Information Sharing Vision

Mr. Maude
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the timetable is for implementation of the proposals in his Department’s statement on Information Sharing Vision.

Mr. Wills
I have been asked to reply.

The Ministry of Justice is leading a cross-Government programme to deliver a package of measures over the next three to five years that will enable public sector organisations to share information to improve personalised public services, increase public safety and tackle social exclusion in an environment of openness and respect for citizens’ privacy and access rights.

This work will also take account of the findings of the independent review of the scope of sharing personal information and the protections that apply when personal information is shared in the public and private sectors. Richard Thomas, the Information Commissioner and Dr. Mark Walport, Director of the Wellcome Trust who jointly head this review will report their findings in the first half of 2008.