§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for Defence 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. FreemanThe Ministry of Defence had submitted six applications for registration. Three posts have been established to deal full time with the implementation of the legislation. The eight data protection principles reflect accepted good computing practice, which the Ministry of Defence has always followed. However, the rights of subject access conferred by the seventh principle are new, and it is not possible at this stage to provide realistic estimates of the cost of providing this service.
§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many certificates he has signed under section 27 of the Data Protection Act; and if he will describe briefly the subject matter of each.
§ Mr. FreemanCertificates under section 27 of the Data Protection Act relate to exemption from the provisions of part II and sections 21 to 24 of part IV of the Act, for the purpose of safeguarding national security. Disclosing details of such certificates would itself not be in the interests of national security.