§ Q5. Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the Prime Minister whether he is satisfied with co-ordination of Government Departments in preserving confidentiality in the handling of personal information; and whether he will make a statement.
§ The Prime MinisterYes, Sir. I told the House on 17th June, 1971, of the rules that were being applied in Government Departments to safeguard personal information held there.
§ Mr. Leslie HuckfieldIs not the Prime Minister aware that his own Government have asked for a great deal more personal information from individuals as a result of their policy on rent rebates and tax credits, and that pretty well every week in the Press there is yet another story of a leak of confidential information from Government Departments? When will personal information be safe and confidential under the right hon. Gentleman's Government?
§ The Prime MinisterThe argument is not against asking for personal information where to do so is justifiable in the interests of policy. The argument must be about keeping it confidential. My Government have done more than any other to make sure that the necessary measures are taken. I hope the hon. Gentleman will not exaggerate the so-called leaks of personal information of this kind. I have always offered to the House an investigation of any example that is brought to our notice. Those which have occurred we have investigated fully, either by the Government's security services or by a tribunal, and, as the hon. Gentleman knows, there are cases before the courts.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsDoes the Prime Minister recognise that this is not merely a question of leaks? As the volume of data on individuals grows—and both the tax credit scheme and the coming into operation of the police national computer will lead to far more information being held on individuals—it is essential for any Government to ensure the confidentiality of that information as between Government Departments as well as between Government and the outside world. Will the Prime Minister look at this matter very seriously?
§ The Prime MinisterWe fully recognise, all the time, what the hon. Lady says. What I am suggesting is that the difficulties or dangers should not be exaggerated. But if there are examples of a system not working, or one that has broken down, we are prepared to investigate them. We are giving every consideration to ensuring the security of the police national computer, and the same will apply to the tax credit system. I believe that this country has by far the highest reputation of any country in the Western world for maintaining the confidentiality of tax returns.
§ Mr. Harold Wilson rose—
§ Mr. SpeakerMr. Lamont—Question No. Q6.
§ Mr. WellbelovedOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Can you do something about the lighting on this side of the Chamber? On a number of occasions, both at Question Time today and at the close of the debate the day before yesterday, you were obviously having great difficulty in seeing hon. Members on this side. Today, again due to the lighting, you failed to see my right hon. Friend the Leader of the Opposition rise to challenge the Prime Minister. It is becoming quite intolerable that, due to the lighting, this should happen.
§ Mr. SpeakerOf course, I willingly call the Leader of the Opposition. I had called his hon. Friend on the Front Bench—the hon. Member for Hitchin (Mrs. Shirley Williams)—and I was not aware that another member of the Opposition Front Bench wanted to ask a supplementary question. If the Leader of the Opposition wants to put a question, he may.
§ Mr. Harold WilsonI should like to make it clear that I do not want to challenge the Prime Minister on the question of privacy. My question arises out of a matter about which both the right hon. Gentleman and I are concerned. Can he confirm that he has received the reports from the Computer Society and the members of the Council of the Royal Statistical Society on the privacy of the Census, the initiation of which reports he announced in the House, and can he say whether those reports will be published?
§ The Prime MinisterThey have not yet been published. There have been certain so-called reports put around as to what they contain. I think that they will both be published, and then it will be possible for everybody to see the recommendations.