General Data Protection Regulation Update

Today, 25 May 2017, marks the one year countdown to the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (the "GDPR"). As the date draws nearer, it is important that organisations consider the impact of the GDPR on their business and any issues to be addressed before May 2018.

Irish legislation is required before May 2018 to fully implement the GDPR. Draft heads of that legislation were published recently, which set out an overview of the proposed sanctions regime and information on the restructuring of the office of the Data Protection Commissioner (the "Commissioner"). The new regime will include the ability to have up to three Commissioners. There are still a lot of open questions and the detail of the new Irish regime will need to be clarified. We will continue to track developments as the draft legislation progresses and keep you updated.