merrion street

The Minister for European Affairs, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Dara Murphy T.D. has announced that the Government has allocated over €7.5 million in funding for the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) in Budget 2017, an increase of €2.8 million over the 2016 allocation and a fourfold increase over the figure for 2014.
Making the announcement, Minister Murphy said:
“I am very pleased to announce that the Government agreed in Budget 2017 to further increase the resources of the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner by €2.8 million for the coming year, building on the significant increases in the last two budgets. The Office will have a budget of over €7.5 million in 2017, which represents a fourfold increase over its allocation for 2014. This is a substantial and very welcome commitment of extra resources to the ODPC and clear evidence of the priority the Government attaches to data protection.”
“As Minister for Data Protection, I keep the resourcing of the ODPC under review with the aim of ensuring that Commissioner Helen Dixon continues to have all of the necessary resources at her disposal to allow her to fulfil her statutory role. In this digital age, the Commissioner and her team carry out an increasingly important function, upholding the fundamental right of individuals to the protection of their personal data.”
“The increased resources allocated to the ODPC in the last two budgets have allowed the Commissioner to recruit additional staff and plan ahead for the further scaling-up of the Office in anticipation of the new EU General Data Protection Regulation, which will come into effect in May 2018. The new EU rules 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.”
“Having a strong, credible and well-resourced regulator is key to ensuring citizens have confidence that their data protection rights will be upheld, and underpins trust in the digital environment. The increased resources being made available to the ODPC will ensure that Ireland continues to have an excellent regulatory and enforcement regime for data protection, and that we are fully equipped to adapt to the ever-increasing pace of change given the growth of digital in society and the economy.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
1. Dara Murphy TD is Minister of State for Data Protection at the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Justice and Equality.
2. The ODPC budget is provided for under Vote 24 - Department of Justice and Equality.
3. The ODPC budget allocation has risen to over €7.5 million for 2017, up from €1.9 million in 2014, €3.6 million in 2015 and €4.7 million in 2016.