§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement concerning progress towards agreement on the European Union's data protection directive; if he will indicate those areas where the United Kingdom Government still have major concerns; what plans he has to oppose implementation of the data protection directive; and if he will make a statement. [20038]
§ Mr. Nicholas BakerThe Council adopted a common position on the directive on 20 February. The United Kingdom abstained. The directive is currently before the European Parliament, where it has been referred to the Legal Affairs and Citizens Rights Committee. The Government hope that the directive will be further improved in its application to manual records, political canvassing, and financial and other commercial regulation, and by the removal of the requirement for prior checking of certain categories of processing operation. The Government's position is described in a briefing paper on the directive which has been sent to United Kingdom Members of the European Parliament. I am placing a copy of this paper in the Library.
Decisions on how the directive should be implemented in national law will be taken when its final form is known.