Clause 40
Welfare Reform Bill
4:30 pm
Danny Alexander (Shadow Minister and Disability Spokesperson, Work & Pensions; Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, Liberal Democrat)
I am grateful for that intervention. As the hon. Gentleman says, an amendment I tabled to a later clause refers explicitly not only to consent but to informing someone when information has been shared. That is an important principle and applies even more strongly to medical information than to almost any other category of information that we might debate under the clause.
The point is plain, and I hope that the Minister will reassure us, ideally by accepting the amendments, which would improve the Bill no end, if I may say so. If he feels unable to do that, I hope that he will at least give the Committee an undertaking to reflect further on how explicit protection for medical information can be put into the Bill within the provisions on information sharing for social security.