§ Mr. Liddell-GraingerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if she will examine the security of the school census information to ensure that no external bodies can gain access to the information; [45103]
116W(2) if she will examine Article 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998 in connection with the keeping of records by the Department on children of school age. [45104]
§ Mr. TimmsStringent safeguards are in place to prevent unauthorised access to Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) data, or other data held by the Department, from which individual pupils could be identified. These safeguards comply with or exceed guidance in the Cabinet Office Manual of Protective Security, and the British Standard for information security. An audit of the arrangements for PLASC, carried out in February 2002, confirmed compliance. These arrangements are being kept under regular review in the light of advice from the Information Commissioner and other developments.
Certain limited disclosures of PLASC data, with pupil names, may however take place provided these comply with the Data Protection Act 1988 and other legislative requirements. For further details I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 28 January 2002, Official Report,columns 109–11W to the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington).
We are satisfied that PLASC and the proposed central pupil database are compatible with Article 8 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and so with the Human Rights Act 1988.