HL Deb 22 May 1974 vol 351 cc1437-9
LORD GARDINER

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what has happened to the study being made of the safeguards to the public which are desirable in relation to personal information stores held in Government computers.

LORD HARRIS OF GREENWICH

My Lords, the Government are considering the report of the inter-departmental committee on this subject, together with the report of the Younger Committee on Privacy in the private sector. We hope to publish our proposals quite soon.

LORD GARDINER

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that Answer. May I ask him whether he knows that the noble Viscount, Lord Colville of Culross, on June 6 last year, at col. 172 of the OFFICIAL REPORT, said in this House: In the same announcement that Mr. Maudling gave last year "— that is, 1972— he said that the inter-departmental review of the categories of personal information held in Government computers, and the rules governing its storage and use, is complete. The noble Viscount promised that its substance would be published in a White Paper last year. After two years, may I ask my noble friend whether there is any real reason why the public should not know what the contents of this report are—and know to-morrow?

LORD HARRIS OF GREENWICH

My Lords, as my noble and learned friend will be aware, since the noble Viscount made his statement in this House there has been a change of Government. I am bound to say that this is one of the matters which we regard as of considerable urgency and, as my right honourable friend the Prime Minister said in another place on May 14, we hope to publish our proposals quite soon. The official paper to which my noble and learned friend referred has not been produced in a form which makes it possible to publish it; it is in the form of advice to Ministers. However, there is nothing particularly secret or confidential in it, and the general views of the official committee will find a place in the White Paper when we publish it.

LORD GARDINER

My Lords, am I right in thinking that the new Criminal Record Office all-England computer will start work in October? If so, shall we be entitled to a print-out of what it contains about us?

LORD HARRIS OF GREENWICH

My Lords, I think I can reassure my noble and learnd friend that I find it hard to believe that there is any reference to him in these records. The computer began to provide a service about stolen vehicles in the London area on April 1, and by the autumn of this year we hope that the service will be extended to cover stolen vehicle records for the rest of Great Britain. The point raised by my noble and learned friend is one of the matters to which we will apply our attention in the White Paper.