Jack Straw has dropped "Big Brother" proposals that would have
given police and officials unprecedented access to personal data on
millions of people.
Doctors and campaigners had resisted the move saying they had
"grave concerns" about the powers it gave officials. Under the law,
personal data including medical records, tax information and DNA
would have been shared across the public sector.
But last night Jack Straw said the controversial
clause 152 in the Coroners and Justice Bill would be
dropped.
A ministry of justice spokesperson, "We recognise that the wide
scope of the power has thrown up justifiable concerns, including
that the power was open to misuse.
"That was clearly never the government's intention, so the
Justice Secretary has proposed removing the clause from the
Bill."
