§ Mr. MacleanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have requested to see the files held on them by the security and intelligence services under the Data Protection Act 1998 and European Data Protection Directive 1995: and if he will make a statement. [145435]
§ Mr. StrawThe Security Service has received 46 requests under the Data Protection Act 1998: no requests have been recorded under the 1995 European Community Data Protection Directive.
The other two intelligence and security agencies come under the authority of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Cook), and his Department has provided the following figures:
for the Government Communications Headquarters—15 requests under the Data Protection Act 1998; andfor the Secret Intelligence Service—30 requests under the Data Protection Act 1998.No requests under the 1995 European Community Data Protection Directive have been recorded by either agency.
A request by someone to see any file held on him or her is not in itself an indication as to whether such a file exists or has existed.