Choc horror: The UK's Information Commisioner probes its own mammoth £6,248 Hotel Chocolat spend
(2021/02/09)
- Reference: 1612852333
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/02/09/ico_hotel_choclat_expense/
- Source link:
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has begun a probe of a £6,248 spent on Hotel Chocolat via a corporate charge card made in the days leading up to Christmas, which may have broken internal rules.
We’re calling it “chocolategate,” because why wouldn’t we?
[1]
The purchase, made on December 21 and [2]spotted by Insider , handily eclipses [3]other transactions [PDF] made on the Commissioner’s plastic during the last half of 2020. These include £622.40 for Adobe Creative Cloud, a cumulative £1,166.26 at Amazon, and various other amounts spent with recruitment websites and corporate coaching services.
[4]
Hotel Chocolat store front, in Kingston on Thames, outside London
[5]
The records also show a few four-figure refunds with Irish airline Aer Lingus, as well as travel site eBookers. These presumably reflect international trips cancelled amid the turbulent pandemic period.
It’s not clear for whom the pricey chocs were intended, be they gifts for the data watchdog’s nearly 500 employees, or for external partners. While Hotel Chocolat is best known for its pricey confections, it also plies its wares in the corporate gift-giving world, offering bulk discounts for large purchases.
If the ICO acquired its haul through the chocolatier’s [6]corporate gifts programme , it would have earned a 10 per cent discount on retail price of the spray-painted, ordinary tasting chocolate.
Regardless, it’s certainly an embarrassing episode for the independent regulator, which has to fastidiously appear above reproach in all its dealings. While not strictly a government department (it is largely funded the private organisations it regulates, which must pay a "data protection fee", with taxpayer cash accounting for a small percentage of its income), the ICO is nonetheless a fundamental part of the apparatus in which data protection law is enforced.
[7]
The British chocolatier's "Everything" H Box (£12.95)
In a statement provided to El Reg , an ICO spokesperson said: “This payment is currently subject to an internal investigation. We believe that the transaction has been made contrary to ICO policies.”
“The ICO is committed to upholding high standards in all aspects of our financial management and controls. Should a contravention of our finance policies be confirmed, we will take appropriate action, including ensuring the payment is reimbursed.”
[8]
Further questions, including the destination of the chocolates, and whether they tasted any good, were not immediately answered. ®
Get our [9]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_bootnotes/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YCJrTiynOpaXwaIsXIlMuwAAAIo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://www.businessinsider.com/uk-ico-spent-thousands-at-hotel-chocolat-2021-2?r=US&IR=T
[3] https://ico.org.uk/media/about-the-ico/documents/2618415/ccc-spending-over-500-2020-21.pdf
[4] https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/02/08/shutterstock_hotel_choc1.jpg
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_bootnotes/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YCJrTiynOpaXwaIsXIlMuwAAAIo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.hotelchocolat.com/uk/shop/business-chocolate.html
[7] https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/02/08/shutterstock_hotel_choc2.jpg
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_bootnotes/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YCJrTiynOpaXwaIsXIlMuwAAAIo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
We’re calling it “chocolategate,” because why wouldn’t we?
[1]
The purchase, made on December 21 and [2]spotted by Insider , handily eclipses [3]other transactions [PDF] made on the Commissioner’s plastic during the last half of 2020. These include £622.40 for Adobe Creative Cloud, a cumulative £1,166.26 at Amazon, and various other amounts spent with recruitment websites and corporate coaching services.
[4]
Hotel Chocolat store front, in Kingston on Thames, outside London
[5]
The records also show a few four-figure refunds with Irish airline Aer Lingus, as well as travel site eBookers. These presumably reflect international trips cancelled amid the turbulent pandemic period.
It’s not clear for whom the pricey chocs were intended, be they gifts for the data watchdog’s nearly 500 employees, or for external partners. While Hotel Chocolat is best known for its pricey confections, it also plies its wares in the corporate gift-giving world, offering bulk discounts for large purchases.
If the ICO acquired its haul through the chocolatier’s [6]corporate gifts programme , it would have earned a 10 per cent discount on retail price of the spray-painted, ordinary tasting chocolate.
Regardless, it’s certainly an embarrassing episode for the independent regulator, which has to fastidiously appear above reproach in all its dealings. While not strictly a government department (it is largely funded the private organisations it regulates, which must pay a "data protection fee", with taxpayer cash accounting for a small percentage of its income), the ICO is nonetheless a fundamental part of the apparatus in which data protection law is enforced.
[7]
The British chocolatier's "Everything" H Box (£12.95)
In a statement provided to El Reg , an ICO spokesperson said: “This payment is currently subject to an internal investigation. We believe that the transaction has been made contrary to ICO policies.”
“The ICO is committed to upholding high standards in all aspects of our financial management and controls. Should a contravention of our finance policies be confirmed, we will take appropriate action, including ensuring the payment is reimbursed.”
[8]
Further questions, including the destination of the chocolates, and whether they tasted any good, were not immediately answered. ®
Get our [9]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_bootnotes/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YCJrTiynOpaXwaIsXIlMuwAAAIo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://www.businessinsider.com/uk-ico-spent-thousands-at-hotel-chocolat-2021-2?r=US&IR=T
[3] https://ico.org.uk/media/about-the-ico/documents/2618415/ccc-spending-over-500-2020-21.pdf
[4] https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/02/08/shutterstock_hotel_choc1.jpg
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_bootnotes/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YCJrTiynOpaXwaIsXIlMuwAAAIo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.hotelchocolat.com/uk/shop/business-chocolate.html
[7] https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/02/08/shutterstock_hotel_choc2.jpg
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_bootnotes/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YCJrTiynOpaXwaIsXIlMuwAAAIo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
veti
If it was a Crimbo bonus for staff, that would be about £12 per employee. Doesn't seem worth getting very excited about.
werdsmith
The Fortnum hampers that were distributed around our staff in December cost enough to make this Choc bill look like lost change.
MyffyW
My own employer was good enough to send me and my 8000 co-workers Hotel Chocolate goodies as a Crimbo fillip, so doubtless has a similar credit card bill to explain. Let's move on to more egregious examples of public sector profligacy.
Count Chocula
Grunchy
One.. one box of treats per staff! Ma ha ha.
osakajin
"spray-painted, ordinary tasting chocolate"
Please start a sister site: honest restaurant eviews
Not ChocolateGate
Anonymous Coward
but rather ChocolateFireguardGate.
Chocolategate?
Shurely you meant chocogate...
Although from last time I was in, £6,2,48 is what? Two bars of chocolate and a cuppa?