Strong opposition to UK data sharing clause

The UK government is facing strong opposition to the clause in a draft Bill currently being debated in Parliament that removes barriers to data sharing between government departments to support improved public services. Justice Secretary Jack Straw is being called upon to remove the 'information sharing orders', aka clause 152, from the Coroners and Justice Bill. The British Medical Association has said that the whole profession is concerned for doctor/patient confidentiality, because the clause allows information obtained for one purpose to be used for another, with limited justification. Opposition also comes from such weighty quarters as Liberty, GeneWatch UK, Patient Concern, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and the British Computer Society. Further, the Information Commissioner wants 'much stronger safeguards' in the bill to protect sensitive data, particularly health records. He has made a number of criticisms in an updated commentary on the Coroners and Justice Bill (outlined in Volume 9, Issue 4 of Privacy & Data Protection.) A copy of the ICO's commentary is available from the ICO's website.

Source: PDP Data Protection News