The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has renewed its call on the Minister for Justice to launch an independent review of the Data Protection Commission (DPC).
It follows a decision last week by the EU Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly, to open an inquiry into how the European Commission has been monitoring the application of data protection regulations in Ireland.
In a letter to Minister Helen McEntee, the Executive Director of the ICCL, Liam Herrick, said they had concerns that steps had not been taken to launch an independent review of how to strengthen and reform the Data Protection Commission.
"We have alerted you to the need for an independent review of the DPC for over a year," the letter states.
"Without such a review, the reformed leadership of the DPC will face an impossible situation. Therefore, we regard such a review as a prerequisite to the reform of the DPC."
A Department of Justice spokesperson said that officials are currently considering the points raised by the ICCL and that it will issue a direct response in the coming days.
The Department says it is reviewing the findings of a report from the Joint Committee on Justice on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
The spokesperson added that there has been a year-on-year increase in funding for the Data Protection Commission over the last five budgetary years.
The letter from the ICCL also draws Minister McEntee's attention to last week's decision by the EU Ombudsman to open an inquiry into the monitoring of Ireland's application of GDPR.
The inquiry was launched following a complaint to the Ombudsman's office from the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.
In a letter to the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, Emily O'Reilly asked the Commission to provide a "detailed and comprehensive account" of the information that it has so far collected to inform itself as to whether GDPR is being applied in all respects in Ireland.
The EU Ombudsman has asked for a reply by 15 May.
The General Data Protection Regulation is an EU regulation that came into effect in May 2018 which imposes strict requirements on the collection, use and storage of personal data.
