Helen Dixon

The DPC has attracted criticism from European data protection experts in the last few years for being under-resourced for its role as one of the most important privacy watchdogs in the EU, given how many big tech companies have their European bases in Dublin.

According to its annual report, the DPC’s “intensive recruitment programme” saw its headcount grow from 145 in 2020 to 190 at the end of 2021. “We will continue to drive recruitment through 2022, with a target headcount of 260, through a combination of open recruitment, and the promotion and development of our own people,” it added.

The annual report also reveals that the DPC received 7,469 queries and 3,419 complaints from individuals in 2021, an increase of seven per cent on the previous year. It concluded 7,081 queries and 3,564 complaints, including 1,884 complaints received prior to 2021.

It received 6,549 valid breach notifications, of which 95 per cent were concluded in 2021.

Data protection commissioner Helen Dixon said: “2021 has been a year of strong regulatory results from the DPC, in which it delivered impactful and far-reaching outcomes for the protection of individuals’ personal data.

“The GDPR is a strong framework law that demands accountability, fairness and transparency from all organisations that process personal data.

“It is clear that ‘data controllers’ in Ireland continue to improve their compliance efforts, but higher standards of responsiveness to individuals seeking to exercise their rights are still needed in many sectors.

“The DPC will continue to target enforcement actions aimed at driving those necessary improvements, in addition to publishing decisions and case studies on its website to guide data controllers in the application of the GDPR. Operationalising the aims of the GDPR is an important work-in-progress for all of us and must continue.”