Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, for what reason (a) the number of staff and (b) staff costs have increased at the Information Commissioner's Office since April 2017.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is independent of government and sets its own staffing levels to meet its statutory duties. The ICO is funded primarily through the data protection fee and manages its resources in accordance with its regulatory obligations.

The volume and complexity of data protection work have increased significantly in recent years, including implementation of the UK GDPR and an expanded regulatory remit. To fulfil these responsibilities and respond to rising public and business demand, the ICO has required additional specialist capacity. Staffing costs have therefore increased in line with workforce growth and market rates for technical expertise, following the civil service pay guidance.

You can find more information about ICO’s staff number and costs in their annual reports, which can be viewed at: https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/our-information/annual-reports/.