Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many data protection complaints were lodged with the Information Commissioner's Office in 2024; of these, in respect of how many the ICO took regulatory action; and what conclusions they draw from comparison of those figures.

The ICO received 41,271 complaints from January to December 2024. In that same period, the ICO issued two monetary penalty notices under GDPR totalling £757,500 and 13 monetary penalty notices under Privacy and Digital Marketing Regulations, totalling £1,270,000.

Unlike an Ombudsman, the ICO does not take regulatory action on each case but uses the information to guide its strategic direction and ensure effective use of resources. When compliance issues are identified, the ICO often provides advice to improve information rights handling, leading to significant improvements.