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Adjournment debate on Thursday, 19 March 2009, in the House of Commons, led by Keith Vaz. The answering member was Lord Coaker.

A Surveillance Society?

Westminster Hall debate on a motion for the adjournment on "A Surveillance Society?". (Relevant documents: Home Affairs Select Committee fifth report of session 2007-08 - HC 58 2007-08, the Government's Response Cm 7449, and the Information Commissioner's Response HC 1124 2007-08).

Secondary information

Type
Parliamentary proceeding
Reference
489 c303-40WH 
Session
2008-09
Department
Home Office
Chamber / Committee
Westminster Hall
Related items
Proceeding contributions
Tom Brake | 489 c334WH (Link to this contribution) I thank the Minister for making the practical and sensible suggestion—one that we have taken up in t...
Lord Coaker | 489 c332-4WH (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is pushing it now. I have said that I will consider the idea and now he is trying...
Show all contributions (73)
Lord Coaker | 489 c334WH (Link to this contribution) That is the second time that the hon. Gentleman has tried to push it. Steady on—let us just see. The...
Lord Coaker | 489 c337WH (Link to this contribution) That might be different. Police officers have not raised that with me, but if it is a problem, we ne...
Lord Coaker | 489 c335WH (Link to this contribution) I am explaining the approach that the Government are taking with respect to the consultation. The ho...
James Brokenshire | 489 c334-5WH (Link to this contribution) The Minister has said that he will consult on those issues, and that that would be embedded in legis...
Lord Coaker | 489 c334WH (Link to this contribution) I thank my right hon. Friend. Having given a progress report, and if he and his Committee feel it ap...
Keith Vaz | 489 c334WH (Link to this contribution) I thank the Minister for the generosity of his comments this afternoon, and the impressive way in wh...
Lord Coaker | 489 c336WH (Link to this contribution) I hear such things as well. We are attempting to reduce bureaucracy, and if police do have to fill i...
Tom Brake | 489 c336WH (Link to this contribution) While the Minister is on the subject of CCTV guidance, he may recall that the Committee took evidenc...
Lord Coaker | 489 c336WH (Link to this contribution) There is a need for us to look at how CCTV is used, and to use the evidence that we have. It is impo...
James Brokenshire | 489 c336WH (Link to this contribution) The part of the report highlighted by the Minister is interesting. Will he confirm whether the Home ...
Lord Coaker | 489 c338-40WH (Link to this contribution) That is my understanding of the situation, and I hope that that reassures my right hon. Friend. Thi...
Tom Brake | 489 c338WH (Link to this contribution) I raised a point earlier about the information charter. Will the Minister set out how its existence ...
Lord Coaker | 489 c337-8WH (Link to this contribution) We will not do that. We have other ways of targeting individuals. I know that the hon. Gentleman dis...
Keith Vaz | 489 c338WH (Link to this contribution) I did refer to the Coroners and Justice Bill. Will the Minister reassure us that there is no proposa...
Lord Coaker | 489 c338WH (Link to this contribution) It is fair to say that more work needs to be done to publicise all such information charters and cul...
Tom Brake | 489 c337WH (Link to this contribution) I wanted to raise earlier an issue regarding the national identity register. The Select Committee re...
Bruce George | 489 c314WH (Link to this contribution) I would prefer my hon. Friend to deal with wheel clampers first, from a constituency standpoint, but...
Keith Vaz | 489 c314WH (Link to this contribution) I reassure my right hon. Friend that we are undertaking at this very moment an inquiry on wheel-clam...
Bruce George | 489 c313-4WH (Link to this contribution) Absolutely. I applaud the large section of the Committee's report that deals with CCTV, because I ha...
Lord Coaker | 489 c314WH (Link to this contribution) I do not want to mislead my right hon. Friend, but we are considering the question of regulation of ...
Lord Coaker | 489 c315WH (Link to this contribution) I accept to an extent the hon. Gentleman's point that it is not just the retention of data that matt...
Tom Brake | 489 c316-7WH (Link to this contribution) I suspect that Sir John would not allow us to go too far down the route of repeating the debate of a...
Bruce George | 489 c314-5WH (Link to this contribution) I am delighted and wish I had realised, as I would have offered to give evidence. I gave evidence to...
Tom Brake | 489 c315WH (Link to this contribution) It has been a pleasure to serve on the Select Committee, particularly on the inquiry on a surveillan...
Keith Vaz | 489 c317-8WH (Link to this contribution) Even accepting that some of the data losses of the past year or so were mistakes for which nobody wa...
Tom Brake | 489 c318WH (Link to this contribution) I agree entirely, and I thank the right hon. Gentleman for that intervention. We need to have clear ...
Tom Brake | 489 c318WH (Link to this contribution) I thank the Minister for giving me the opportunity to clarify my position. This picks up the point t...
Lord Coaker | 489 c318WH (Link to this contribution) May I press the hon. Gentleman on this point? Is he saying that the DNA should go on following arres...
Tom Brake | 489 c318-9WH (Link to this contribution) I am saying that there needs to be a point at which DNA is removed from the database. That is the cr...
Keith Vaz | 489 c319WH (Link to this contribution) There is nothing wrong with DNA going on the database on arrest, because at that point we do not kno...
Lord Coaker | 489 c318WH (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Gentleman clarify that point please? I usually understand what he means, but I am not ...
Keith Vaz | 489 c322WH (Link to this contribution) I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on the eloquent way in which he began his speech. At some stage, t...
Tom Brake | 489 c319WH (Link to this contribution) I thank the right hon. Gentleman for providing the clarity that I was perhaps not providing myself. ...
