An unlikely hero

By Peter Williams.
In one notorious episode in the Blair era, as the Twin Towers burned, a spin doctor emailed colleagues to suggest this was a good day to bury bad news. The Brown government seems to have taken this lesson to heart and - let's be clear- given it a much more tasteful slant. It seems now that the lesson is that if you've got one bit of bad news you might as well deliver a whole boat load. After all there is only so much criticism that can be dished out on any one subject. So instead of "government cock up over data" story times four, this week saw a co-ordinated release across Whitehall of reports from HM Revenue & Customs, the Ministry of Defence and the Cabinet Office.
The result is that the government has gone from information losses to information overload in four easy steps. Information professionals probably feel compelled to read all the reports. But it is a big ask. However the one dispensable document is surely the Cabinet Office's Data handling procedures in government. This could be a benchmark for both the public and the private sector. It points the way to a better future. The question, as ever, is how government can be held to account to deliver on the promises it sets out so coolly and rationally. The answer? Step forward the information commissioner's office (ICO). This office - and it is an office as much as an individual-has become an unlikely hero in the government debacle over the cavalier treatment of data. It was set up as an independent authority to promote access to official and personal information. Over the years its remit has expended and it now fulfils a vital role in the digital age.
Based in Wilmslow - the prosperous Cheshire town better know for footballer's wives, rather than harassing government - the ICO is set to take enforcement actions against HMRC and MOD for their data breaches. Perhaps more significantly the ICO has promised to monitor the situation closely and will demand progress reports to be published every year for the next three years. While the data lapses by government have been a disheartening disgrace the reaction of this watchdog has been a pleasure to watch. Long may the ICO keep up the good work.