Coroners and Justice Act brought into force to allow Information Commissioner to inspect premises for data protection breaches

Sections 173 to 175 of the Coroners and Justice Act has been brought into force as of 1 February. This gives the Information Commissioner – the data protection regulator in the UK – the right to inspect premises and require other co-operation (initially of public authorities, but the categories may be extended later) – to assess whether the data controller (usually the organisation being inspected) is complying with the Data Protection Act. The changes also make other changes of a framework nature initially, including requiring the Commissioner to create new codes of practice, such as to cover the sharing of personal data.

This is part of a trend to beef up data protection law and increase the teeth given to inspect and prosecute for data breaches.