My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Justice (Michael Wills) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. I am today publishing a consultation paper entitled Civil Monetary Penalties, Setting the Maximum Penalty. The paper explains the Government's proposal to set the maximum penalty for civil monetary penalties at...

My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Justice (Michael Wills) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. I am today publishing a consultation paper entitled Civil Monetary Penalties, Setting the Maximum Penalty. The paper explains the Government's proposal to set the maximum penalty for civil monetary penalties at...

I am today publishing a consultation paper entitled "Civil Monetary Penalties, Setting the Maximum Penalty". The paper explains the Government's proposal to set the maximum penalty for civil monetary penalties at £500,000. Civil monetary penalties, as set out under sections 55A-E of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) would be...

I am today publishing a consultation paper entitled "Civil Monetary Penalties, Setting the Maximum Penalty". The paper explains the Government's proposal to set the maximum penalty for civil monetary penalties at £500,000. Civil monetary penalties, as set out under sections 55A-E of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) would be...

To ask Her Majesty's Government following the publication of the report by the Campaign for Freedom of Information, Delays in Investigating Freedom of Information Complaints, what steps they will take to ensure that the Information Commissioner's Office can complete its investigations in a timely manner.

To ask Her Majesty's Government following the publication of the report by the Campaign for Freedom of Information, Delays in Investigating Freedom of Information Complaints, what steps they will take to ensure that the Information Commissioner's Office can complete its investigations in a timely manner.

My honourable friend the Minister of State for Policing, Crime and Counter-Terrorism (David Hanson) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. In response to the Urgent Question on 9 July 2009 by the honourable Member for Oxford West and Abingdon (Evan Harris), I undertook to report back to the House...

My honourable friend the Minister of State for Policing, Crime and Counter-Terrorism (David Hanson) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. In response to the Urgent Question on 9 July 2009 by the honourable Member for Oxford West and Abingdon (Evan Harris), I undertook to report back to the House...

In response to the urgent question on 9 July 2009, Official Report, column 1131 by the hon. Member for Oxford West and Abingdon (Dr.Harris), I undertook to report back to the House at an appropriate time. Since that urgent question was answered, Assistant Commissioner John Yates has made a public...

In response to the urgent question on 9 July 2009, Official Report, column 1131 by the hon. Member for Oxford West and Abingdon (Dr.Harris), I undertook to report back to the House at an appropriate time. Since that urgent question was answered, Assistant Commissioner John Yates has made a public...

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to enable the Information Commissioner's office to reduce the length of time taken for the determination of complaints.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to enable the Information Commissioner's office to reduce the length of time taken for the determination of complaints.

My Lords, as I say, I am not up to speed on that. I shall look at it and get back to the noble Baroness because I am not aware that we are intending to move forward rapidly on that. When we have considered the impact of this matter we...

My Lords, as I say, I am not up to speed on that. I shall look at it and get back to the noble Baroness because I am not aware that we are intending to move forward rapidly on that. When we have considered the impact of this matter we...

My Lords, I have a small question among all these great issues. Can the Minister tell us whether I am right in concluding, sadly, that the only two ways of knowing whether you have been tapped are, first, if you find the contents of a private conversation in the public...

My Lords, I have a small question among all these great issues. Can the Minister tell us whether I am right in concluding, sadly, that the only two ways of knowing whether you have been tapped are, first, if you find the contents of a private conversation in the public...

My Lords, there may be a way of knowing whether you have been tapped but I do not think that I can say anything about it on the Floor of the House.

My Lords, there may be a way of knowing whether you have been tapped but I do not think that I can say anything about it on the Floor of the House.

My Lords, this is not a surveillance state—if I may get that comment in. This has nothing to do with the state. This is to do with private individuals breaking the law. We have very strict rules indeed governing our surveillance. However, I absolutely take the force of the argument....

My Lords, this is not a surveillance state—if I may get that comment in. This has nothing to do with the state. This is to do with private individuals breaking the law. We have very strict rules indeed governing our surveillance. However, I absolutely take the force of the argument....

My Lords, the point that the noble Lord, Lord Campbell-Savours, has just made is surely the most significant of all. There are victims here—people whose identity must be known to the police. If, as the noble Baroness said, the police say that hundreds, rather than thousands, have been affected, the...

My Lords, the point that the noble Lord, Lord Campbell-Savours, has just made is surely the most significant of all. There are victims here—people whose identity must be known to the police. If, as the noble Baroness said, the police say that hundreds, rather than thousands, have been affected, the...

My Lords, as I pointed out at the end of the Statement, Assistant Commissioner John Yates said: ""No evidence has come to light since this case concluded so I think no need for more investigation"," which I found slightly surprising. He then said: ""I need to make sure that we...

My Lords, as I pointed out at the end of the Statement, Assistant Commissioner John Yates said: ""No evidence has come to light since this case concluded so I think no need for more investigation"," which I found slightly surprising. He then said: ""I need to make sure that we...

My Lords, can my noble friend clarify matters a little further? I am not clear whether the Metropolitan Police has said that it is or is not going to investigate. In the absence of further investigation by the Met, with the best will in the world, it is difficult to...

My Lords, can my noble friend clarify matters a little further? I am not clear whether the Metropolitan Police has said that it is or is not going to investigate. In the absence of further investigation by the Met, with the best will in the world, it is difficult to...

My Lords, as I said, the DPP has the CPS looking at this. The Met is also still looking at it, as was made clear in the last sentence of the Statement, and we know that the Culture, Media and Sport Committee is considering it. I believe that we need...

My Lords, as I said, the DPP has the CPS looking at this. The Met is also still looking at it, as was made clear in the last sentence of the Statement, and we know that the Culture, Media and Sport Committee is considering it. I believe that we need...

My Lords, does my noble friend realise that public concern about this issue will be a wake-up call, and that it is in the wake of what has happened in the House of Commons. Does he not think that there should be a full inquiry into the allegations which have...

My Lords, does my noble friend realise that public concern about this issue will be a wake-up call, and that it is in the wake of what has happened in the House of Commons. Does he not think that there should be a full inquiry into the allegations which have...

My Lords, I am not aware of that but I am beginning to stray into operational matters which the Government should not push into at the moment. I think that we should sit back and let the proper authorities deal with this. We can then ask the right questions and...

My Lords, I am not aware of that but I am beginning to stray into operational matters which the Government should not push into at the moment. I think that we should sit back and let the proper authorities deal with this. We can then ask the right questions and...

My Lords, is the Minister aware of whether either the police or the authorities will be making contact with the Guardian to ask it to give details of specific cases that it may be prepared to pass over?

My Lords, is the Minister aware of whether either the police or the authorities will be making contact with the Guardian to ask it to give details of specific cases that it may be prepared to pass over?

My Lords, that is an extremely good question. I think that they should all be told. It will be something that we will certainly pursue to see how the Metropolitan Police takes this forward. It is an operational matter, but instinctively it seems to me that people ought to know...

My Lords, that is an extremely good question. I think that they should all be told. It will be something that we will certainly pursue to see how the Metropolitan Police takes this forward. It is an operational matter, but instinctively it seems to me that people ought to know...

My Lords, my question will be very brief. Will all the victims be informed privately that they were targets of this illegal activity?

My Lords, my question will be very brief. Will all the victims be informed privately that they were targets of this illegal activity?