§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the outcome of last week's Council of Ministers' meeting that discussed the proposed EC directive on data protection; and if he will undertake that Her Majesty's Government will oppose the directive unless it respects the principle of subsidiarity.
§ Mr. Ian TaylorThe Internal Market Council on 8 December made some improvements to the proposed directive, including, in particular, the extension from 10 to 12 years of the period within which existing manual records must be brought into compliance with the requirements of the directive. Improvements were made to the provisions which deal with research and statistics, and with the media. The Council identified a number of key issues requiring further discussion and no attempt was made to seek a common position. My right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary is in the lead on this subject. In the continuing consideration of the draft directive we shall seek the best outcome for the United Kingdom within the constraints of qualified majority voting procedures.