Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 63: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the rights the Employment Rights Agency will have to acquire and keep its own data; and the resources that will be allocated to the agency for data collection and analysis. [15611/07]

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Data Protection Acts certain persons and bodies who control the contents and use of personal data (Data Controllers) are required to register details regarding this data with the Office of the Data Protection Commission, which maintains a Public Register. This Department is registered as a Data Controller with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner under a number of different headings, including Employment Rights and Compliance Section. This section has been subsumed into the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA), which has been established on an interim basis. Pending the enactment of legislation to establish this body on a statutory basis, the Department's registration under the Data Protection Act provides the right for NERA to acquire and keep data for the purpose of checking compliance and enforcement of employment rights legislation. Once NERA is established on a statutory basis, they will be required to register in their own right under the Protection Act. As the Deputy is aware substantial resources have been allocated to the establishment of NERA. The interim body is currently setting up its organisational structure, procedures and processes. NERA are very conscious of the need to have effective systems in place for data collection and analysis purposes and will ensure that resources are available within the organisation to meet this need.