Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of authorising the Information Commissioner’s Office to arbitrate on data protection claims.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is responsible for regulating the UK’s data protection legislation and has a range of criminal and civil enforcement tools at its disposal. People can already complain to the ICO about the way an organisation has handled their personal information. In response to a complaint the ICO may make recommendations to the organisation to put things right or to improve their practice. The UK legal system also provides for independent judicial remedies. People may seek a judicial remedy from the start, or they may proceed to court after having already complained to the ICO. They may also in some instances seek a judicial remedy against the ICO or lodge a complaint in relation to its activity.