Children: Protection

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what data protection obligations there are on (a) police authorities, (b) NHS trusts and (c) social services departments to (i) amend and (ii) delete data collected through child protection investigations undertaken on the basis of incorrect clinical diagnosis.

Mr. Wills
The obligations on data controllers processing personal data are set out in the Data Protection Act. It contains eight principles which govern the processing of personal data. They apply to all processing of data by all data controllers, including police authorities, NHS trusts and social services.

The fourth principle requires that personal data should be accurate and, where necessary, up to date. Correcting inaccuracies in data held could be achieved by deleting or amending, depending on the circumstances.

The Data Protection Act is administered and enforced by the Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas, independently of the Government. His office is able to provide advice on specific cases and situations relating to data protection.