Wednesday 26 February 2020
The following is a media statement sent on behalf of Deputies Lowe, Prow, Graham, Oliver, Leadbeater:
'The Office of Data Protection Authority investigated our complaint against the Policy & Resources Committee and we note in their media release that they faced 'A lack of co-operation by the Policy & Resources Committee by its repeated failure to answer a question posed'. This does reflect in part the treatment we all received as members of Home Affairs who met with the Policy & Resources Committee and advised them that in our opinion they were breaking the Data Protection Law with the Good Governance Report carried out by Professor Staite. They were not prepared to listen to us. We also followed this up with a letter advising Policy & Resources that the legal advice we had sought came to the same conclusion.
For the Policy & Resources Committee to commission and oversee a review report on Good Governance which clearly did not comply with the section 12 of the Data Protection Law, is in itself a clear breach of good governance.
The formal Office of Data Protection Authority reprimand demonstrates that the review's methodology was not fit for purpose.
This breach was a major contributing factor in the decision made by two former members, Deputies Prow & Graham, of the Home Affairs Committee to resign over the way the review was commissioned and conducted. Despite being replaced by very able Deputies, their departure caused a disruption to the ability of the Committee to progress its important Committee responsibilities.
We the undersigned move on now that the Office of Data Protection have completed their investigation, in the hope that lessons have been learned and will be acted upon.'
Deputy Mary Lowe - Deputy Rob Prow - Deputy Richard Graham - Deputy Victoria Oliver - Deputy Marc Leadbeater
26th February 2020
