Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment the Department of Health has made of recommendation YY.e of the report of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, <i>Privacy and Security: A modern and transparent legal framework</i>, published in March 2015.

The 2015 Report by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee: Privacy and Security: A modern and transparent legal framework makes recommendations about consolidating the legal powers of the three United Kingdom intelligence and security agencies.

The Department was asked to comment on the Draft Investigatory Powers Bill presented to Parliament in November 2015 and, at that time, did not consider that this would create any new powers that would require or permit the disclosure of confidential personal information by health and care bodies (on the basis that this is consolidating security agencies’ existing powers).