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Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland Data Protection Update 2025
Wednesday, 21 May 2025
09:15 - 13:00 ( 3 hours 45 mins )
Online
Stay ahead of data protection challenges in Northern Ireland with expert-led insights tailored for HR professionals and employers. This annual update covers key developments, practical solutions, and real-world examples to help you mitigate risks and stay compliant.
Data protection
Event details
About the event?
-
Half Day Duration
21st May -
Online Zoom
£195.00 + VAT Early bird ends 10th April 2025 at 5:00pm. Standard rate: £245.00 + VAT
In Partnership With
Overview

Your Essential Data Protection Update

Legal Island's annual Northern Ireland Data Protection Update is specifically designed to provide you with a comprehensive overview of the data protection issues that matter to HR professionals and employers in Northern Ireland.

We set out the most important data protection risks and solutions facing employers and provide practical examples and solutions for you to implement in your organisation immediately.

What are the learning outcomes?

By the end of this course, attendees will:

  • Have received a comprehensive update on data protection developments that affect employers in the NI.
  • Will have had ample time to question the data protection experts.
  • Our sessions will be recorded (with full participant DP permissions!), so that you can watch back after the event and check your understanding of developments.

What will be covered? 

  • Pinsent Masons’ Data Protection Round-Up 2025
  • An update direct from the ICO

Who is this event for? 

This event is aimed at employers and HR professionals with data protection responsibilities and concerns. 

Why should you attend?

Legal Island's annual Northern Ireland Data Protection Update is specifically designed to provide you with a comprehensive overview of the data protection issues that matter to HR professionals and employers in Northern Ireland.

We set out the most important data protection risks and solutions facing employers and provide practical examples and solutions for you to implement in your organisation immediately.

Programme

A detailed look at the event...

Here's what to expect during the Northern Ireland Data Protection Update 2025:

Time
Session
09:15 am
Welcome and Introduction:

Christine Quinn, Knowledge Partner at Legal Island welcomes you to today's event.

Christine Quinn
Christine Quinn Knowledge Partner, Legal Island
09:30 am
Enhancing DSAR Handling in Northern Ireland

Effective management of Data Subject Access Requests (DSARs) is critical for maintaining compliance and building public trust. This session, led by Aisling Taggart, Associate, Pinsent Masons, will address the key challenges identified by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), focusing on practical strategies to improve responses and foster transparency.

This session will tackle:

  1. Strategic considerations when DSARs arise in the context of employment disputes
  2. Common pitfalls in DSAR handling, including delays and unsatisfactory responses
  3. Building trust through clear, comprehensive, and compliant communications
  4. Best practices for improving the clarity and effectiveness of DSAR responses
Aisling Taggart
Aisling Taggart Associate, Pinsent Masons
10:00 am
Q&A with Aisling Taggart
Aisling Taggart
Aisling Taggart Associate, Pinsent Masons
10:10 am
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Update 2025

Paula Hamilton, Senior Policy Officer at the Information Commissioner’s Office, provides an update on the important data protection trends and developments direct from the ICO, including:

  1. The ICO’s priorities for 2025/26
  2. AI & Data Protection – tips to ensure compliance
  3. AI tools in recruitment – key considerations
  4. Guidance development, including the ICO’s new employment records guidance
  5. Implications of the Data (Use and Access) Bill (NB: discussion of this topic will be dependent on the Bill’s passage through parliament and its implementation date)
Paula hamilton ico
Paula Hamilton Senior Policy Officer, Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
10:45 am
Q&A with Paula Hamilton
Paula hamilton ico
Paula Hamilton Senior Policy Officer, Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
10:55 am
Refreshment Break

Get a cup of something, take a break from the screen, catch up on emails, or whatever you need.

11:05 am
Privacy considerations when managing internal investigations

HR professionals can often be faced with complaints, allegations from whistle-blowers and concerns about breaches of policy, which require investigation.  Whilst witness evidence will play one part in any such investigation, with so much activity taking place over instant messaging platforms, text and email, how far can an employer go in securing this material? Does this include personal devices?

