§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many registrations his Department has made under the Data Protection Act; how many people are involved with implementing the legislation in his Department as a significant part of their job description; and how much he estimates it will cost to conform with the eight data protection principles.
§ Mr. RifkindMy Department has submitted 64 applications for registration. One member of staff is involved with implementing the Act on a full-time basis: no others have this task as a significant part of their job descriptions. In general the eight data protection principles reflect existing practice in the handling of personal data by my Department; and the only additional costs will arise from compliance with the seventh principle which provides for subject access. These costs will depend on the number of requests received for such access and cannot be accurately forecast. A proportion of the costs will, however, be recovered by way of fees.