Courts data protection notice

Information about the ways in which the Courts Service collects and uses personal data is available via a Privacy Statement.

Personal data is any information about a living person that can be used to identify that individual.

This data protection notice sets out details of how personal data is processed by or on behalf of the courts of Ireland as data controllers when they are acting in a judicial capacity, that is, in the performance of their judicial functions under the Constitution and the law.

About the courts

The courts of Ireland include the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court, the Circuit Court, the District Court, and Special Criminal Courts. In this data protection notice, these courts are collectively referred to as the ‘courts’, and references to ‘data subjects’ refer to individuals whose personal data is processed by the courts.

Any queries regarding such processing should be sent to the office of the court concerned.

Contact details of court offices are available here.

Personal data processed by the courts

The courts process a broad range of personal data, including:

• Names and contact information
• Potentially sensitive information, such as racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, trade union membership, genetic or biometric data, and health data

The categories of personal data processed by the courts depend on the nature of the proceedings (e.g., criminal or civil cases), pleadings, and other court documents, as well as evidence given in those proceedings.

Sources of personal data

Personal data received by the courts may come from the following sources:

• Parties to proceedings or their legal representatives
• Witnesses giving evidence before the court
• Non-parties required to provide discovery
• Other publicly available sources (e.g., reported cases)

Data controller

Each court acts as a data controller within the meaning of Data Protection law, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the Data Protection Act 2018 when processing personal data in a judicial capacity.

Purposes and legal basis for processing

Personal data is processed by or on behalf of the courts for the following purposes:

• Performance of judicial functions under the Constitution
• Administration of justice, including publishing judgments and scheduling hearings
• Efficient management and operation of the courts, including statistical analysis

The legal basis for processing is provided under the Constitution, statutory laws such as the Courts of Justice Acts, and other relevant legislation.

Recipients of data

Personal data contained in court records may be accessible to:

• Parties to proceedings and their legal representatives
• Accredited media for fair and accurate reporting of court proceedings
• Members of the public where proceedings are held in open court
• Other third parties where required by law

Transfers abroad

The courts may, in certain circumstances, transfer personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA), such as in matters of judicial cooperation, mutual legal assistance, or digital audio recording transcription in a third country.

Data retention

Personal data is retained as long as necessary to fulfill judicial functions. Court records may be transferred to the National Archives under the National Archives Act.

Data subject rights

Due to the requirement to protect judicial independence, data subject rights regarding court records are subject to legal restrictions. These include:

• The right to information is limited to publicly available notices
• The right of access to personal data in court records is subject to applicable court rules
• The right to rectification may be exercised only through formal court applications

Requests for access should be directed to the relevant court office. Contact details are available here.

Complaints

Under Section 157 of the Data Protection Act 2018, complaints regarding data processing by courts in their judicial capacity should be submitted to the Assigned Judge. The Hon. Mr. Justice David Holland is the current Assigned Judge and can be contacted at [email protected]. More details are available here.

Updates to this notice

This notice may be updated periodically. The most recent version will be available on the Courts Service website.

Contact information

For further inquiries, please contact the relevant court office. Contact details are available here.