ICO and His Majesty’s Government sign Memorandum of Understanding

For its part, the ICO has been clear that Government needs to do more and move faster to improve data security as part of wider data protection practices. The ICO welcomed the Government’s commitments to the chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee in 2025.

This Memorandum of Understanding formalises that action, setting clear expectations and a pathway for Government to address concerns about its approach to data protection, rebuild trust with the public and improve transparency and accountability in how Government departments treat and handle people’s personal information.

The Memorandum of Understanding is further strengthened by the leadership of the Government’s Chief Data Officer and an expert network of departmental data protection officers, the constituent members of which play a vital role in embedding good data practice and culture across Government.

Scrutiny and challenge

As the data protection regulator for the UK, it’s the ICO’s role to oversee organisations and provide regulatory certainty through timely support and products that enable meaningful and lasting change. The Memorandum of Understanding sets out this role and details how the ICO will provide advice, scrutiny and challenge at all levels.

Where standards are not met or maintained, the Memorandum of Understanding reinforces the mechanisms available to the ICO to hold Government to account and take appropriate action when and where necessary.

The Memorandum of Understanding commits Government to publishing an annual assurance statement on GOV.UK on its progress. This is part of a series of important steps towards greater transparency and public accountability in evidencing whether or not improvements are being delivered. This applies to both current work and future initiatives that rely on new technologies to innovate with data to transform public services.