Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon has denied there is any conflict of interest in speaking at a conference organised by Independent News & Media this morning, despite her plans to investigate an alleged data breach at the company.

Ms Dixon addressed delegates at the Data Sec 2018 conference at the RDS on the issue of new EU data rules, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which comes into effect on 25 May.

"No issues whatsoever", she told RTÉ News when asked if this represented a conflict of interest.

She said her office had accepted the invitation to speak several months ago, and it was "just one of several events to promote compliance with GDPR".

She also said she could not give a precise timeline of when her office's investigation into the suspected data breach would begin, saying she was awaiting answers from INM to questions about the scope of the investigation.

Read more:

Explainer: What the INM story is about

Buckley breaks silence over alleged data breach at INM

INM management meet with staff over alleged data breach

What the heck is GDPR and how will it affect me?