Dhanwantee Hooper v The Information Commissioner

Facts

The applicant, Dhanwantee Hooper, lodged complaints with the Information Commissioner during July 2025 under section 165 of the Data Protection Act 2018 concerning the handling of her personal data by the Department for Work and Pensions and the Child Maintenance Service. It was common ground that the Commissioner did not provide information about progress within the initial three-month period. On 18 December 2025 the Commissioner apologised for the delay and indicated the matter would be expedited; a case officer was allocated and, on 7 January 2026, wrote to the applicant explaining that the Department and the Child Maintenance Service had been asked to review their handling of her subject access requests and to respond to her other concerns, and that she could forward any unsatisfactory response to the ICO for further review. The applicant then applied to the First-tier Tribunal under section 166(2) of the Data Protection Act 2018 for an order requiring the Commissioner to take appropriate steps to respond. On 14 January 2026 the Commissioner applied to strike the application out under rule 8(3)(c) of the Tribunal Procedure (First-tier Tribunal) (General Regulatory Chamber) Rules 2009, contending the deficiency had been cured. Judge Roper refused that application on 9 April 2026, and the matter proceeded to determination on the papers.