The Port Soderick Herald Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 Right after claiming a Cabinet Office scalp. https://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/insufficient-resources-causes-information-commissioner-to-step-down-623426 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarndyce Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 Ouch! Missed a scoop there, PSH… 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolley Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 Is he retirement age? Feels like he's been there a long time judging by the amount of bumf that has come through our corporate mailbox with his name at the bottom over many years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Port Soderick Herald Posted June 28, 2023 Author Share Posted June 28, 2023 1 minute ago, woolley said: Is he retirement age? Feels like he's been there a long time judging by the amount of bumf that has come through our corporate mailbox with his name at the bottom over many years. It’s carefully worded as he is stepping down presumably deliberately ambiguous. The timing is really interesting though after the announcement of the other week. Despite actively seeking additional funding for an extra member of staff, the existing budget was reduced in the latest budget round.This has had a devastating effect on the office staff and was the direct cause of the commissioner stepping down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Voice of Reason Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 4 minutes ago, woolley said: Is he retirement age? Feels like he's been there a long time judging by the amount of bumf that has come through our corporate mailbox with his name at the bottom over many years. Had a few dealings with him through the years. Decent chap 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolley Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 1 minute ago, The Port Soderick Herald said: It’s carefully worded as he is stepping down presumably deliberately ambiguous. The timing is really interesting though after the announcement of the other week. Despite actively seeking additional funding for an extra member of staff, the existing budget was reduced in the latest budget round.This has had a devastating effect on the office staff and was the direct cause of the commissioner stepping down. Yes, and I note that it was only last year he took on a final 5 year term. Obviously worded to go out in a blaze of glory, while the Cabinet Office statement is saying business as usual, nothing to see here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolley Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 5 minutes ago, The Port Soderick Herald said: Despite actively seeking additional funding for an extra member of staff, the existing budget was reduced in the latest budget round. There actually needs to be a lot more of this right across government. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbnuts Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 Bet they don’t rush to replace him. Will benefit them to delay or blame this for Freedom of Information requests. Helps the none transparency which seems rife in Cannan regime. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Mexico Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 26 minutes ago, woolley said: Is he retirement age? Feels like he's been there a long time judging by the amount of bumf that has come through our corporate mailbox with his name at the bottom over many years. Not that near I think. He was only reappointed in December 2022 for his third (and constitutionally final) term. So he wouldn't have been retiring till January 2028 at the earliest. It's interesting that the statement was released on Linkedin rather than one of the official channels. Presumably because they didn't want the information made public - including I suspect to Tynwald members: The Information Commissioner, Iain McDonald, steps down on 21 July 2023 after more than 20 years. Whilst the Office has taken on considerably greater responsibilities since 2015, including becoming arbitrator under the Freedom of Information Act and numerous additional tasks and functions under the Applied GDPR, resourcing, both financial and staffing, has not been sufficient to manage the ever increasing work load, nor to enable all tasks to be fulfilled. Despite actively seeking additional funding for an extra member of staff, the existing budget was reduced in the latest budget round. This has had a devastating effect on the office staff and was the direct cause of the Commissioner stepping down. At present, the future of the Office is uncertain and we apologise for any delays in the provision of responses or conclusion of complaints as this is due to the large volume of work currently being handled. It's also interesting what the Pink Book says about this: Information Commissioner The Information Commissioner is the independent supervisory body for the Data Protection Act 2018 and associated Orders and regulations, the Freedom of Information Act 2015, the Unsolicited Communications Regulations 2005 and the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. The new data protection legislation has placed considerable resource pressures on the Office. An initial request for additional resources together with medium term resource requirement with funding model has been made. Additional resources have been agreed, but the funding model remains to be determined. So it looks as if Treasury/Cabinet Office have simply refused to give them the money, even though it was agreed in the Budget (see page 34 of Pink Book). Of course if you keep on pointing out embarrassing facts like Cabinet Office officials illegally accessing personal data, that's the sort of thing that happens. Yet again this is the civil service making it clear to Tynwald who is in charge, but I doubt that Skelly and co will care or do anything except join in trying to hush things up. 3 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercenary Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 1 hour ago, The Port Soderick Herald said: Despite actively seeking additional funding for an extra member of staff, the existing budget was reduced in the latest budget round.This has had a devastating effect on the office staff and was the direct cause of the commissioner stepping down. Oh boo hoo a bureaucratic arm of government isn't allowed to endlessly enlarge itself and suck up resources (never mind that most of their work will be 'mirrored' and require additional posts on whatever Departments/Boards they are extensively dealing with). Most of GDPR is just an endless paper exercise requiring more and more resources for little benefit. Inevitably it just ends up making large organisations less efficient and small organisations don't have the resources so just effectively ignore it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asthehills Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 2 hours ago, woolley said: There actually needs to be a lot more of this right across government. That’s easy to say unless you really understand the workings of the department. I don’t, or have a grasp of their workloads but assume you do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Non-Believer Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 Do we have a situation now where Govt can't afford to police its own conduct and legal standards...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omobono Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 2 minutes ago, Non-Believer said: Do we have a situation now where Govt can't afford to police its own conduct and legal standards...? Starved out of resources that’s the way government is working a similar thing seems to be happens with the OFT you can’t run anything without money and staff ,life behind the islands open and transparent government ,don’t make me laugh 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustus Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 22 minutes ago, Non-Believer said: Do we have a situation now where Govt can't afford to police its own conduct and legal standards...? now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustus Posted June 28, 2023 Share Posted June 28, 2023 Naturally Manx Radio can only come up with a 20-year-old photograph of the Information Commissioner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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