Data sharing consultation launched

A consultation into how personal information is used and shared in the public and private sectors has been launched today by Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas, and Wellcome Trust director, Dr Mark Walport.

The consultation forms part of an independent review into the use and sharing of personal information announced by the Prime Minister on 25 October. News of the loss of 25m personal records by HM Revenue and Customs broke about a month later and has rarely been out of the headlines since.

The consultation will ask how and why information is shared and used; whether the Data Protection Act offers sufficient safeguards; what impact technological advances have had on the protection of personal information; and whether there are lessons the UK can learn from other countries.

In healthcare, the drive towards sharing electronic patient information between providers and, in some circumstances, with other agencies is likely to come under scrutiny.

An announcement from the Ministry of Justice says that the Prime Minister’s review will assess how personal information is used and shared by organisations across the public and private sectors and how data sharing policy should be developed to ensure proper transparency, scrutiny and accountability. It will report back in the first half of 2008.

Dr Mark Walport said: “Access to accurate information is key to many organisations’ ability to be able to deliver services and meet their objectives. But when using personal, private information, the utmost care and security is required.

“The recent loss of millions of peoples’ private details serves as a stark illustration of what can happen when this principle is not followed. This review will seek to establish when and how personal information should be used, what safeguards should be in place and whether the powers and sanctions available are adequate.”

Thomas said: “The review will be concentrating on information sharing. When do public bodies, in particular, need to make use of personal information held by others to do their job properly? Law enforcement, child protection and more personalised services may be examples. But we will need to assess the dangers if information is shared too freely.”

Copies of the consultation document and the response form are available online