HL Deb 29 June 1984 vol 453 c1187

44 Page 26, line 28, at end insert— ("(2A) It shall be the duty of the Registrar, where he considers it appropriate to do so, to encourage trade associations or other bodies representing data users to prepare, and to disseminate to their members, codes of practice for guidance in complying with the data protection principles.").

Lord Elton

My Lords, I beg to move that this House doth agree with the Commons in Amendment No. 44, to Clause 34. The amendment places upon the registrar a duty to encourage trade associations or other representative groups to draw up codes of practice giving guidance for their members on compliance with the data protection principles. This is something which many of your Lordships wished should be put in the Bill. and I do not think I need dilate further. I beg to move.

Moved, That this House doth agree with the Commons in the said amendment.—(Lord Elton.)

Lord Mishcon

My Lords, I can well understand why the noble Lord the Minister does not wish to dilate upon this matter, in view of the pressure he was under at a former stage of this Bill to agree to a statutory code of practice, and if he did not agree to that at least to try to make it more likely that a code of practice would in fact ensue. There is not a statutory code of practice under this amendment, but at least the registrar is put under certain duties here in regard to encouragement of codes of practice, and naturally we welcome a compromise achieved in the Commons which we could not achieve in the Lords.

Lord Elton

My Lords. the only constraint which led me to spare your Lordships the speech I have before me. which trembles almost on my teeth for delivery, was the pressures of time at this stage. not the pressures of argument at another stage. I beg to move.

On Question, Motion agreed to.