Bruce George | 489 c319WH (Link to this contribution) I am not responding out of reciprocation. I would like the hon. Gentleman to return to a point he ma...
Tom Brake | 489 c319-21WH (Link to this contribution) I thank the right hon. Gentleman for that intervention. He is right to highlight that the issue is p...
James Brokenshire | 489 c321-2WH (Link to this contribution) I wish to continue the theme that the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Tom Brake) ended on...
James Brokenshire | 489 c323WH (Link to this contribution) Thank you, Sir John, for ensuring that we stay in order. I apologise for being led down that road by...
James Brokenshire | 489 c323WH (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman made an interesting point about some of the techniques that are being established...
Speaker | 489 c323WH (Link to this contribution) Order. I would be grateful if the hon. Gentleman did not proceed down that line, because it is not w...
James Brokenshire | 489 c322WH (Link to this contribution) I hope that the right hon. Gentleman will see from my comments, the policies that will be announced ...
Tom Brake | 489 c323WH (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman spoke about a breathing space in which we can discuss the issues. However, does h...
James Brokenshire | 489 c326-7WH (Link to this contribution) The right hon. Gentleman has made an important point. When my colleagues in the other place debated ...
Lord Coaker | 489 c327WH (Link to this contribution) I was going to cover that matter in my closing remarks, but I will clear it up now. I have been told...
James Brokenshire | 489 c323-6WH (Link to this contribution) Unintentionally, I am sure, but our discussion of this report on the surveillance society has highli...
Keith Vaz | 489 c326WH (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is right that this is a fundamental issue that must be addressed. In the meantime...
James Brokenshire | 489 c327-8WH (Link to this contribution) I am grateful for the Minister's response. It is helpful to know that. As he will appreciate, the se...
James Brokenshire | 489 c328-9WH (Link to this contribution) Again, I am grateful to the Minister for providing that clarity. Some of the statements in the anne...
Lord Coaker | 489 c328WH (Link to this contribution) May I apologise? I was not gesticulating rudely. I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way again. I ...
James Brokenshire | 489 c329-30WH (Link to this contribution) I am grateful for the Minister's statement, but he will recognise that there is not unreasonable con...
Lord Coaker | 489 c329WH (Link to this contribution) The ID card scheme is not compulsory. If I did not mishear, the hon. Gentleman said that it was. It ...
Tom Brake | 489 c332WH (Link to this contribution) When the Minister is considering that, will he consider whether many of these facilities or applicat...
Lord Coaker | 489 c330-2WH (Link to this contribution) Good afternoon, Sir John. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship. I welcome right hon. an...
Tom Brake | 489 c313WH (Link to this contribution) Still on the subject of CCTV, does the right hon. Gentleman acknowledge that paragraph 27 on page 10...
Bruce George | 489 c312-3WH (Link to this contribution) I understand the arguments. I would not say that I discount them, but I do not share them. If people...
Baroness Laing of Elderslie | 489 c312WH (Link to this contribution) On the right hon. Gentleman's penultimate point about the attitude of law-abiding citizens, does he ...
Bruce George | 489 c312WH (Link to this contribution) There should be more effective cameras, which has been clearly demonstrated in my right hon. Friend'...
Bruce George | 489 c308-9WH (Link to this contribution) I very much welcome the report, although some of the things that my right hon. Friend the Member for...
Keith Vaz | 489 c309WH (Link to this contribution) I have enormous admiration for my right. hon. Friend, leaving aside the question whether it is a hum...
Bruce George | 489 c310-1WH (Link to this contribution) Perhaps the hon. Gentleman's shopping aspirations are higher than Tesco, but the point is made. Anyo...
Keith Vaz | 489 c312WH (Link to this contribution) Is my right hon. Friend saying that there should be more cameras?
Bruce George | 489 c309WH (Link to this contribution) My right hon. Friend's Committee would help to keep the line, but there are others. Almost the first...
Tom Brake | 489 c309WH (Link to this contribution) To pursue the Tesco issue, does the right hon. Gentleman agree that many people in the United Kingdo...
Keith Vaz | 489 c305-8WH (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is right to voice that concern. Liberty and other groups fear that people from et...
Keith Vaz | 489 c304WH (Link to this contribution) I do not think that the chance will be increased. The Select Committee produced a report on ID cards...
Baroness Laing of Elderslie | 489 c304WH (Link to this contribution) I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his honesty and clarity. Having considered all the issues and c...
Keith Vaz | 489 c305WH (Link to this contribution) Honestly, no, the Committee is not absolutely certain, which is why we regularly seek reassurances f...
Tom Brake | 489 c305WH (Link to this contribution) May I highlight one other concern around identity cards, which is something that I experienced when ...
Baroness Laing of Elderslie | 489 c304WH (Link to this contribution) The right hon. Gentleman is making an extremely important point. Having balanced the evidence, does ...
Keith Vaz | 489 c303-4WH (Link to this contribution) I am most grateful to the Liaison Committee and the House for allowing us to debate the Home Affairs...
Subjects
Data protection Databases CCTV Biometrics Democracy Electronic surveillance ICT Human rights Genetics Identity cards Internet Personal records Police Powers Privacy Surveillance Security Regulation
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
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