§ Lord GARDINERMy 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 promised White Paper on the safeguards to the public which are desirable in relation to personal information stores held in Government computers.
§ The MINISTER of STATE HOME OFFICE (Lord Harris of Greenwich)My Lords, work is proceeding urgently on the re-examination of certain aspects of the White Paper, to which I referred in answer to a Question by my noble 294 and learned friend on 27th January; but I am afraid it has not yet been completed. I can assure him, however, that the Paper will be published as soon as possible.
§ Lord GARDINERMy Lords, while thanking my noble friend for that Answer, may I ask him whether I am right in thinking it was in 1972 that the right honourable gentleman Mr. Maudling said he had completed his Working Party Report and anticipated turning it into a White Paper; that it was 1973 when the right honourable gentleman Mr. Carr promised a White Paper for that year, 1973, and that it was on the 22nd May 1974 that my noble friend said that the Government regarded this as a matter of urgency and the White Paper would be published quite soon? On the 31st October of last year my noble friend said that he hoped to do it by Christmas. We are now in April and getting into May, and after all this time is it really not possible for the Government to say, first, in what approximate month they anticipate publishing the White Paper, and, secondly, in what approximate month they anticipate declaring their views on the Younger Committee's Report as a whole?
§ Lord HARRIS of GREENWICHMy Lords, I recognise that my noble and learned friend has had to be very patient —patient at the hands, I fear, of a number of Governments. The problem is, as I think he recognises, that we are dealing here in a field of extremely complex issues, but I recognise entirely the justification for a great deal of what he has said. Certainly my right honourable friend the Home Secretary is anxious to make an announcement of his policy on this matter as soon as possible. However, in view of the fact that I was unwary enough at the end of last year to say that we hoped it would be published by Christmas, my noble and learned friend will understand my hesitation in giving a precise time for when it will be published.
§ Lord HAILSHAM of SAINT MARYLEBONEMy Lords, the only question is, which Christmas!