Papers on GDPR, and the Health Research Regulations
The Health Research Regulations (HRRs) were signed into Irish law on the 8th August 2018, and have had a significant impact on the conduct of research in the Republic of Ireland, as outlined in the following paper:
- Blanaid Mee et al (July 2020) What GDPR and the Health Research Regulations (HRRs) mean for Ireland: a research perspective
The following editorial explains some key points in relation to GDPR itself:
- Rik Crutzen et al (May 2019) Why and how we should care about the General Data Protection Regulation
The following article outlines how the HRRs differ from GDPR, and includes a comprehensive legal review:
- Mary Kirwan et al (July 2020) What GDPR and the Health Research Regulations (HRRs) mean for Ireland: 'explicit consent' - a legal analysis
The Department of Health has -
- been considering a number of possible amendments to the HRRs - See press release (8 April 2019) Possible amendments to health research regulations - matters under consideration by the Department of Health
- already amended the HRRs to extend the transition period - See press release (29 April 2019) Update: Amendment to Regulation 6 (30th April deadline for explicit consent)
- negotiated an informal concession arrangement to allow for the conduct of retrospective chart reviews without the need for 'explicit consent' - See press release (30 April 2019) Retrospective chart reviews
- defended the HRRs and argued the case for 'explicit consent' - See Department presentation (25 Nov 2019) GDPR and Health Research Regulations - where we are and why we're there
This presentation was given at an Irish Academy of Medical Science (IAMS) Public Meeting - IAMS had commissioned a review of the HRRs in 2018, as follows:
- most recently, amended the HRRs in five substantive areas - See government announcement (22 January 2021) Amendments to the Health Research Regulations
In summary, the HRRs have had a significant impact on the conduct of research in Ireland.
Amendments were signed on the 22 January 2021.