GDPR compliance in Ireland

GDPR compliance in Ireland at a glance

Ireland hosts the EU bases of many technology and financial firms, so the Data Protection Commission's role as the Irish supervisory authority for the GDPR matters well beyond Irish borders. The Data Protection Act 2018 establishes the Commission and, in section 11, designates it for the purposes of the regulation; the DPC also holds functions under the Irish ePrivacy Regulations (2011). There is no GDPR certificate to obtain. Compliance is shown through records of processing, privacy notices, processor contracts, rights handling, breach procedures and security controls, and ISO/IEC 27701 certification by an accredited body can serve as an optional benchmark. Sterling's London office builds that evidence with Irish organisations, using Effivity and Sterling Academy, which are included in the engagement. The Commission, not Sterling, decides whether processing complies.

Who needs GDPR in Ireland, and what happens without it

These are the organisations in Ireland that most often need to show GDPR.

• Irish companies processing personal data of customers or staffThe GDPR applies to controllers and processors established in the EU, and the Data Protection Commission supervises it in Ireland.
• Technology and SaaS firms acting as processorsCustomers need evidence of processor contracts, security measures and breach handling.
• Funds, banks and insurersRegulated financial firms handle large volumes of personal data and answer to the Central Bank on operational resilience as well as to the DPC on data protection.
• Non-EU organisations offering goods or services to people in IrelandThe GDPR reaches organisations outside the EU that offer goods or services to people in the EU or monitor their behaviour.
• Healthcare and medtech organisations handling health dataSpecial-category data raises the standard of safeguards and records expected.

GDPR requirements in Ireland

Strip away the vocabulary and the GDPR requires an organisation to comply in six areas covering how it uses personal data.

In Ireland these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: GDPR explained →

• GDPR requirements, clause by clause in plain language
• The documents GDPR expects

How to achieve GDPR compliance in Ireland

One team from the London office carries the work from scoping to sign-off. Clients in Ireland are served from Sterling's London office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against GDPR and the Irish requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before any external review.
5. Reviews by regulators, customers and auditorsSterling supports the reviews your regulators, customers and auditors run.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

• GDPR internal audit

How long does GDPR compliance take in Ireland?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Ireland these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Number of processing activities and systems to map
• Number of legal entities and group companies
• Processor and international-transfer review
• Breach-response and rights-request procedures to build or test

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does GDPR compliance cost in Ireland?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and any external assessor’s fees, which are quoted separately. In Ireland these factors move both.

• Volume of processing activities and data subjects
• Security remediation needed
• Number of entities in scope
• External data protection officer arrangement

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

• What makes up the cost of GDPR

GDPR consultants and assessors in Ireland

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; your regulators, customers and auditors then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers GDPR and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Ireland are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

GDPR in Ireland: questions clients ask

More on GDPR for Irish organisations

• GDPR: the complete guide
• Watch: How to comply with GDPR
• GDPR compliance in Ireland and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Irish businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in Ireland often combine GDPR with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 22 standards Sterling delivers in Ireland →