§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether his Department has investigated the implications for privacy that arise from the itemised billing computer systems of BT and Mercury when they have a warrant from a court; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AtkinsProvisions about customer privacy are already incorporated in the licences which have been granted by the Secretary of State to British Telecom and Mercury under section 7 of the Telecommunications Act 1984. The licences require each company to observe the terms of a code of practice on the confidentiality of customer information, approved by the Director General of Telecommunications, which regulate the disclosure of information about a customer.