20th September 2006

35,000 are already on the county DNA list

Last Wednesday the government released details of their plans to extend data-sharing between public services. The Department for Constitutional Affairs published an 'Information sharing vision statement' which sets out their "vision for better, more customer-focused services supported by greater information-sharing which will protect and support individuals and society as a whole" (i).

Cllr Philip Booth, a Stroud District Green party spokesperson said: "This new data sharing is being sold to us as a way of improving "the life chances of those who suffer, or may suffer in the future, from disadvantage". In fact data sharing is a cornerstone of the government's national identity database - allowing complete data surveillance or 'Dataveillance'. Once the entire population is numbered via their National Identity Register Number then this will become the key to link all the records stored on all government databases. So whilst it may be true that medical records will not actually be stored on the National Identity Register, the identity register number combined with the data sharing agenda will allow medical records to be linked to the identity register."

Philip Booth, who last month renewed his passport (see photo above) to delay having to report at a centre to give fingerprints and more (ii), said: "Effectively a huge virtual database will be constructed from hundreds of databases within government. Privacy will be destroyed. Yet this change in government policy has barely got a mention in mainstream news and there has been no public debate or consultation."

The Governments full plan for information-sharing across the public sector will be published in April 2007. Meanwhile Tony Blair used a speech at the TUC conference last Tuesday (12th September) to announce that the first UK citizen ID cards will be issued by 2009. He said they are needed because "the sophistication of document forgery means we can only be confident of people's identities if we have their biometrics - their fingerprints, irises and digital measures of their face".

Philip Booth commented: "Mr Blair failed to mention the loss of privacy, total surveillance, the astronomical costs or security risk of such measures. It is quite extraordinary that the Government is pushing ahead with this deeply flawed and wholly unpopular project."

Largest DNA database in the world - 35,000 in Gloucestershire

Philip Booth added: "I am deeply concerned by the direction this country is taking. Nearly 35,000 people in Gloucestershire including more than 1,400 children already have their DNA held on a database despite never having committed a crime. Nationally DNA records are now kept for 3 million people - proportionally the largest in the world - previously DNA samples could only be kept where a suspect was charged or cautioned - Labour changed all that and regardless of whether people are charged, cautioned or not samples can be kept - only in 'exceptional circumstances' can the samples be destroyed. This whole practice is highly discriminatory and should be stopped immediately."

Notes:

(i) See http://www.dca.gov.uk/foi/sharing/information-sharing.pdf
More on Dataveillance at http://tinyurl.co.uk/5kfo

(ii) See:
http://www.glosgreenparty.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1434&Itemid=2