06/10/2017

No need to notify the ICO next year – but pay the notification fee anyhow (UK)

While the requirement for organisations that process personal information to notify the Information Commissioner’s Office will cease when the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) takes effect next May, a provision in the Digital Economy Act 2017 means the requirement to pay the notification fee will continue.

The notification requirement under the current Data Protection Act requires all organisations that control data – except those that are exempt – to explain what personal data they collect and what they do with it. They are also required to pay a notification fee – currently £35 or £500, depending on their size – which is used to help fund the ICO’s work.

In a blog entry headed ‘ICO Fee & Registration changes New Year’, Paul Arnold of the ICO explains that the Digital Economy Act paves the way for a new funding system, in which the amount of the data protection fee is being jointly developed by government, the ICO and representatives of those likely to be affected by the change.

The new system, any exemptions and the final fees will be approved by Parliament and apply from 1 April, 2018.