§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of the Data Protection Act 1998 on business transactions and volume of paperwork which has resulted. [67262]
§ Yvette CooperI have been asked to reply.
I apologise for the delay in replying. This was due to an administrative oversight. An estimate of the likely impact upon business of the Data Protection Act 1998 is contained in the December 1997 Regulatory Impact Assessment on the EC data protection directive to which the 1998 Act gives effect. This shows recurring costs to business of £630 million a year, and non-recurring costs of £836 million. The regulatory impact assessment is available on the Lord Chancellor's Department's website (www.lcd.gov.uk), and a copy is in the Library of the House. I have no additional quantified information on the impact of the 1998 Act on business transactions or the volume of paperwork.
§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received from businesses as to difficulties in meeting the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998; and if she will make a statement. [67261]
§ Yvette CooperI have been asked to reply. I apologise for the delay in replying. This was due to an administrative oversight. About 25 organisations representing business interests responded to the Government's autumn 2000 consultation on the impact of the Data Protection Act 1998. A list of the respondents is in the summary of responses which was published in December 2001. The summary of responses is available on the Lord Chancellor's Department's website (www.lcd.gov.uk), and a copy is in the Library of the House. Since the consultation, the Lord Chancellor's Department has additionally received a small number of representations from or on behalf of businesses.