Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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219. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the funding arrangements for the office of the Data Protection Commissioner with regard to the Commissioner's plans to increase staff and resources at a location in Dublin; the timeframe to increase staff and resources; the number of additional staff being employed in the Dublin region; his plans for 2018 and 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42983/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that the Government has publicly committed to continuing to provide the resources necessary for the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) to perform its globally significant role, which will become increasingly prominent under the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

This commitment was reflected in the ODPC's very significantly increased budget provision of €7.256m for 2017, up almost 60 per cent on its allocation of €4.748m for 2016 and four times its budget for 2014. The ODPC's budget allocation for 2018 has been considered in the context of the 2018 Estimates process and further details will be available as part of Budget day Estimates.

The combined staff number for the ODPC's Dublin and Portarlington offices currently stands at 70 and is expected to reach 90 by the end of 2017. It is anticipated that staffing numbers will increase by a further 50 per cent to a total of 135 staff during 2018. Allocation of staff between its Dublin and Portarlington offices will be made on a business needs basis.