HC Deb 09 March 1984 vol 55 cc720-1W
Mr. Cohen

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are, in relation to the computer system of the broadcasting receiving licensing centre at Bristol (a) the purpose or purposes for which personal data are held, (b) the source or sources from which data are obtained, (c) a description of any person or organisation to whom personal data have been disclosed, including the number of such disclosures over the last convenient period of time, (d) the Departments that have or intend to have terminal access to the computer system and (e) a list of the indices held on the computer system, and the number of entries in each index.

Mr. Waddington

The purpose of the computerised television licence record system operated by the National TV Licence Records Office—NTVLRO—on the Home Office's behalf is to help to ensure as far as possible that:

  1. (a) persons who install or use television receivers comply with the licensing requirements of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949; and
  2. (b) television dealers register with the licensing authority and notify details of persons to whom they sell or hire television sets in accordance with part I of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1967.

The main integrated system contains personal data obtained by the NTVLRO either directly or through post offices from people who have taken out television licences, from television dealers and from television licence inquiry officers: in all, there are about 18.6 million entries. A secondary index of about 20,000 television dealers is maintained from information provided by dealers for the purposes of registration under the 1967 Act.

Personal information from the television licensing records is available only to staff of the NTVLRO, TV licence inquiry offices and the Home Office, and is never disclosed to a third party. No Department has or is intended to have terminal access to the computerised record system.