Understanding the formulation and development of government policy in the context of FOI: invitation to bid
October 2008
The Information Commissioner is inviting bids to research and produce a
report to further understanding of government policy making in the
context of freedom of information.
The project will examine
policy formulation and development in central government, to assist in
the further development of the Commissioner’s policy framework for
casework related to the exemption under section 35(1)(a) of the Freedom
of Information Act 2000 – ‘information which relates to the formulation
or development of government policy’.
Bids should arrive no later than 09:00 on Friday 31 October 2008.
Invitation to tender – Formulation of government policy project.
Review of EU Data Protection Law
April 2008
A central focus of the Commissioner’s approach to data protection has been to improve the effectiveness of the law in practice, which includes promoting and supporting legislative change.
To this end, the Commissioner wishes to stimulate debate about the strengths and weaknesses of the EU Data Protection Directive (95/46/EC). He fully recognises that only the European Commission can initiate the process for changing the Directive. He also recognises that any process of change will inevitably take a long time to bear fruit.
Nevertheless, the Commissioner believes that the time has now come to start a new debate. This recognises the pace of technological change, the pressures on privacy and the integrity of personal information from so many directions and ever-increasing public awareness and concerns about the need for effective safeguards. But it also reflects a growing feeling that the Directive is becoming increasingly out-dated, is not sufficiently clear in its objectives, is more bureaucratic and burdensome than it needs to be and is out of step with good regulatory practice.
This work will result in a report which will be presented to the Spring Conference of European Data protection Commissioners, which the ICO is hosting in Edinburgh in April 2009.
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Developing the ICO's Accommodation Strategy
March 2008
The ICO is the UK's independent public body set up to promote access to official information and to protect personal information. We regulate and enforce the Data Protection Act (DPA), the Freedom of Information Act, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations and the Environmental Information Regulations. The ICO provides guidance to organisations and individuals. We rule on eligible complaints and can take action when the law is broken. Reporting directly to Parliament, the Commissioner's powers include the ability to order compliance, using enforcement and decision notices, and prosecution.
The ICO is seeking external support to further develop its accommodation strategy by undertaking an estates rationalisation exercise. This will involve looking at the current estate and determing the current position, establishing future requirements which will include consideration of flexible working options, space planning, energy efficiency and sustainability issues.
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