Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Justice Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 48

ISBN-13: 9780215526380

The post of Information Commissioner is one of those identified as eligible for pre-appointment hearings by the Justice Committee. The current Commissioner, Richard Thomas, is due to step down in June 2009 after five years in post, and the preferred candidate to succeed him is Christopher Graham, Director General of the Advertising Standards Authority. The Committee was invited by the Ministry of Justice to report on Mr Graham's suitability for the role, which is to be extended by provisions in the Coroners and Justice Bill going through Parliament. Mr Graham's background clearly provides him with a range of experience indicative of his suitability to be a candidate for the role of Information Commissioner, including familiarity with the regulatory landscape, the development of codes of practice, the potential for judicial review, customer service, assessing compliance, running a large organisation and managing change. In view of the overall challenge facing a new Information Commissioner - an increase of an order of magnitude on what Mr Graham has previously dealt with - the Committee welcomed the opportunity to question him on his view of the priorities and potential approach. The Committee believes the Government should ensure the Commissioner has sufficient resources for its work. The Committee endorses Mr Graham's suitability for appointment as Information Commissioner and his preliminary view of the priorities of the role and its supporting organisation. It looks forward to a continuing dialogue on progress both in protecting people's personal information effectively and sensitively, and in securing implementation of the letter, and the spirit, of the Freedom of Information Act.