A Rochdale-based solicitor has been fined £3,150 for breaching the Data Protection Act, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said today. Ralph Harold Donner had failed to notify the Commissioner, as required under the Act.

The Act requires businesses that process personal information to comply with its eight principles of data protection – which include making sure that staff and customer records are stored securely, used for the right reasons and are always correct and up to date.

Most businesses processing personal data are also required by law to notify, or register with, the Information Commissioner. The fee is only £35 per year – although some small businesses that process personal data for very limited purposes are not required to notify.

According to the ICO, Mr Donner, a senior partner at the matrimonial firm Feld Mckay and Donner, had been contacted by the Information Commissioner more than five times over a period of two years, but had still failed to notify.

Following a guilty plea at Bolton Magistrates Court, Donner was fined £3,150 and ordered to pay £3,500 towards prosecution costs.

"I am pleased that the magistrates' court has recognised the seriousness of a failure to notify," said Information Commissioner Richard Thomas. "Complying with the Data Protection Act ensures that individuals' personal information is secure, accurate, up-to-date and is processed fairly. This prosecution should remind solicitors and other organisations of their responsibilities under the Act."

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