Data sharing and Privacy in Multi-agency Working

Data sharing and Privacy in Multi-agency Working, is a major research project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), studying data-sharing and privacy in selected public organisations in England and Scotland. Work commenced on 1 August 2003 under the joint leadership of:

Professor Christine Bellamy, Nottingham Trent University;
Professor Charles Raab, Edinburgh University;
Professor Perri 6, Nottingham Trent University*.

In addition, two Research Fellows were employed: Dr Adam Warren (Nottingham Trent University) and Cate Heeney (Edinburgh University). Cate Heeney's contract ended on 14 January 2005. Adam Warren leaves the project in August 2005 to take up a post at another university.

CONTEXT

Under the slogan 'joined-up government', the UK Labour government has since 1997 committed itself to greater coordination and integration of public services. At the same time, the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998 were enacted - respectively granting individuals improved rights concerning the protection of their personal data and obliging UK courts to take into account an individual's right to privacy (among other rights) in cases brought before them. The 1999 White Paper, Modernising Government, indicated that the government was addressing the tensions between data sharing and privacy, declaring:

'[t]here is concern that information technology could lead to mistaken identity, inadvertent disclosure and inappropriate transfer of data. The government will address these concerns and will demonstrate our belief that data is an objective of information age government, not an obstacle to it.' (Cm 4310; emphasis in original).

In 2002, a major policy paper, Privacy and data sharing (PDF; 951KB), was published by the Government's Performance and Innovation Unit (PIU).