back to article Information Commissioner faces MP grilling

Information Commissioner Richard Thomas faces a grilling from MPs this afternoon when he gives evidence to the Justice Committee. The committee is looking at the protection of private data in the light of recent failures by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and other government departments. The timing could be better. Thomas …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Faces a grilling?

    We should BARBECUE the tossers questioning him as NONE of them are remotely interested in giving his office either the required powers or budget.

    All the MPs are interested in is getting pics in papers and noses into bigger troughs.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    waste of paper

    I can vouch from personal experience, the DPA 1998 is a waste of the paper that it is written on. No REAL protection whatsoever is afforded by the Data Protection Act 1998 because there is no real punishment of people who are careless, negligent or criminal with regard to sensitive data. WHEN and IF they ever bring in real penalties THEN the Act may be worthwhile, but until then forget it. As for Thomas the Information Commissioner, he is just another pen pusher in another white elephant governmental organisation that gives the illusion to ordinary men and women in this Country that they have some protection. That illusion disappears as soon as anyone seeks a remedy.

  3. Spleen

    Transcript

    The Hon Barbara G Parasite, MP for North Anthill (Lab): Mr Thomas, the Committee would like to ask you a simple question. Why are we so shit?

    Information Commissioner Richard Thomas: I honestly don't know why you're so shit. That is beyond my knowledge.

    Barbara G Parasite: Can you explain how you don't know why we're so shit?

    Richard Thomas: I do not have explanation for the Committee as to why you are so shit, nor as to why we can't explain why you're so shit.

    Barbara G Parasite: Mr Thomas, do you honestly expect us to believe...

    (continues for 3 hours)

    The Hon John Q Pieworthy, MP for South Loony-Up-The-Cream-Bun-And-Jam (Lab): If I may interject, I believe it's time for lunch. If we hurry we can fit in four pints before the debate on extending control orders.

    All: Hear hear!

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    Tabloid "exclusives"...

    " ... the searches took one hour and cost just 35p ... "

    Presumably that was the cost of one copy of yesterday's Sun/Star/Mirror/whichever tabloid broke the story first?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    My opnion

    Completely agree with John Naismith.

    MP's should ask themselves why they expect anyone in this country to behave when they can't.

    Then they should give the Information Commissioner the powers he needs - rather than continuing to give the police the powers they don't need (for example see the trials on Tazers).

  6. Graham Marsden
    Stop

    Hypocrites

    So MPs the majority of whom will, of course, be from the Labour Party, the one which keeps ignoring the comments from the Information Commissioner about how their ID card and National Identity Register and NHS Spine will breach Data Protection, will "grill" him on *why* people do stupid things with sensitive data and *ignore* sensible advice on how to ensure that data is protected...?!

    Where's the "Bashing your head against a brick wall" icon??

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