Insights Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport confirms John Edwards as new Information Commissioner

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On 21 December 2021, DCMS announced that John Edwards had been confirmed as the new Information Commissioner with his five-year term beginning on 3 January 2022.

Edwards was previously New Zealand’s Privacy Commissioner and also spent 20 years practising law, specialising in information law.

Under the Data Protection Act 2018, the Information Commissioner is appointed by Her Majesty by Letters Patent on the basis of fair and open competition and on the recommendation from ministers (the Secretary of State for DCMS, through the Prime Minister). John Edwards’ appointment as Information Commissioner was approved by the DCMS Select Committee after a pre-appointment hearing on 9 September 2021.

DCMS said that Ministers were assisted in their decision-making by an Advisory Assessment Panel which included a departmental official and a senior independent panel member approved by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. To read the DCMS press release in full, click here.

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