Pretty recently some sneaky legislation creating enabling powers for a concept called Information Sharing Orders (which would effectively turn the Data Protection Act into its exact reverse and allow the rapid building of the database state) was caught nested in the middle of the Coroners and Justice Bill and NO2ID was quick to notify us local coordinators directly and you via their website and the veritable press thunderstorm that ensued.
Acting on this shocking information, I headed over to writetothem.com and got busy with a letter to my MP Dr Richard Taylor. Armed with the highly useful guide the Open Rights Group have for writing to your MP in the correct manner I wrote the below letter (my grammar errors fixed for readability).
Dear Richard Taylor,
I am concerned about Clause 152 of the Coroners and Justice Bill;
converting the Data Protection Act into its exact opposite - which will
be due for its first debate in the Commons on Monday 26th January.
This affects me because the introduction of this Bill will remove all
limits on the use of my private information by officials. The power
given would allow officials to take my private information from anywhere
and pass it anywhere they like.
The Bill would allow Ministers to make “Information Sharing Orders” that
can alter any Act of Parliament and cancel all rules of confidentiality
in order to allow information obtained for one purpose to be used for
another.
I would be grateful if you were to read Part 8 (clauses 151 - 154) of
the Coroners and Justice Bill and to oppose the massive enabling power
in the “Information Sharing” clause. The Bill contains numerous
controversial provisions, but to the casual reader it appears to mainly
be reforming inquests and sentencing.
Finally I ask that you demand that that the clause be given proper
Parliamentary scrutiny as this is something that will affect every
single one of your constituents unlike the rest of the bill.
Yours sincerely,
Mark Walker
On the 28th of January….
Dear Mr Walker,
Thank you for your email of 22nd January 2009 alerting me to the Clause 152 of the Coroners and Justice Bill and its effect on the Data Protection Act.
During the debate, which took place on 26th January, many MP’s - mostly from the Opposition side - did flag up their concerns about this part of the Bill and it will certainly be reviewed on the Standing Committee that is to follow.
My contribution was regrettably cut to only 8 minutes and, as I was the only one there, and one of only 6 medically qualified MP’s, I concentrated on death certificates and cremation certificate. I was only able to mention that I was concerned about the effects on the Data Protection Act right at the end. Should you wish to read my contribution, you can find it online at:
http:/www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmhansrd.htm
Thank you very much for writing.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Taylor
If his reply is not enough for you then you can find his mention during his time to speak during the Bill’s second reading below:
However, along with many others, I do not welcome the parts that imply secrecy, or those that ride rather roughshod over data protection measures. And there I must finish, having used my allocated few minutes.
If you want to read the full text of the debate you can find it here if you want to read the section where Richard speaks the above quoted paragraph you can find it here at the bottom of the page.
I fully understand that this was a very important bill for many others reasons for him and appreciate that he gave the concerns I raised a mention.
Thanks Dr Richard for the reply, Matty Mitford - Local Groups coordinator for bringing this to our attention so rapidly and Birmingham NO2ID for putting the content of the email up on their blog so I could link to it!
