Challenge allowed to details held on database

Students unhappy with the Department of Education holding their personal details on a controversial new database long after they’ve left school will be able to challenge the practice when they turn 18 — but that won’t guarantee their records are erased.

The primary online database currently being compiled by the department seeks to gather personal, family, and educational information on children from the time they start school until they turn 30.

Under the arrangement, some data will also be shared with other state bodies such as the Department of Social Protection, the Central Statistics Office, the Child and Family Agency, and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.