Elizabeth France, the Information Commissioner, today released a
report which details her management of an £8 million budget and 157
staff in fulfilling her responsibilities under the UK’s data
protection and freedom of information laws over the past financial
year.
This is Ms France’s eighth and final annual report to Parliament
before stepping down from the £90,000 post. In October, she will
begin a new role as the country’s first Telecoms Ombudsman, heading
a new industry-funded consumer body.
In her foreword to the report, Ms France writes:
"…we have an increased data protection
caseload which has climbed from just under 8,000 last year to more
than 12,000 this year. The percentage of those aware of their own
right of subject access has risen from 27% to 42%."
Other figures in the report include:
- 12,479 complaints or requests for assessment were received in
the 12 month period ended 31st March 2002, including 2,588
complaints of breaches of the Telecommunications Regulations.
- The total number of complaints/requests received for the year
2000/2001 was 7,804; for 1999/2000 it was just 4335.
- In 2001/2002, the most common subjects of complaints/requests
were consumer credit (23%) followed by telecoms (21%).
- There were 66 offences prosecuted in 2001/2002, but only 33
convictions, 18 of which were cases of unlawfully procuring
information, 12 of which were cases of data users using data for
unregistered purposes.
- Of the 33 total convictions, 10 were against company
directors.
- Only 4 enforcement notices were issued over course of the
year.
The report and accounts for the financial year ending 31st March
2002 are available as an 88-page, 861KB PDF from the Information
Commissioner’s web site.
