The High Court has granted orders allowing the Data Protection Commissioner to use certain documents for her continuing investigation into an alleged data breach at Independent News & Media.
The documents were provided to the Commissioner from material filed for the separate application by the State's corporate watchdog to have inspectors appointed to INM.
That application by Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) Ian Drennan will be heard by the president of the High Court, Mr Justice Peter Kelly, next week.
Various orders have been made to date on consent of the sides giving several parties access to documents for the hearing.
Those parties include the Central Bank and the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) as well as people concerned their data may have been accessed when data was allegedly moved off site from INM over a period from October 2014.
In another pre-trial application today, lawyers for the DPC, said they wanted orders permitting the Commissioner use documents that have, or will be, provided to her, in her continuing probe into the alleged data breach.
The purpose of giving the material was to assist her in exercising her statutory functions, he said.
The DPC wanted the court to vary her undertaking not to use the material except for the purpose of the ODCE proceedings, he added.
Bairbre O'Neill BL, for INM, and Neil Steen SC for the ODCE, said they were consenting to the orders sought.
The application for inspectors follows a year-long investigation by the ODCE into certain issues at INM.
INM is strongly opposing the application, arguing it is unnecessary for reasons that include that the DPC probe is underway.
INM maintains it has a very high standard of corporate governance and the appointment of inspectors would be very damaging for its reputation and finances.
