§ 5 and 22. Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications (1) what facilities and procedures exist for the recording and monitoring 1426 of the origin and destination of telephone calls in electronic telephone exchanges ; and whether he will make a statement ;
§ (2) in view of his responsibility for the Official Secrets Acts, if he will list the administrative arrangements which are made under the Post Office Act for the protection of the privacy, confidentiality of origin and destinations of telephone calls handled by electronic exchanges.
§ Mr. ChatawayThese are matters for the Post Office, whose staff is under statutory obligations of secrecy.
§ Mr. HuckfieldIs the Minister aware that that is not a very satisfactory answer? Is he further aware that he has some kind of responsibility under the Post Office Act, particularly with regard to the Official Secrets Act? Cannot he say anything about what will be the installation policy of the Post Office with regard to computerised telephone exchanges? Can he say anything about who else, apart from the Post Office staff, will be given access to the lists of telephone calls made from individual exchanges?
§ Mr. ChatawayThe hon. Gentleman may have read an article which speculated on the possibilities of sophisticated electronic switching systems in the distant future. I understand that there are no significant differences in the recording facilities already provided or planned for electronics exchanges as opposed to those which are at present available for the crossbar or Strowger systems and, furthermore, that those speculations were of a fairly remote kind. Under the Post Office Act, obligations of secrecy are placed on all Post Office staff and they are taken very seriously by the Post Office.