Data security across government inquiry publishes letter criticising ICO

The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee has published a formal evidence submission (letter) from data protection specialist Jon Baines in response to an inquiry into data security across government. 

The letter raises concerns about the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and its oversight of recurring data breaches involving hidden data in spreadsheets. To illustrate the point, Baines highlighted a recent speech by Information Commissioner John Edwards, who expressed confidence that lessons had been learned across government, stating he would be "amazed" if the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) suffered another breach following the 2023 incident that led to the personal details of 9,400 officers and staff being accidentally released in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. However, after submitting an FOI request to the force, Baines revealed that the PSNI had confirmed it had experienced a further personal data breach involving inadvertent spreadsheet disclosure between August 2023 and October 2025. 

Baines argues that such errors have persisted for at least fifteen years and suggests that stronger enforcement action by successive Commissioners might have prevented recent catastrophic events, including the 2022 personal data breach by the Ministry of Defence that exposed the identities of 18,700 Afghans applying for relocation to the UK. 

Training Announcement: Freevacy offers a range of independent data protection qualifications from IAPP and BCS. Our certified courses are available at foundation and practitioner levels and cover multiple legal jurisdictions, data protection operations management, and the implementation of complex privacy solutions in technical environments. Find out more.