asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with, and what advice was received from, the Data Protection Registrar in relation to the Government data network.

Preliminary discussions with the Data Protection Registrar took place in September last year. A copy of the service requirement for the network was sent to the Registrar in January. He has agreed to advise and assist in relating the operating procedures of the proposed network to the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1984.