HC Deb 10 March 1997 vol 292 cc114-6W
Mrs. Wise

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if local authority social services departments are under an obligation to refuse a person access to his own records before 1989 and to claim public interest immunity without discretion to waive this. [19501]

Mr. Burns

While there is no statutory right of access to manual personal records held by a social services department before 1 April 1989, the Department encourages local authorities to make as much information available as possible, especially where this helps an individual to understand records made after this date.