HC Deb 19 January 1999 vol 323 cc410-1W
Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list each derogation from Article 8 of the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC which he plans to provide to the Commission, pursuant to Article 8(6) of that Directive; and if he will make a statement. [65981]

Mr. George Howarth

I am not yet in a position to provide a full list. The derogations will include processing covered by paragraphs 7 and 9 of Schedule 3 of the Data Protection Act 1998, and by any order made under paragraph 10 of that Schedule. Such an order is likely to include the processing of information about criminal offences and criminal convictions for the purpose of preventing or detecting criminal offences; the processing by political parties of information about political opinions in connection with canvassing; and certain processing by the police or other investigating organisations. I am considering further suggestions made in the responses to last August's consultation exercise on subordinate legislation under the Data Protection Act 1998.