Business leaders fear new ICO powers

Proposals to increase the powers of the Information Commissioner’s Office have been objected to by the CBI. An amendment debated in Parliament last week would remove the requirement for the Information Commissioner to get permission from a court before searching companies to ensure data protection compliance.

Matthew Fell, CBI director of company affairs, says: Taking away this safeguard could lead to unnecessary and unjustified inspections that would hamper and disrupt responsible, law-abiding businesses at a difficult time.”