§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimates he has made of the fees likely to be received from applicants for registration under the Data Protection Act 1984 in the next three financial years; and what plans he has to transform the registration fee into a tax on data users. [11238]
§ Mr. SackvilleThe current estimates are:
Financial Years £ million 1997–98 4.4 1998–99 6.5 1999–2000 4.9 The fee has been set at a level which will ensure that the full costs of the Data Protection Registrar's activities, since the exception of her office, are met on an accruals accounting basis. Fee income for 1998–99 and 1999–2000 may be affected by changes to the registration arrangements with the implementation by October 1998 of the European Community directive on data protection. We have not yet decided the form of the new arrangements.