New clause 2 - Request for information
Social Security Fraud Bill [Lords]
6:15 pm
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham, Conservative)
I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
I shall be brief. This debate is similar to a previous one, but it provides an opportunity to seek reassurance from the Government about the information that is the subject of a pending prosecution. The purpose of the new clause is to provide a further safeguard in the drive to prevent misuse of investigating powers and offer an element of redress for all claimants. A number of outside agencies have sought reassurance on this aspect of the Bill, and Liberty has commented that
``Full record should be kept of the use of these powers, both by the investigators and the people or organisations from whom information is requested . . . People should be told at the conclusion of an investigation that information about them has been disclosed and should be able to seek effective redress where powers have been exceeded.''
I would be grateful for the Minister of State's view on that.