Catalogue description Records created or inherited by the Information Commissioner and predecessors

The Data Protection Registrar was set up as a non-departmental public body under the Home Office by the Data Protection Act 1984, the first piece of legislation in the UK to address the use of personal data held in computer systems.

The first Data Protection Registrar, E J Howe, was appointed in September 1984 and the office established in early 1985. The requirements of the Act were phased in, coming fully into force in November 1987. The Registrar was originally required to oversee the Act and to set up the register of data users and computer bureaux, which would later become the Register of Data Controllers. A fee was levied for registration. He was given powers to reject registration applications and to remove data users and bureaux from the register. Notices could be issued to enforce compliance with the data protection principles.

The Act aimed to make the nature and use of personal data in computing systems open to public scrutiny through the public register, to enable individuals to check information held about themselves; to ensure good practice in the use, processing and protection of personal data in computer systems; and to allow individuals to claim compensation for damage and any associated distress arising from lack of security surrounding personal data. The Registrar had supporting duties, such as promoting understanding of the Act, considering complaints, disseminating publicity and encouraging sectoral codes of practice. Users and computer bureaux (but not individuals) had rights to appeal to the newly created Data Protection Tribunal, later known as the Information Tribunal.

In 2000 the majority of the revised Data Protection Act 1998 came into force and from March 2000, the title of both the Data Protection Registrar and their office changed to the Data Protection Commissioner. Notification replaced the registration scheme established by the 1984 Act.

In 2001, the office was given the added responsibility of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and changed its name to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The ICO is the UK's independent authority set up to uphold information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies. The ICO enforces and oversees various information rights legislation, including the Data Protection Act 2018 etc., reports directly to Parliament and is sponsored by the Ministry of Justice.