§ Mr. Cryerasked the Secretary of State for Defence in what circumstances confidential personal information held by his Department on computers or by any other means is supplied to other Departments of State; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. PattieGreat care is taken to protect Ministry of Defence records and they are supplied to other Departments only to the extent necessary to meet specific purposes. In general the information is supplied with the consent of the individual concerned. Most of the information supplied is in connection with pensions, transfers of staff, new or prospective employment or for tax and ERNIC purposes. The same criteria apply to both computer records and records held by other means.