Richard Thomas, the Information Commissioner, has been campaigning for these powers since discs containing the personal records of every child benefit claimant in Britain went missing last November.
David Smith, the deputy commissioner, said: "We welcome the MoJ’s announcement that it will introduce legislation to provide significant new powers for the ICO. These new powers send a strong message that data protection must be taken seriously.
"We particularly welcome the government’s commitment to legislate to enable the ICO to inspect central government departments and other public sector bodies’ compliance with the Data Protection Act without always requiring consent. Subject to approval from Parliament, this new remit will enable us to work closely with these organisations to improve their compliance with the Act."
Smith also said the ICO would have preferred to have this power to undertake audits extended to private sector organisations as well.
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ICO to be given new powers
LONDON - The Information Commissioner will be given the power to issue fines for reckless or deliberate loss of data under new proposals from The Ministry of Justice.
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