Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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36. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the steps she will take to tighten up on data protection protocols and procedures in her Department in view of the findings by the Data Protection Commissioner during his investigation of private investigators. [17648/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I would like to emphasise to the Deputy that the Department is constantly reviewing and updating its procedures in relation to data protection and will continue to do so. It will continue to cooperate fully, as it has done to date, with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) on all matters relating to data protection including its investigation into the activities of some private investigators. The Department has not, to date, received a report from the ODPC on this investigation. I should also emphasise that the Department takes its responsibilities in relation to data protection and protecting the data of its clients very seriously. Every effort is made to ensure that personal customer data is used solely for business purposes and that it is not compromised in any way. The Department has data protection and information security policies, standards, procedures and guidelines in place governing the use of its computer systems and customer data. As I have indicated the Department’s policies, procedures and guidelines are kept under constant review and are updated as appropriate. Staff members are regularly reminded of their obligations under data protection and information security policies and of the penalties that are applicable in respect of any breach of these policies. Data protection obligations are also covered on induction programmes for new staff members and on management development programmes and in presentations given by the Department’s Business Information and Internal Control Support Units.