The public sector needs to be more
accountable for its data handling practices if we are to find the
right balance between individual freedom and collective security,
warned Shadow Security Minister Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones.
Public suspicion of the government's
approach to handling of personal data has been fuelled by the recent
high profile data losses. The need for action has been sharpened by
developments such as the collection of DNA data by the police, EU
proposals for sharing police data across national borders, and plans
for a national ID card, she said.
So far, the public sector has failed to
respond adequately to public concerns, she said. “I've been a civil
servant and I know it's very easy to forget who's master and who's
the servant in the relationship. The civil service and government
need to account on a regular basis for how they use the powers they
have,” she said.
The Information Commissioner's Office
will play an important part in ensuring the public sector becomes
more accountable, but Parliamentary committees must play their part
too, she said. It will be important to act on public concerns, rather
than simply acknowledging them. “In this country I think we're very
good at producing reports, but not always so good at following
through on the recommendations,” said Neville Jones.
“I would like to know what external
scrutiny of the government's data handling will do, and how often it
will take place,” she said. The collection of DNA data by police
forces demonstrates some of the difficulties, she said. “We don't
have a nationwide standard for inclusion in or removal from the
database, so depending on where you are it could include DNA data on
people who have been questioned, or witnesses. It has been left to
the discretion of the Chief Constable,” she said.
“There has been a lack of standards,
conformity, and rigour. There is a clean-up job to be done,” she
said.