Laura Gillespie, Partner, Pinsent Masons will discuss:

  1. Scoping an internal investigation to map out the privacy considerations
  2. The ICO guidance on monitoring in the workplace
  3. What approach courts have taken
Laura gillespie 2023
Laura Gillespie Partner, Pinsent Masons
11:35 am
Q&A with Laura Gillespie
Laura gillespie 2023
Laura Gillespie Partner, Pinsent Masons
11:45 am
Lessons learned from Pinsent Masons’ Annual Cyber Report 

Following the launch of the Pinsent Masons’ 6th cyber annual report, this session will drill into the statistics of the incidents which Pinsent Masons has handled, and share the trends emerging, to give you practical tips to avoid the common pitfalls.

Anna Flanagan, Legal Director, Pinsent Masons will focus on: 

  1. Incident trends over the last 12 months
  2. Common mistakes organisations make when handling data breaches and how to avoid them
  3. Steps you can take today to mitigate risk if an incident does occur
Anna flannagan rise
Anna Flanagan Legal Director, Pinsent Masons
00:25 am
Q&A with Anna Flanagan
Anna flannagan rise
Anna Flanagan Legal Director, Pinsent Masons
12:25 pm
Pinsent Masons’ Data Protection Round-Up 2025

Laura Gillespie and Anna Flanagan of Pinsent Masons set out the most important data protection risks and solutions facing employers and their organisations this year, including:

  1. Data Use and Access Bill
  2. AI legislative framework and guidance
  3. Caselaw
Anna flannagan rise
Anna Flanagan Legal Director, Pinsent Masons
Laura gillespie 2023
Laura Gillespie Partner, Pinsent Masons
13:15 pm
Q&A with Laura Gillespie and Anna Flanagan
Anna flannagan rise
Anna Flanagan Legal Director, Pinsent Masons
Laura gillespie 2023
Laura Gillespie Partner, Pinsent Masons
13:25 pm
Summary and Close
Testimonials

Feedback that speaks volumes...

Here's what our previous attendees had to say about NI Data Protection Update.

"It was very informative and up to date with all the information provided. All information was also relevant for my business that I can now deliver back to the wider team."
Bronagh Kearney Titanic Belfast
"Great speakers. Practical updates, not just theory."
Siobhan Weiniger Director of Finance, MindWise
"Pace, length and content of all sections of the webinar were excellent. Very knowledgeable speakers."
Caireen Toal HR Manager, Unicorn Group
"Helpful, informative and held my interest throughout! It was "pacey" and delivered in bite-sized chunks with a break in between which allowed my attention span to be re-set each time - I thought that was clever!"
Jonathan Young DPO, Ards & North Down Borough Council
"Excellent update on Data Protection, with knowledgeable presenters. Good pace, overall very good."
Gwyneth Evans HR Manager, Ryobi Aluminium Casting (UK) Ltd
"Wealth of information speakers had and case study examples."
Melissa Moffett HR Assistant, Kilwaughter Minerals Ltd
Presenters
Explore the presenters on the day
Anna Flanagan Legal Director, Pinsent Masons
Anna Flanagan Legal Director, Pinsent Masons
Anna flannagan rise

Anna has experience of advising on information law with a focus on data protection in both contentious and non-contentious forums. She has experience of liaising directly with the Information Commissioner's Office on behalf of clients and she often delivers training sessions to Boards and Senior Management Teams on data protection compliance.

Laura Gillespie Partner, Pinsent Masons
Paula Hamilton Senior Policy Officer, Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Paula Hamilton Senior Policy Officer, Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Paula hamilton ico

Paula Hamilton is a Senior Policy Officer at the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), and is based in the Northern Ireland regional office. A law graduate of University of Ulster, Paula spent some time in the legal profession, before moving on to the regulatory sector.  She has spent the last seven years at the ICO, engaging with Northern Ireland stakeholders from various sectors on their data protection compliance.

Aisling Taggart Associate, Pinsent Masons
Aisling Taggart Associate, Pinsent Masons
Aisling Taggart

Aisling is an Associate in the Litigation, Regulatory & Tax team based in Belfast. Aisling has a varied practice advising across a range of contentious and non-contentious commercial issues including pension disputes, contractual disputes, data protection and cybersecurity. Aisling has experience providing advice to clients on statutory and regulatory duties, corresponding with regulatory bodies and assisting clients through litigation. In addition to litigation in the High Court and County Court, Aisling also has experience assisting clients in the mediation process.

Pricing

Simple, transparent pricing...

Virtual
Early bird offer
£195.00 + VAT Standard Rate: £245.00 + VAT Early bird ends 10th April 2025 at 5:00pm
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