Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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287. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of requests for additional funding, staff resources or expertise that have been made by the Data Protection Commission since January 2016; the purpose of the requested additional funding staff resources or expertise; the response of his Department to each request in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13714/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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As an office under the aegis of my Department, the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) is allocated its staffing budget from within the Justice and Equality Vote. The ODPC makes an assessment of the staffing resources required to meet its business objectives through my Department’s workforce planning process and these requirements are submitted each year as part of the formal Estimates process.

There is ongoing engagement with the ODPC in relation to the level of resources required and this is reflected in the increased budget allocated to the Office over the period 2014 to 2018. The total budget and staffing since Jan 2016 is outlined in the table:

Recruitment in the ODPC is on-going, with a financial allocation in 2018 which will allow the office to grow to approximately 135 staff.

The increased budget is reflective of the additional staffing and other resource requirements of the Office in view of the fundamental transformation to the data protection environment arising from the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation this year. The increased funding fully reflects the importance of a stable and effective data protection regulatory environment  in relation to the personal data of individuals, the broader economy and in particular the continuing expansion and growth of the digital technology sector, as well as the Office’s enhanced role as lead supervisory authority for many of the multinational technology companies located in Ireland. The resource requirements will continue to be monitored on an on going basis.