The Data Protection Commissioner has contacted the National Maternity Hospital at Holles Street after a media report last week gave details about a recent emergency termination carried out at the hospital.

The Commissioner has asked Holles Street for a report should the hospital's internal investigation point to an internal data breach.

A spokesperson for the Commissioner told RTÉ News that the contact has been 'informal'.

It was reported in the media last week that an emergency termination had been carried out in recent weeks at Holles Street, where the circumstances were quite similar to those in the case of Savita Halappanavar.

It was initially reported that this was the first such termination to have been carried out under the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act, which was signed by the President at the end of July.

However, the Department of Health subsequently revealed that due to technical issues, the Act had not officially come into force yet.

Holles Street reacted angrily when details of the case were revealed in the media, on the basis that the patient concerned could have been identified from the information given.