High Level Standards

An update on the ICO's finding that Amicus Legal Ltd had breached the Data Protection Act 1998 following the theft of a contractor's laptop.

On 12 September 2008, the Office of Fair Trading published updated guidance (Guidance) on The Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 (SI 1999/2083) (UTCCRs). The Guidance replaces the previous edition of the OFT's guidance on the UTCCRs which was published in February 2001.In order to update the Guidance, the OFT conducted a survey of enforcers and other potential users in 2006 and carried out a consultation exercise in 2007. The changes made by the OFT are intended to:Improve accessibility.Reflect developments in the law and in the OFT's thinking.Give an explanation of the OFT's powers under the Enterprise Act 2002.Take account of the coming into force of The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (SI 2008/1277) (CPRs) on 6 April 2008. The OFT published guidance on the CPRs in August 2008 (see Legal update, OFT and BERR publish guidance on Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008).The OFT has also published annexes to the Guidance. Annex A sets out examples of standard terms which have been used by businesses in consumer contracts. The examples have been selected from cases in which the OFT took action under the UTCCRs. They are intended to illustrate how the OFT interprets the UTCCRs and help businesses to ensure their terms are enforceable. Annex B lists "qualifying bodies" (one of which is FSA) which have the power to enforce the UTCCRs alongside the OFT.In addition, the OFT has published a leaflet providing general gui

On 25 January 2008, the Information Commissioner's Office announced that Marks & Spencer had breached the information security requirements imposed by the Data Protection Act 1998. This followed the theft of an unencrypted laptop containing pension details of approximately 26,000 M&S employees.

In October 2003 the Financial Services Authority published near-final guidance on operational risk, which raises issues that any organisation entering into a significant outsourcing arrangement should consider.