THE DATA PROTECTION COMMITTEE
HOME OFFICE
RESERVED KEYSIGN HOUSE 421-429 OXFORD STREET
RES
51
LONDON WIR 2HT TELEPHONE 01-499 4040 Ext.
335
Our Ref: DPC 4/1/7
1 JUL 1977
Your Ref: HKK 413/1
28 June 1977
NICKE (13/1
R&R 10 MN Lipton
34%.
MJ Upton Esq
Foreign and Commonwealth Office LAST Hong Kong and General DepartmentRer. London SW1A 2AH
ear
Lipitan,
NEXT
REF.
It would,
With reference to your letter dated 17 June, and our telephone conversation on 24 June, I confirm that the Data Protection Committee has not yet produced any recommendations. The Committee has reached the stage where the receipt of written and oral evidence is complete and it is now considering its report and recommendations. therefore, be premature for me to give any interim or informal view regarding the Committee's thoughts on the advantages or disadvantages of computerised personnel information systems. Incidentally, the Data Protection Committee's remit covers all computer systems which contain personal information (not just personnel information) in the public and private sectors. It is concerned with advising the Government on legislation for safeguarding the privacy of that information, but it is not required necessarily to comment upon the administrative advantages or practical difficulties.
I am sure the Civil Service Department could provide you with useful information on PRISM - Personnel Record Information System for Management - about which some information is contained in the enclosed booklet 'Computing in Government', produced by the Central Computer Agency. PRISM is administered by Statistics 2 Division of CSD. It would be difficult to sort out any publications and articles, other than those mentioned in your letter, which deal specifically with government systems. Mr Lightbody may, however, be interested in two books on the general question of data protection: 'Privacy and Computers' by Paul Sieghart (Latimer Publications 1976) and 'Emerging Data Protection in Europe' by F W Hondius (1975).
If Mr Lightbody would be interested to talk generally about the Data Protection Committee's task, I should be pleased to see him at the above address at a mutually convenient date when he visits the UK.
Young
Curre
A S JORDAN
Secretary