The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) will receive additional funding of €2.8 million as announced in the 2017 Budget, bringing the ODPC’s total funding to over €7.5 million. This represents a total funding increase of €2.8 million from the funding provided in 2016, and represents a fourfold increase over the figure for 2014. Commenting on the increased funding, the Data Protection Commissioner, Helen Dixon, said that the “annual increases in funding since 2014 are a recognition of the central and expanding role of the Irish data protection authority in protecting the fundamental privacy rights of EU citizens, a core part of which is the regulation of a large number of leading internet multi-nationals that have located European operations in Ireland“.
The Minister for European Affairs, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Dara Murphy T.D. noted that the increase in funding is “clear evidence of the priority the Government attaches to data protection“.
Murphy also stated that the “increased resources have allowed the ODPC to recruit additional staff in anticipation of the implementation of the new EU General Data Protection Regulation, which comes into effect in May 2018 which will transform the data protection landscape, and as the lead regulator for data-rich multinational companies headquartered here, Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner will play an enhanced role in enforcing the rights of EU citizens.”
In preparation for the application of the GDPR, William Fry has launched “PrivacySource”; a dedicated website where our Technology team will provide ongoing analysis and assistance on the implementation of the GDPR. To gain access to this exclusive resource, we invite you to register here.
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Contributed by John Magee
