Government launches data sharing consultation

The government has announced a two-month period of consultation on public and private sector data sharing, as part of a review first announced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown in October.

The consultation is designed to garner opinion from data sharing and protection experts primarily, but is also open to the public at a time when the government's handling of the security and privacy of public data has come in for heavy criticism over a number high-profile breaches, including the loss of two HR Revenue and Customs' discs containing 25 million child benefit records.

Richard Thomas, Information Commissioner and Dr Mark Walport, director of the Wellcome Trust will lead the review, which will begin in earnest after the public consultation period closes on 15 February 2008.

It is expected that the review will examine the need for strengthening the Data Protection Act, as well as make recommendations about the powers and sanctions available both to the Information Commissioner's Office and the courts in current data protection and information sharing legislation.

The Ministry of Justice also said the review team will look at how data sharing policy can be developed to ensure transparency, scrutiny and accountability.

When he announced a review would take place during a speech at the University of Westminster in October, Prime Minister Brown said that it would facilitate "wider debate about the right form of independent oversight and parliamentary scrutiny and safeguards".

At the time of the NHMRC data breach last month - the largest ever in the UK -Commissioner Thomas said greater means to hold organisations accountable for data breaches were a necessity.

"It is important that the law is changed to make security breaches of this magnitude a criminal offence," he said. "Such a change will enable us to prosecute organisations where appropriate. The law needs to be changed urgently so that people's personal details are properly protected."

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