To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he intends to take relating to the tax-exempt special savings account regulations in the light of the seventh report from the Data Protection Registrar; and if he will make a statement.

No action is necessary. The TESSA regulations are well suited to their intended purpose. The information requirements have been kept to a minimum to make the scheme as simple as possible. Use of the national insurance number as a tax reference is long established. As the report of the Data Protection Registrar acknowledges, the Inland Revenue has made it clear that such information may be used only for the purpose of validating applications.