Warning of scant regard for data protection

State bodies have been warned of a crackdown unless they overhaul the way they treat personal data.

The warning came in the latest annual report issued by the data protection commissioner Billy Hawkes, in which he revealed that there was a record number of investigations opened by his office last year following complaints from people who were blocked from accessing personal data held by organisations.

It also revealed that the activities of domestic data controllers — both in the private and public sectors — attracted most of the enquiries and complaints dealt with by the office last year.