New Watchdog Chief Bares His Teeth

So, farewell then Richard Thomas. The outgoing Information Commissioner handed over the baton to Christopher Graham last June, and the new head of the ICO has wasted little time in getting stuck into parliament, the courts and newspapers for failing to stop the flourishing trade in illegally obtained personal and confidential information.

The former DG of the Advertising Standards Authority was giving evidence to the Commons media select committee investigating phone-hacking and other unscrupulous press activity. This issue came to a head a couple of years ago with the revelations that the News of the Screw's was tapping Prince William and Harry's mobiles; the fact that it's taken until now to establish an investigation speaks volumes about the procrastination of our pusilanimous parliament.

While it comes as no surprise that tabloid journalists resort to questionable - even illegal - activities in their work,what beggars belief is the complete absence of deterrent in the form of proper punishment. Graham raised this in his evidence to the committee, criticising the goverment for failing to introduce jail terms for hackers and other willful violators of the Data Protection Act, and claimed that custodial sentences could end the practice "at a stroke".

It's worth noting that Clive Goodman, the Screws' former royal editor, did in fact do four months' bird for hacking the Princes' phones, but Graham pointed out that the NotW case was merely part of a much bigger malaise. Graham said that the ICO had tried to sound the alarm about the scale of the problem as far back as 2006, when it published a report showing that 305 reporters were using private investigators. Unfortunately, said Graham, "...we were let down by the courts, who didn't seem to be interested in levying even the pathetic fines they had at their disposal; we were rather let down by parliament in the end, with no legislation; and we were let down by the newspaper groups, which didn't take it seriously."

It's good to see such forthright common sense from the new Information Commissioner - it's a sign that the ICO is fast becoming a Watchdog with real bite. Graham has made a great start, and we will be following his progress with interest.