asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the European Union Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC applies to data transferred by way of the SWIFT international money transfer service; and, if so, what advice they have given to United Kingdom banks and other financial institutions about compliance with that directive or with the Data Protection Act 1998. [HL522]

I refer the noble Baroness to the statements on compliance posted by SWIFT on its website (www.swift.com/index.cfm?item_id=60786) and in particular to its reaction to the recent report of the committee established under Article 29 of the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC (www.swift.com/index.cfm?item _id=60798). The application of UK and EU legislation in specific cases to particular firms is a matter for the firms themselves and for the courts.