Source · Select Committees · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 13
13
Paragraph: 67
The Cabinet Office is the departmental sponsor of the Freedom of Information Act, and Freedom...
Conclusion
The Cabinet Office is the departmental sponsor of the Freedom of Information Act, and Freedom of Information policy more generally. We therefore expect that there should be a stronger working relationship between the Information Commissioner’s Office and the Cabinet Office. Evidence submitted to the Committee suggests that until recently the Cabinet Office has engaged poorly with the Information Commissioner’s Office; working-level relations were characterised by poor communication and additional delays, though we note that the Information Commissioner’s Office says this has improved recently.
Paragraph Reference:
67
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The Government believes it is important that the Information Commissioner’s Office is funded at a sufficient level to enable the Commissioner to carry out his statutory functions. The ICO’s sponsor department within the Government is the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). DCMS works with the Cabinet Office to remain updated on Freedom of Information policy and to discuss budgetary responsibility where appropriate. This governance structure helps to avoid any perception that there is a potential conflict of interest with FOI policy. We would remind the Committee that the Information Commissioner has a number of regulatory and legislative duties including Data Protection.