ICO launches data protection crackdown on recruitment agencies

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is today urging recruitment agencies to meet their obligations under the Data Protection Act. Under the Act, most organisations that process individuals' personal information electronically must notify with the ICO. Failure to notify with the ICO can result in prosecution and fines. Recently, the ICO has successfully prosecuted a number of organisations for failing to notify. These included a recruitment company which had to pay a 2000 fine.

The ICO is concerned that its records indicate that approximately 50% of recruitment and employment agencies have not notified with the ICO and are therefore not currently registered as data controllers. Any that have not done so should notify the ICO immediately. The ICO will begin taking further action against those that have failed to notify.

Chief Operating Officer at the ICO, Simon Entwisle, said: Notification is an important legal requirement under the Data Protection Act. Compliance with data protection principles ensures that individuals' personal information is secure, accurate, up-to-date and processed fairly. Failure to notify is a serious offence and the ICO will not hesitate to take action against those organisations that flout the law in this way.

Notification costs 35 per annum and should be made directly to the Information Commissioner's Office, based in Wilmslow. Registering is easy and takes only a few minutes on the ICO website.