Information Commissioner’s Office investigates £6,000 luxury chocolate bill

The Hotel Chocolat signature collection is its most expensive item

Credit: Hotel Chocolat

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has launched an internal investigation after thousands of pounds were spent at Hotel Chocolat on a Government-funded credit card.

In a disclosure of departmental spending over £500, the data watchdog admitted £6,248.40 had been spent on luxury chocolates days before Christmas, on December 21.

The purchase is now the subject of an internal probe. The ICO, which is an independent public body, is 90pc funded by grants from data protection fees from industry, with the remainder paid for by the taxpayer in grant-in-aid funding. It received £4.6m in public funding last year.

A spokesperson for the ICO 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.”

The purchase of chocolates is the largest single credit card transaction on the ICO’s corporate card in the last 10 months, according to Business Insider, which first reported the news.

The most expensive chocolate item on sale from Hotel Chocolat is a £170 signature collection that includes 100 chocolates including exotic flavours such as “passion fruit margarita” and a boozy Mojito and Whisky liqueurs and truffles.

A corporate discount of 10pc is available on purchases of more than £5,000.

The ICO’s role includes monitoring and responding to corporate data breaches, levying fines and penalties for companies breaching data protection rules, and handling disputes under the Freedom of Information Act. It makes no income from fines, which are sent to the Treasury.

John Slater, a Freedom of Information campaigner, told Business Insider: “I don’t know what’s worse: the fact that someone who had access to the credit card did this, or that they thought it was okay.”

Duncan Simpson, research director at the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “This purchase leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. The ICO has a vital role to play in holding public bodies to account, so they must always be the exemplar of how to use taxpayers’ money.

“The individuals responsible for this abuse must be swiftly reprimanded as and when a breach in the ICO’s finance policies is found.”