Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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630. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the timetable and recruitment plans for the third, empty seat on Ireland’s Data Protection Commission; and his Department’s plans to ensure that on this occasion the role as advertised is attractive to leading international expertise. [7169/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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There are currently two Commissioners for Data Protection, appointed by Government with effect from 20 February 2024. The Public Appointments Service is currently running a campaign to recruit a third commissioner. The campaign is due to close at 3pm on 6 March 2025 and is aimed at attracting applicants from Ireland as well as abroad. The successful candidate will be appointed as Commissioner for Data Protection for a five-year term in accordance with the governing legislation.

The delivery of effective data protection regulation is an important policy objective of Government. The Programme for Government provides that the Government will, “invest in the Data Protection Commission to ensure it can deliver on its mandate”. It further provides that the Government will, “invest to make Ireland an EU centre of expertise for digital and data regulation and being a regulatory hub for companies operating across the EU Digital Single Market”.The appointment of an additional Commissioner supports an effective and well-resourced, highly-skilled regulator and is consistent with broader strategic developments in the digital sphere in Ireland.