Information Commissioner's Annual Report and Financial Statements
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Information Commissioner’s Office Information Commissioner’s Annual Report and Financial Statements 2020-21 July 2021 HC354 Annual report 2020/21 Information Commissioner’s Annual Report and Financial Statements 2020/21 Report Presented to Parliament pursuant to Section 139(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018 and Section 49(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Accounts Presented to Parliament pursuant to paragraph 11(4) of Schedule 12 to the Data Protection Act 2018. Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed on 7 July 2021 HC 354 2 Annual report 2020/21 © Crown copyright 2021 This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. This publication is available at gov.uk/official-documents. Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to us at: Information Commissioner’s Office Wycliffe House Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF ISBN 978-1-5286-2683-5 CCS0521652660 07/21 Printed on paper containing 75% recycled fibre content minimum Printed in the UK by the APS Group on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office 3 Annual report 2020/21 Introduction Our annual report is split into three sections. The first section is our Performance report, which reviews our work across 2020/21. The sections set out our key achievements, with case studies providing in-depth examination of some of our most impactful work. This section concludes with statistics covering the full range of our operational performance, summary reports on our financial performance, sustainability and whistleblowing disclosures made to us, and a statement on the ICO’s status as a going concern. The second section is our Accountability report, which includes declarations regarding corporate governance, remuneration and staffing, and parliamentary accountability and audit reporting. In this section we also provide further detail about our internal structures. The report concludes with our Financial statements, comprising our financial performance. 4 Annual report 2020/21 | Contents Performance A report Information Commissioner’s foreword ...................................... 9 Our mission, vision, strategic goals and values ......................... 12 Our values .................................................................................. 13 The legislation we regulate ........................................................ 14 Introduction ............................................................................... 16 The year in summary ................................................................. 19 Section 1: Supporting the public ........................................................... 21 Section 2: Enabling innovation and economic growth ......................... 24 Section 3: Raising global data protection standards ............................ 27 Section 4: Our regulatory action .......................................................... 30 Section 5: Supporting the public sector ................................................ 33 Section 6: Delivering the ICO service experience ................................. 35 Annex: Operational performance .............................................. 37 Financial performance summary ............................................. 60 Sustainability ............................................................................ 63 Whistleblowing disclosures ...................................................... 69 Going concern ........................................................................... 70 5 Annual report 2020/21 | Contents Accountability B report Directors’ report .........................................................................72 Governance statement ...............................................................79 Remuneration policy ................................................................ 89 Remuneration and staff report .................................................. 91 Regularity of expenditure (audited) ......................................... 99 Fees and charges (audited) ....................................................... 99 Remote contingent liabilities (audited) .................................... 99 Long-term expenditure trends ................................................. 99 The Certificate and Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General to the Houses of Parliament ..................................... 100 6 Annual report 2020/21 | Contents Financial C statements Statement of comprehensive net expenditure ........................ 107 Statement of financial position ............................................... 108 Statement of cash flows ...........................................................109 Statement of changes in taxpayers’ equity ............................... 111 Notes to the accounts ............................................................... 112 7 Annual report 2020/21 | Performance report Performance report A Information Commissioner’s foreword ...................................... 9 Our mission, vision, strategic goals and values ......................... 12 Our values .................................................................................. 13 The legislation we regulate ........................................................ 14 Introduction ............................................................................... 16 The year in summary ................................................................. 19 Section 1: Supporting the public ........................................................... 21 Section 2: Enabling innovation and economic growth ......................... 24 Section 3: Raising global data protection standards ............................ 27 Section 4: Our regulatory action .......................................................... 30 Section 5: Supporting the public sector ................................................ 33 Section 6: Delivering the ICO service experience ................................. 35 Annex: Operational performance .............................................. 37 Financial performance summary ............................................. 60 Sustainability ............................................................................ 63 Whistleblowing disclosures ...................................................... 69 Going concern ........................................................................... 70 8 Annual report 2020/21 | Performance report Information Commissioner’s foreword This Annual Report covers a period unprecedented in our history, which brought challenges to us all. The ICO was not exempt from these challenges. In March 2020, we closed our offices, and our 800 staff worked from home. Most of our activity would be conducted this way for the entire period this report covers. As our environment changed, so did our work. The use of data has been central to the response to COVID-19, from keeping people safe to managing the impact on society and the economy. That meant my office has been at the centre of so many of the key issues that have had a real impact on individuals, from ensuring data protection considerations were built into contact tracing solutions to emphasising the value of transparency and documentation of government decision making. A full analysis of how we responded to the challenges of COVID-19 will be covered in a separate report to parliament, which we plan to publish over the summer. COVID-19 also prompted a transformation in the role of digital services. Our lives are now more digital than ever before: the past year has seen spikes in the use of online services to learn, stay in touch with others, keep fit and stay healthy. That impacts my office: our work is now more often complex and high profile, and increasingly overlaps with other areas of regulation. This annual report shows how we have successfully risen to these challenges, producing what I believe is this office’s most significant body of work. Our successes are testament to the hard work and expertise of the ICO’s staff, and the foundations of the modern ICO laid across the past five years. In that time the office has almost doubled in headcount, with a focus on increasing our technical, legal, and economic expertise. We have built 9 Annual report 2020/21 | Performance report partnerships with other regulators and developed our international relationships and influence. We have benefited from our commitment to equality and diversity. And we have strengthened our Management Board, to whom I am personally grateful for their continuing support and guidance. More than all of that though, the ICO has developed a confidence in who we are. The work outlined in this report demonstrates a modern, independent ICO that has the courage to take on the complex data protection of the day, and resources and expertise to back that courage. That confidence sets us up for future success. The National Data Strategy sets out how the UK is well placed to reap the benefits data can bring in the coming years, both to our economy and to our society. The ICO will be central to that work, encouraging innovation and ensuring that data is managed, protected, and respected to unlock its full impact. Most of all, we will continue to demonstrate that data protection is, at its core,