Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the current average waiting time is between a data protection complaint being lodged with the Information Commissioner's Office and a case officer being assigned; and what steps are being taken to address complaints that have significantly exceeded this average.

The Information Commissioner's Office transitioned to become the Information Commission on 30 September 2026. While DCMS is its sponsor department, the Information Commission remains independent and accountable to Parliament.

The Information Commission assesses each complaint against its Data Protection Complaints Framework. The Information Commission advises that complaints are typically triaged within two and a half months of submission, and those not requiring further investigation are on average resolved within 5 days from being triaged/allocated. Those requiring further investigation are currently assigned to a case officer approximately 10 months after submission. The Information Commission is prioritising the most serious cases and exploring process and technology improvements to reduce waiting times.