§ Mr. Cohenasked the Attorney-General what arrangements operate for the logging of those who have access to (a) computer and (b) manual files kept on individuals by his Department and the Lord Chancellor's Department; and if he will describe the procedures in operation for both categories.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralSpecific guidelines on security of automatically processed data in Government Departments are observed. They are contained in "Protection of information in computer systems" and "Central Government Code of Practice No. 21", issued by the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency, which give recommended procedures to safeguard data in computer installations. Copies of the guidelines have been placed in the House Library.
Manual files containing personal information held in the Law Officers' Department or in the Lord Chancellor's Department are available only to members of the respective Department's staff who need to see them. The precise arrangements vary according to the type and location of the file. In the Law Officers' Department the identity of the members of the staff to whom the file has been passed is ascertainable from records in the Department's registry or from the file itself. In the Lord Chancellor's Department the issue of a file is always recorded in writing.