Management Toolkit

ICO raises fees for larger organisations

Kable

Published: 02 Oct 2009 08:26 BST

The Information Commissioner's Office has increased its fees for large public-sector organisations to register as data controllers.

It raised the annual charge for bodies with more than 250 staff from £35 to £500. The annual fee for smaller organisations will remain unchanged at £35, its value when it was first introduced in 2000.

All registered charities and smaller occupational pension schemes will pay the lower fee, except for those exempt from notification. Companies with a turnover of £25.9m and above and at least 250 staff will pay the £500 fee.

The move should generate a significant increase in funds for the ICO. According to Kable data, at least 1,250 public-sector organisations employ more than 250 staff and will therefore be liable for the higher fee. The extra £465 each will pay should generate an extra £580,000 annually.

The idea of introducing tiered ICO fees for data controllers was suggested by former information commissioner Richard Thomas and Mark Walport of the Wellcome Trust in their Data Sharing Review last year. The organisation has been struggling with a large backlog of cases in which it is required to rule on whether an organisation has been justified in turning down a freedom of information request.