Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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157. To ask the Taoiseach the number of data breaches suffered by his Department in each of the past five years and to date in 2021. [26107/21]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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There was one data breach identified within my Department in 2016. There have been no data breaches identified since then. Please see the accompanying table setting out the information requested.

The case in 2016 arose on foot of a complaint by an individual made to the Data Protection Commission in 2017. The complaint concerned an allegation that a breach had occurred by way of the unauthorised disclosure of personal information by the Department in correspondence to two other public bodies. The complainant declined the offer of an amicable resolution, including an apology, and so the DPC issued a formal decision in 2020.