According to correspondence seen by the <strong><em>Medical Independent </em></strong>(<strong><em>MI</em></strong>) under Freedom of Information law, Sport Ireland had hoped the MoU could be formally signed in tandem with the launch of its 2016 annual review on anti-doping in March 2017. However, a spokesperson for Sport Ireland told <strong><em>MI </em></strong>the document has not yet been finalised.
In June 2017, Dr Una May, Director of Participation and Ethics at Sport Ireland, informed the Medical Council’s Director of Regulation Mr William Kennedy that she was “delighted that the Medical Council is willing and interested to work with us to ensure that best practice is upheld specifically, from our perspective, when it comes to anti-doping”.
Dr May informed Mr Kennedy she had been in touch with “our Department to establish the necessary procedure for us to receive Ministerial approval, as required in this section of the Act” and would revert when she had received further direction.
A spokesperson for Sport Ireland told <strong><em>MI</em></strong>: “In accordance with the Sport Ireland Act (Section 42.4 e), Sport Ireland shall provide information to, and obtain information from, any public body considered necessary by the Minister having had regard to the relevant purpose, that may be approved by the Minister.”
The MoU will put the relationship “on a formal legal basis”, providing a purpose for the sharing of relevant information aligning with appropriate data protection procedures, added Sport Ireland’s spokesperson.
Developing the MoU is listed in a section on developing “intelligence” in 2017 in the Sport Ireland Anti-Doping Annual Review 2016.
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