§ Mr. Deedesasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has received the Report of the Younger Committee on Privacy; whether he has also received the report of the review of the privacy aspects of the use of Government computers to handle personal information; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MaudlingThe Report of the Committee on Privacy, which was presented jointly to me and to my right hon. Friends the Lord Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Scotland, is published today. I am glad to take this opportunity of expressing our gratitude to Sir Kenneth Younger and his colleagues for the work which has gone into the preparation of this most thorough Report. The Government are studying urgently the Committee's conclusions and recommendations, which cover a wide field and are of concern to many people. It is our intention to take public reaction and the views of those interested in this matter into account before announcing our conclusions.
Meanwhile, as the House knows, the Government have been reviewing the categories of personal information held in Government computers and the rules governing its storage and use, and in due course we shall be publishing a White Paper setting out our own conclusions both on the Younger Committee Report and on our own review.