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Legislation / Legal
Newswire – ICO: Several public authorities, including the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Defence, have ‘failed to meet the requirement to reduce the time they take to respond to FOI requests’, the Information Commissioner’s Office has announced.
The ICO monitored the performance of 33 public authorities for a period of 3 months, following concerns about delays in their responses to FOI requests. Of the 33 authorities, the ICO is in discussions with several organisations about the improvements they still need to put in place. The Commissioner has particular concerns about delays at the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Defence and Birmingham City Council. Discussions on appropriate regulatory action are now taking place.
Four other authorities - the LB of Hammersmith and Fulham, the LB of Islington, WolverhamptonCity Council and Westminster City Council - have been asked to sign undertakings to improve their performance in this area.
Newswire – ICO: The Information Commissioner’s Office is reminding organisations of the importance of keeping paper records secure after it found 2 healthcare organisations (NHS Liverpool Community Health and the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence) in breach of the Data Protection Act for losing files. Both organisations have now signed formal undertakings.
Acting Head of Enforcement, Sally Anne Poole, said: “These incidents highlight significant weaknesses in both organisations’ data handling procedures. ….. these incidents should act as a warning to other organisations who handle sensitive papers of the need to make sure their paper records management processes are as robust as their electronic data systems. The protection of data in all formats must be taken seriously.”
OFT: The OFT has issued a decision that Reckitt Benckiser abused its dominant position by withdrawing NHS packs of its Gaviscon Original Liquid medicine, and has imposed a fine of £10.2m. The fine was the subject of an earlier agreement under which the company admitted its conduct infringed UK & European competition law and agreed to co-operate with the OFT. This brings the OFT's investigation to a conclusion.
OFT: The OFT has launched a short market study into extended warranties for domestic electrical goods such as televisions, washing machines and computers. The study will focus on whether competition for warranties is sufficiently effective to ensure consumers get value for money in a market worth well over £750m.
