The Government has advertised for the positions of two additional Data Protection Commissioners.
It follows a decision by the Government in July 2022 to expand the office due to its increased workload by bringing to three the number of commissioners at the Data Protection Commission.
The current Commissioner Helen Dixon is to become Chairperson of the DPC.
Her office has seen a significant increase in its workload since the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation.
GDPR is an EU regulation that came into effect in May 2018 which imposes strict requirements on the collection, use and storage of personal data.
Because some of the world's biggest tech firms have their European headquarters in Ireland, the DPC is frequently the lead investigator in cases involving social media companies such as Facebook parent Meta, X, formerly known as Twitter, and TikTok.
The job advertisement for the two additional commissioners has been posted on the Public Appointments Service website.
The positions come with a salary of €202,000 and the successful candidates will be appointed for a five-year term.
"The Minister for Justice has indicated that the current Commissioner is to be invited to become Chairperson on appointment of the two new Commissioners," the job advertisement states.
"At the conclusion of the term of the current Commissioner, one of the existing Commissioners, who is anticipated to have been appointed arising from the present competition, is to be appointed by the Minister as Chairperson," according to the advertisement.
Fianna Fáil Senator Malcolm Byrne welcomed the recruitment of the additional commissioners.
"The Data Protection Commission is one of the most important and powerful regulators and the appointment of two additional Commissioners is welcome and much needed," Senator Byrne said.
"These are critical officeholders in a global context given Ireland's role in the tech sector," he added.
