Clause 44
Statistics and Registration Service Bill
10:00 am
Mark Hoban (Shadow Minister, Treasury; Fareham, Conservative)
I beg to move amendment No. 171, in clause 44, page 19, line 20, at end insert—
‘(4A) notwithstanding subsection (4), any personal information acquired under section 44 cannot be disclosed.’.
Clause 44 gives powers to the Treasury to make regulations to enable or require public authorities to disclose information to the board. I understand why such powers may be required: to reduce the costs of national statistics and improve their comprehensiveness and accuracy. There is certainly great support from the business community for measures that seek to reduce the cost of data collection when there are alternative routes. That underpins part of the argument forclause 42.
The amendment is designed to address concerns about creating information gateways. I am worried that we are creating the potential for data to flow from the public authority to the board and then, throughthe provisions of clauses 36 and 44, to another Government body. Is it appropriate for the board to be used as a conduit in that way? Would it not be far better for the information gateway to be directed, when that is required and necessary, between the public authority and the Government Department that might use the data?