Multimillion pound boost for privacy watchdog
Cash injection to boost inspections
Published: 29 October 2008 17:08 GMT by Nick Heath
Show related articlesThe UK privacy watchdog is set to get a multimillion-pound boost to fund sweeping new data protection powers.
Information Commissioner Richard Thomas said the proposed £6m cash injection, which would give his office £18m per year, is expected to become law after the Queen's speech in December.
Thomas, recently voted number three on silicon.com's Agenda Setters 2008 list, said his office will imminently get powers to fine companies, possibly for up to 10 per cent of their turnover, for reckless breaches of the data protection act and powers to raid premises to carry out spot checks on data security.
The funding boost would come from increasing the fee paid to the Information Commissioner's Office by the largest companies among the UK's more than 300,000 data controllers.
Thomas said that the extra money would give it greater power to carry out inspections by increasing the size of its five-man team and to provide wider guidance on data protection to organisations.
"There will be more people to carry out inspections and audits, as well as consultants and other people to support our work," he said.
"I am pleased to see more resources and powers for my office but it is unfortunate that it has taken the losses of the last year to convince government that we need them."
Thomas also hinted that the ICO's powers could be further strengthened in the near future and revealed figures that showed the ICO has received 277 reports of data breaches since November 2007.
He said: "I am concerned at the number of NHS incidents, as some run into thousands of people, particularly in light of the culture of confidentiality among doctors."
He added that he was not a supporter of a data breach law requiring individuals to be notified if data held on them is compromised, saying it could be too burdensome and result in the public ignoring notifications because of "data breach fatigue".
Thomas said the EU data protection directive had its roots in law 50 years old and that the Rand Europe think tank were making good progress on their review of the directive commissioned by the ICO this year. He also welcomed the European Commission's review of the directive.
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