James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising the matter. I cannot give a direct answer to his specific question. I would be loath to anticipate, in any way, what this independent review is going to propose. The Department has carried out recent reviews quite quickly where necessary. I expect the answer will come in a short time.

The Department of Justice continues to monitor the impact of the GDPR implementation, of any possible future regulatory changes and of any changes within industry, and to liaise with the DPC to ensure it continues to have the resources required to fulfil its statutory obligations. As I stated, the Minister for Justice is happy that by the end of 2022, the funding for the DPC will have increased sixfold from its 2015 allocation. The staffing numbers increased from 110 in 2018 to 191 in December 2021, with the additional budget for 2022 expected to bring the staffing target up to 260 by the end of this year. That is a substantial increase in staffing, recognising the need for and the increasing breadth of the DPC.

In keeping with the Government's commitment, and as conveyed to the Dáil in that written reply, the review requested by the then acting Minister for Justice, Deputy Humphreys, to the Department will be carried out as quickly as possible. This is on the basis that if such a recommendation were made, it would require the Minister to bring that recommendation to the Government for a decision on it.