Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Government commits to ‘recognise the domestic and international importance of data protection in Ireland’ and states that the Government ‘will ensure that Ireland delivers on its responsibilities under the General Data Protection Regulation’.

In line with this commitment, on 27 July, I announced that the Government had approved commencement of the process to appoint two additional Commissioners to support the evolving organisational structure, governance and business needs of the Data Protection Commission. The appointments are to be made in accordance with Section 15 of the Data Protection Act 2018, which provides for up to three Commissioners to be appointed.

The process to select the two new Commissioners will be undertaken by the Public Appointments Service, as provided for under this section of the Act. The appointments will then be made by the Government. The terms and conditions of the appointments are subject to the agreement of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. It is expected that this process will take in the region of six months to complete.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Government commits to ‘recognise the domestic and international importance of data protection in Ireland’ and states that the Government ‘will ensure that Ireland delivers on its responsibilities under the General Data Protection Regulation’.

The Government is very conscious of the commitment to deliver effective data protection regulation and protection of the data privacy rights of EU citizens, which is critical to the development and growth of our digital economy.

In dialogue with the Data Protection Commission, and with other relevant Government Departments, my Department’s role is to ensure that the Commission continues to have the resources required to fulfil its important, statutory obligations.

The Data Protection Commission has its own Vote (44) and was allocated €23.2 million in Budget 2022, a 22% increase on the €19.1 million that was allocated for 2021.

The budget allocation for 2018 was €11.7 million, for 2019 it was €15.3 million, and for 2020 it was €16.7 million. This reflects a commitment to ensure that the DPC is resourced to enable it to perform its functions and responsibilities effectively. The allocation for 2023 is a matter to be considered in the context of Budget 2023.