG/Lab in the next election or sinn fein, and would rather have a hung dail. I really like the united left alliance, and they could well be the leaders of the next government, if they got a majority, from the people of this country. I will not register, and never having any intent to like you, as I have already payed alot of car tax, which we have to have because we live in the middle of nowhere, we are both unemployed, and my husband has been threatened by the department of social protection, to go and find a job, when there is none around, only for young ones, not for people his age. I will not pay for bondholders, or the like, and I would rather spend a long weekend in prison, with no cooking and no cleaning. See you there!

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

One could simply refuse to give them such information. Let them roar, paper tigers!

Thomas, now you have said it, and it won’t be long until they are out. Give them past the deadline of the household tax and see how few people pay, and there will be murders, and revolution on the streets, like we have seen in Athens, and that is only a few weeks away, and then the president will be calling for the closure of the dail. It will be interesting times ahead!