Commissioner to give evidence at Soham inquiry

Information
Commissioner Richard Thomas is set to give evidence to a public inquiry into
the Soham tragedy.

Sir
Michael Bichard has opened an inquiry into how Ian Huntley, convicted of
killing Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, managed to get a job as a school
caretaker despite a string of sex allegations in the past.

The
inquiry will focus on vetting practices for employers and how Huntley was
allowed to take up such a responsible position.

Thomas
will address the inquiry with specific emphasis on the role of the Data
Protection Act.

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However,
he denied the case had any impact on the decision to review his advice to
employers on data protection.

"This
has nothing to do with the changes. It’s a very specific inquiry into a tragic
case and the role of the Data Protection Act will play some part. I’ll be
giving evidence but I can’t talk about that in case it impacts on the
case."