Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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106. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she has held any discussions with US multinational companies based herewith regard to our current legislative provisions for data protection; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40535/14]

Dara Murphy (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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The centrepiece of the European Union’s existing data protection regime is the 1995 Data Protection Directive (Directive 95/46/EC). It is an internal market measure which seeks to reconcile the protection of personal data with the free flow of data within the internal market and to countries outside the EU. It has been given effect in our domestic law in the Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003. In January 2012, the European Commission published proposals for a General Data Protection Regulation which is intended to replace the 1995 Directive. Following publication of the proposals, the Minister for Justice and Equality launched a public consultation process in March 2012. Submissions were subsequently received from a range of organisations, including US multinational companies.

Since taking up office the current Minister for Justice and Equality has not held direct discussions with any US multinational companies regarding our current data protection laws or the proposed EU reforms.

Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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108. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons who have been successfully prosecuted for data protection breaches in 2011, 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40537/14]

Dara Murphy (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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The Garda Síochána Act 2005 makes provision for the compilation and publication of crime statistics by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical agency, and the CSO has established a dedicated unit for this purpose.

I have requested the CSO to provide statistics directly to the Deputy.