DCMS confirms preparations are underway for independent review of ICO

A LinkedIn post by Professor David Erdos has highlighted a response to a Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) request submitted via the WhatDoTheyKnow website. The request concerns the status of the independent review into the governance, accountability and culture at the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), announced by Liz Kendall in July following the resignation of the now disgraced former Commissioner John Edwards. 

The post includes a link to a letter (main article) to Dame Chi Onwurah, Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, by Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Jonathan Reynolds, Secretary of State for Business, Science, Innovation and Trade. 

The letter confirms that the independent review is going ahead, with preparations underway to appoint an independent reviewer, establish formal terms of reference, and finalise governance arrangements once mandatory conflict-of-interest checks conclude. Ministers expect to notify the Committee of the reviewer's identity, the scope of the inquiry, and the official timetable early in autumn.

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