Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 44:

In page 65, between lines 3 and 4, to insert the following:"Protection of data protection officers

83. (1) The Data Protection Commission, shall provide a protection, whereby data protection officers may seek the assistance of the Data Protection Commissioner, due to the fact that the data protection office is not in a position to carry out their role fully, due to inappropriate interference from the data controller, or duress, harassment or victimisation.

(2) Where the Commission receives a complaint under subsection (1), it shall, in addition, make a decision—

(a) as to whether a corrective power should be exercised in respect of the controller or processor concerned, and

(b) where it decides to so exercise a corrective power, the corrective power that is to be exercised.

(3) The Commission, where it makes a decision referred to in subsection (2)(b), shall exercise the corrective power concerned.".

The need to protect data protection officers is at the heart of this straightforward and self-explanatory amendment. I would be keen to hear the Minister's reflections on it before deciding on my next steps.