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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Data sharing plans attacked | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A plan to share people's personal details between government departments on a database would be a threat to privacy, the Conservatives say. | A plan to share people's personal details between government departments on a database would be a threat to privacy, the Conservatives say. |
| Shadow constitutional affairs secretary Oliver Heald accused the government of "moving one step closer to a 'Big Brother' state". | |
| But the government believes a database would give the public better access to vital services. | But the government believes a database would give the public better access to vital services. |
| Tony Blair is expected to unveil the proposal in Downing Street on Monday. | Tony Blair is expected to unveil the proposal in Downing Street on Monday. |
| Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton said departments already stored "vast amounts of data about individual citizens". | Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton said departments already stored "vast amounts of data about individual citizens". |
| But the information is not shared intelligently across various government agencies, he said. | But the information is not shared intelligently across various government agencies, he said. |
| For example, one family had to contact the government 44 times to confirm various details after a relative died in a road accident, Mr Hutton said. | For example, one family had to contact the government 44 times to confirm various details after a relative died in a road accident, Mr Hutton said. |
| HAVE YOUR SAY What will they want to know about me next? What colour my socks are? Kate, Newcastle Send us your comments | HAVE YOUR SAY What will they want to know about me next? What colour my socks are? Kate, Newcastle Send us your comments |
| "We can improve the quality of public services if we are prepared to share data more intelligently." | "We can improve the quality of public services if we are prepared to share data more intelligently." |
| Ministers intend to consult the public to see if they are in favour of the data-sharing plan. | Ministers intend to consult the public to see if they are in favour of the data-sharing plan. |
| Five "citizens' panels" of 100 people are being recruited by the polling organisation Ipsos Mori. | Five "citizens' panels" of 100 people are being recruited by the polling organisation Ipsos Mori. |
| Intrusion | |
| Mr Heald raised concerns over the government being able to "set up a database from the cradle to the grave". | |
| "Are they going to have enough security with this massive new database to ensure that it isn't hacked into and that identity theft doesn't occur?" he told the Radio 4 programme Broadcasting House. | |
| The Liberal Democrats accused the government of stripping the public of its privacy. | |
| "Blair's Britain now has the most intrusive government in our history," leader Menzies Campbell said. | |
| "There is no part of people's lives which is free from snooping. | |
| "State intervention and control expands every day. It is time we put a halt to this." he added. | |
| Human rights group Liberty said the government had contempt for people's privacy. | |
| "This half-baked proposal would allow an information free-for-all within government - ripe for disastrous errors, and ripe for corruption and fraud," the group's director Shami Chakrabarti said. |