You are here: Parliament home page > Parliamentary business > Publications and Records > Hansard > Commons Debates > Commons Debates by date > Commons Debates - previous sessions > Bound Volume Hansard - Written Answers
Previous Section Index Home Page

Data Protection Act

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what the longest period of time elapsed is between receiving (a) the administration fee and providing the information requested and (b) a request for information and providing the information requested, under the Data Protection Act 1998; [33455]

Mr. McCartney: Such information is available as follows.

The longest period of time elapsed is between a request for information and providing the information requested is over 120 days.

The Department currently only records elapsed time for clearing requests in periods of 20 days i.e. 40–60 days, 60–80 days. This information is only available for requests recorded from 24 October 2001.

We do not charge an administration fee for information requests made under the Data Protection Act 1998.

From 1 March 2000 to 23 October 2001 the Department has responded to 91.40 per cent. of requests within 40 days and 8.60 per cent. over 40 days.

From 24 October 2001 to 31 December 2001 the Department has responded to 92.33 per cent. of requests within 40 days; 7.40 per cent. over 40 days and 27 per cent. over 60 days.

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many responses to requests for information under the Data Protection Act 1998 have been completed (a) within 40 days, (b) between 40 and 60 days and (c) over 60 days after receiving the original letter; and how many are outstanding; [33571]

22 Apr 2002 : Column 66W

Mr. McCartney: From 1 March 2000 to 23 October 2001 the Department has responded to 5,604 within 40 days; 529 over 40 days and none over 60 days.

From 24 October 2001 to 31 December 2001 the Department has responded to 989 within 40 days; 81 over 40 days and nine over 60 days.

At 31 December 2001 there were 530 SARs outstanding throughout the Department.

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many requests the Department has received under the Data Protection Act 1988 for (a) electronically held information and (b) paper documentation; [33583]

Mr. McCartney: Between 1 March 2000, when the Data Protection Act came into force with respect to electronically held data, and 23 October 2001 the Department received and completed 6,825 subject access requests.

The Act extended rights to clerical data on 24 October 2001 and since then (up to 31 December 2001) the Department has received 320 requests for clerical data only; 107 requests for electronic data only; and 652 requests for both clerical and electronic data.

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the period of time elapsed is for the oldest outstanding request for information under the Data Protection Act 1998, since receipt of the (a) original request and (b) administration fee. [33449]

Mr. McCartney: The information is not available in the format requested.

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the average cost of processing each information request under the Data Protection Act 1998 in the last 12 months. [33439]

Mr. McCartney: The information is not available.

SCOTLAND

Appointments

Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the public bodies are to which she has a right to make appointments since 1 July 1999; and when she will next make appointments to each of them. [47133]

22 Apr 2002 : Column 67W

Mrs. Liddell: One of my functions under the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 is to appoint the Commissioners to the Boundary Commission for Scotland. I will be required to make two new appointments from 1 January 2003.

Ferry Transport

Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made on devolving powers to the Scottish Executive on ferry transport. [47392]

Mrs. Liddell: An order under section 63 of the Scotland Act will shortly be laid before Parliament. Subject to approval, this order will devolve to Scottish Ministers a power to provide financial support for shipping services between the Highlands and Islands and Northern Ireland.

Scottish Enterprise

Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when she last met the chief executive of Scottish Enterprise; and what was discussed. [47651]

Mrs. Liddell: I meet representatives of a wide range of public and private sector bodies in a variety of circumstances, both formal and informal, and I shall continue to do so. Those discussions include the chief executive of Scottish Enterprise on matters relating to the Scottish economy.

Friends of Scotland

Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people have registered as Friends of Scotland. [46973]

Mrs. Liddell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 15 January 2002, Official Report, column 169W.

MSPs

Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when she will publish the result of her consultation on MSP members. [47649]

Mrs. Liddell: The consultation period ended on 29 March. I will now give careful consideration to all of the views expressed and will publish in due course a summary of the responses. I hope to be in a position to announce the Government's decision on this important matter soon.

Shipping Services

Mr. Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what response she has received from the Scottish Executive to her consultation about transferring functions to the Scottish Ministers regarding financial assistance for shipping services which start or finish outside Scotland. [51397]

Mr. Foulkes [holding answer 19 April 2002]: The Scotland Office has held detailed discussions with the Scottish Executive on the proposed transfer of functions to Scottish Ministers regarding financial assistance to shipping services. An order under section 63 of the Scotland Act will shortly be laid before Parliament. Subject to approval, this order will devolve to Scottish

22 Apr 2002 : Column 68W

Ministers a power to provide financial support for shipping services between the Highlands and Islands and Northern Ireland.

Departmental Publicity

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment she has made of the total real terms expenditure of her Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies on publicity in each of the years (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000, (d) 2000–01 and (e) 2001–02 (i) to date and (ii) as estimated for the whole of the present year; and if she will break these figures down to indicate expenditure on (A) advertising and (B) press and public relations. [36161]

Mrs. Liddell: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Since that date the Department has spent the following on publicity:

£
July 1999 to March 200021,289
April 2000 to March 2001130,903
April 2001 to date180,341
2001–02 estimate180,341

All of the expenditure was on advertising, with most of this related to election or electoral registration matters. No assessment has been made of the expenditure in real terms.

Complaints

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many complaints were registered against her Department and its predecessor Departments in (a) 1990 to 1996 and (b) 1997 to 2002; how many are current; and what proportion were (i) taken up and (ii) upheld by the Parliamentary Ombudsman in those periods. [51582]

Mrs. Liddell: The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999. Since that date, no complaints have been registered against the Department.

Details of complaints between 1990 and 1999 are contained in the annual reports of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration. These reports were laid before Parliament and are available in the Library.

Next Section Index Home Page