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Friday, January 23, 2009

Gov sneaky move to limit your privacy and liberty

I am concerned about the threat to my liberty and privacy by the Coroners and Justice Bill being rushed through Parliament and you should be too.

Clause 152 of the Bill
is due for its first debate in the Commons on Monday 26th January and would convert the Data Protection Act into its exact opposite. It would allow ministers to make 'Information Sharing Orders', that can alter any Act of Parliament and cancel all rules of confidentiality in order to allow information obtained for one purpose to be used for another.

Write to your mp and ask him/her to p
lease read Part 8 (clauses 151 - 154) of the Coroners and Justice Bill, and oppose the massive enabling powers in the "Information sharing" clause. The Bill contains a number of controversial provisions, but could appear mainly to be about reforming inquests and sentencing. It is due its Second Reading in the Commons on 26th January 2009.

These clauses be given proper Parliamentary scrutiny as this will affect every single one of your constituents, unlike the rest of the Bill. I am concerned that the government will set a timetable that will cut off debate before these proposals - which are at the end of the Bill - are discussed.
The government must keep limits and monitor the information available to officials.