Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Latest NewsEmployment lawData protection

Boffin breaches Data Protection Act and gets embroiled in family drama

by John Charlton 16 May 2008
by John Charlton 16 May 2008

Lancaster University reprimanded its head of economics professor Geraint Johnes for breaching data protection rules by telling a concerned mother about her son’s performance.

According to a report in the Times Higher Education Supplement, the student’s mother Jackie Gardner e-mailed Johnes in April for details of her son Christian’s performance saying: “I, very wrongly it seems, assumed that he would be fully engaged… he is now quite addicted to alcohol, smokes and has spent a great deal of time over the last nine months asleep.” She also complained that her son had told her that he received just three hours of lectures a week.

Johnes replied, giving details of Gardner’s workload – including four hours’ weekly contact time and regular project meetings.

When Christian Gardner heard of the exchange he complained to the university that it had released data without his consent.

Its data protection officer Andrew Okey confirmed the breach and wrote to Johnes and warned him that any further “illicit disclosures” would be reported to the university’s HR department.

Christian Gardner said: Other parents had telephoned and been told the university could not say whether a student was alive or dead, so I was very surprised a full list of my courses was disclosed to my mother without contacting me first.”

However, his mother said: “As someone who is helping to fund him I do believe I have a right to know whether he is getting value for money.”

Avatar
John Charlton

previous post
Prison Service teams up with equalities commission to tackle sexual harassment
next post
Call to set up timetable to scrap statutory retirement age

You may also like

Labour pledges small business menopause guidance

27 Sep 2023

Keeping up with global regulations foxes HR

27 Sep 2023

Tesco introduces paid leave for kinship carers

27 Sep 2023

Introduce three-day week for over 50s, says former...

26 Sep 2023

Ralph Lauren stylist ‘traumatised’ by racial comments

26 Sep 2023

Government expands Youth Offer employment support

26 Sep 2023

Few dyslexic thinkers feel employer knows their strengths

26 Sep 2023

Sickness absence rates soar to 10-year high

26 Sep 2023

Personnel Today Awards 2023 shortlist: Family Friendly Employer...

26 Sep 2023

Three days in office is optimal hybrid working...

25 Sep 2023

  • Discover the value of CIPD accreditation PROMOTED | See how the CIPD can increase your earning potential...Read more
  • What does it mean to be an HR professional in 2024? (survey) PROMOTED | The world of HR is changing rapidly...Read more
  • The Contractor Management Mastery Pack: Everything you need to manage and pay global contractors PROMOTED | Answers to cross-border...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+