Clause 6 - Disclosure of information
Civil Contingencies Bill
4:15 pm
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Shadow Minister (Northern Ireland), Northern Ireland Affairs; Orkney and Shetland, Liberal Democrat)
I can be similarly brief. I share the general thrust of my hon. Friend's argument, although as I read it–the Minister may correct me–the clause is about the transfer of information between bodies who are category 1 respondents; essentially, they would be the public bodies listed in schedule 1. However, I am concerned about the structure of schedule 1.
Obviously, there is no power under this part of the Bill for a Scottish Minister to require either the British Transport police or the Secretary of State, as far as his functions relate to maritime and coastal matters, to be the recipient of information from bodies listed under part 2. That seems to be an obvious defect. If the power under clause 6 is necessary–on balance, it probably is–it ought to extend to information to be provided to those bodies. Given recent concerns about the operation of the Data Protection Act, and especially the difficulties experienced by police forces in England and Wales about sharing information in relation to the Soham murders, the power should be expressed in the Bill.