From Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
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The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath, and Minister of State, Ossian Smyth, are pleased to publish the first Annual Report of the Data Governance Board.
The Data Governance Board, (DGB), which was established by the Minister under the Data Sharing Governance Act 2019, is independent in the performance of its functions, with support provided by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. It is chaired by the Government Chief Information Officer, Mr. Barry Lowry. There are 10 members with its membership covering a diverse and wide range of views from across industry, academia, legal, societal representation and technical spheres in addition to the public service.
The publication of the annual report marks one of the first key milestones for the DGB.
Minister McGrath said:
“It is my pleasure to present the first annual report of the Data Governance Board. Ireland has consistently shown its willingness to provide stronger and more innovative public services and to be an exemplar and European leader in the use of data.
“1 of the 5 pillars of the Public Service Data Strategy 2019 is ‘Data as an Enabler’ with the strategy specifically highlighting the need to facilitate increased data sharing and innovative use of data across all public bodies; and one of the driving forces behind this was the establishment of the Data Governance Board. The Board now plays a pivotal role in the delivery of strong data governance across the Public Service.
“I am confident the Board will help the government to make the most effective use of data, whilst upholding the privacy and transparency that citizens expect. I was very pleased that the new OECD Trust survey found that people in Ireland have especially high levels of trust in their government’s use of their data, and I believe the Board and our new processes will help us maintain this.”
The initial focus of the Board has been on the process of moving public service bodies to the new framework for sharing data under the Data Sharing and Governance Act 2019 in advance of the final commencement of the Act in December 2022. Outside of this work the DGB is eager to progress a number of important initiatives that will further improve the quality and collective use of data by the Public Service; resulting in enhanced services for citizens.
Minister of State Smyth said:
“It is encouraging to see the work which has been undertaken by the Board and committees; which will greatly improve the way in which personal data is shared across the public service.
"This, along with the newly developed framework for sharing data is a positive development which will result in the more effective and transparent management of data used for the provision of government services."
This report has been prepared in accordance with Section 52 of the Data Sharing and Governance Act 2019 which details the reporting requirements for the Data Governance Board.