News » 12th may Tánaiste publishes General Scheme of Data Protection Bill 2017 2017-05-12
The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald TD and the Minister of State for Data Protection, Dara Murphy TD, have published the General Scheme of the Data Protection Bill 2017.
The EU General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Directive for law enforcement bodies, which update EU data protection rules, were adopted last year and will come into force in May 2018.
Welcoming the Government decision approving the drafting of the Data Protection Bill, the Tánaiste said:
“Data protection affects all of us, whether in our private capacity as an individual or in our business or professional capacity.”
“The coming into force of the new data protection rules in May 2018 will represent one of the most important regulatory reforms that has taken place in recent years. It will result in higher data protection standards for individuals. While imposing higher data protection obligations on business, it should also result in benefits by increasing consumer trust and confidence in new technologies and business models which should in turn facilitate business in reaping the full potential of the digital economy.”
The Minister of State for Data Protection, Dara Murphy TD, said:
“Data protection concerns the right that we all have to the safeguarding of our personal information and its use, for the protection of our personal privacy. In the EU, the right to the protection of personal data is explicitly recognised in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
“Government approval for the drafting of the Data Protection Bill 2017 is an important step in Ireland’s ongoing preparations to implement new EU data protection rules agreed last year. The rules will apply to all organisations, public or private, large or small, from May 2018, and are intended to encourage a cultural shift in how personal data is treated.
“Importantly, the Bill will include provisions to equip Ireland’s supervisory authority, the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, with the means to supervise and enforce application of our new enhanced EU data protection standards. Once drafted and published, the Data Protection Bill 2017 will provide a unique legislative opportunity for Ireland to reinforce our robust regulatory environment – to protect individuals and to provide certainty for business and the public sector.
“Ahead of the May 2018 deadline, awareness-raising activities in Ireland and across the EU targeted at business and the voluntary sector are now beginning to intensify to help them to get ready.”
The Data Protection Bill
- gives further effect to the Regulation, e.g. it will provide for the imposition of fines on public authorities for breaches of data protection law where such authorities are acting in competition with private operators;
- transposes the Directive into national law; and replaces the Data Protection Commissioner with a Data Protection Commission with the possibility of up to three Commissioners depending on future workload.
The General Scheme is available here: www.justice.ie/en/JELR/General_Scheme_of_Data_Protection_Bill_(May_2017).pdf/Files/General_Scheme_of_Data_Protection_Bill_(May_2017).pdf
ENDS