Information Tribunal
Encyclopedia
The Information Tribunal was a tribunal
non-departmental public body
in the United Kingdom
. It was established as the Data Protection Tribunal to hear appeals under the Data Protection Act 1984
. Its name was changed to reflect its wider responsibilities under other freedom of information
legislation, as it then heard appeals from notices issued by Information Commissioner
under two Acts of Parliament
, the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000
, and two related Statutory Instrument
s, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.
In 2010 the tribunal became part of the General Regulatory Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal
, referred to as the First–tier Tribunal (Information Rights), as part of the reform of the structure of the UK system of tribunals.
The last Chairman of the tribunal was lawyer John Angel, formerly of Clifford Chance
, and now a consultant with Jomati and a Visiting Professorial Fellow at Queen Mary, University of London
.http://www.law.qmul.ac.uk/people/academic/angel.html There were nine Deputy Chairmen, all of whom were experienced solicitor
s or barrister
s.
Tribunal
A tribunal in the general sense is any person or institution with the authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title....
non-departmental public body
Non-departmental public body
In the United Kingdom, a non-departmental public body —often referred to as a quango—is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive to certain types of public bodies...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was established as the Data Protection Tribunal to hear appeals under the Data Protection Act 1984
Data Protection Act 1984
The Data Protection Act 1998 is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament which defines UK law on the processing of data on identifiable living people. It is the main piece of legislation that governs the protection of personal data in the UK...
. Its name was changed to reflect its wider responsibilities under other freedom of information
Freedom of information
Freedom of information refers to the protection of the right to freedom of expression with regards to the Internet and information technology . Freedom of information may also concern censorship in an information technology context, i.e...
legislation, as it then heard appeals from notices issued by Information Commissioner
Information Commissioner
The role of Information Commissioner differs from nation to nation. Most commonly it is a title given to a government regulator in the fields of freedom of information and the protection of personal data in the widest sense.-Canada:...
under two Acts of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
, the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000
Freedom of Information Act 2000
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 is an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that creates a public "right of access" to information held by public authorities. It is the implementation of freedom of information legislation in the United Kingdom on a national level...
, and two related Statutory Instrument
Statutory Instrument
A Statutory Instrument is the principal form in which delegated or secondary legislation is made in Great Britain.Statutory Instruments are governed by the Statutory Instruments Act 1946. They replaced Statutory Rules and Orders, made under the Rules Publication Act 1893, in 1948.Most delegated...
s, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.
In 2010 the tribunal became part of the General Regulatory Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal
First-tier Tribunal
The First-tier Tribunal is part of the administrative justice system of the United Kingdom. It was created in 2008 as part of a programme, set out in the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, to rationalise the tribunal system, and has since taken on the functions of twenty previously...
, referred to as the First–tier Tribunal (Information Rights), as part of the reform of the structure of the UK system of tribunals.
The last Chairman of the tribunal was lawyer John Angel, formerly of Clifford Chance
Clifford Chance
Clifford Chance LLP is a global law firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom and a member of the 'Magic Circle' of leading UK law firms. It is one of the ten largest law firms in the world measured by both number of lawyers and revenue...
, and now a consultant with Jomati and a Visiting Professorial Fellow at Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
.http://www.law.qmul.ac.uk/people/academic/angel.html There were nine Deputy Chairmen, all of whom were experienced solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
s or barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
s.