Home Department written question – answered at on 20 July 2005.
Harry Cohen
Labour, Leyton and Wanstead
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will modify Ministerial Statements, public documents and answers to parliamentary questions which refer to the privacy protection afforded by the Data Protection Act 1998 in the context of the identity card to alert the reader to the fact that the European Commission has formally expressed an opinion that the Data Protection Act 1998 is a defective implementation of Directive 95/46/EC; and if he will make a statement.
Andy Burnham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Identity Cards Bill is fully compliant with the Data Protection Act 1998 and with Directive 95/46/EC—the provisions of which the Act (together with other provisions in UK law) accurately and proportionately reflects. We are in discussion with the European Commission about some issues in respect of the operation of the data protection regime in the UK, which result from their work in reviewing the way in which all member states have implemented the directive.
Yes2 people think so
No0 people think not
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