§ Mr. Chris Smithasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements are made by local authorities in Scotland for allowing individuals to have access to information held about them by housing departments which may affect their entitlement to housing; what guidance he has issued on this matter; whether he proposes to take any steps to encourage them to allow greater access to information held on automated and non-automated records; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AncramUnder section 27(3) of the Tenants' Right Etc. (Scotland) Act 1980 applicants for local authority housing are entitled on request to inspect any records of information furnished by them and kept by the local housing authority in connection with their application. There is no entitlement at present to see other information relating to applications and it is for the housing authorities themselves to decide to what extent such information needs to remain confidential. However, the Data Protection Bill will of course create a general entitlement to access by individuals to automated personal records held on them when it comes into operation.
§ Mr. Chris Smithasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements are made for individuals in Scotland to check the accuracy of factual information about themselves relating to convictions, unsuccessful prosecutions and arrests held by the Criminal Records Office; what guidance he has issued on this matter; whether he proposes to take any steps to allow individuals to have greater access to such information held on automated and non-automated records; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AncramIt has long been the policy that information on records maintained by the Scottish criminal record office or by individual police forces should not be given to anyone, however responsible, unless there are weighty considerations of public interest which justify disclosure. Guidance issued by my Department in 1976 indicates certain circumstances in which disclosure would be appropriate.
The records maintained by the SCRO are of convictions for recordable offences committed in Scotland or by 147W Scottish residents in other parts of the United Kingdom and for less serious offences committed in Strathclyde. Details of cases which have not resulted in a conviction are not normally retained. The records will be computerised in 1985–86. When the Data Protection Bill currently before Parliament comes into force, it will provide a right of subject access to these conviction records.