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Information Commissioner Richard Thomas announced details of the new government guidelines at Infosecurity 2008, despite the fact that Cabinet Secretary Gus O'Donnell has yet to publish his report on data security.

O'Donnell's report, which was commissioned by Gordon Brown after 25 million child benefit claimant records
went missing, is expected

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in late May.

Although the Cabinet Office would not comment on Thomas's admission, a spokesperson says: "The Cabinet Secretary published his interim report on data handling in December. The Government has already accepted its recommendations, which include a commitment to create tougher penalties for people who break the Data Protection Act. The final report will be published later in the spring."

As far back as last year, Thomas was telling a House of Commons Justice Committee report on the Protection of Private Data that there was a "need to ensure that safeguards are achieved in practice".

Thomas also confirmed that UK companies will face spot checks on the way they handle data-protection law. Previously the ICO had to ask permission before it inspected public and private sector firms.

"It has to be the likes of chief executives (of NHS trusts) and permanent secretaries who are held accountable when things go wrong," Thomas tells The Times.