Protection of Freedoms Bill 2010-11

[Curlyben]

AS you know I have an interest in this bill and it's now bee released.

To provide for the destruction, retention, use and other regulation of certain evidential material; to impose consent and other requirements in relation to certain processing of biometric information relating to children; to provide for a code of practice about surveillance camera systems and for the appointment and role of the Surveillance Camera Commissioner; to provide for judicial approval in relation to certain authorisations and notices under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000; to provide for the repeal or rewriting of powers of entry and associated powers and for codes of practice and other safeguards in relation to such powers; to make provision about vehicles left on land; to provide for a maximum detention period of 14 days for terrorist suspects; to replace certain stop and search powers and to provide for a related code of practice; to amend the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006; to make provision about criminal records; to disregard convictions and cautions for certain abolished offences; to make provision about the release and publication of datasets held by public authorities and to make other provision about freedom of information and the Information Commissioner; to repeal certain enactments; and for connected purposes.

Parliament UK: Bills before Parliament


Some further comment from The Register:

The Home Office also announced that:

• millions of householders are now to be be protected from town hall snoopers checking their bins or school catchment area (a reference to the increasing use of RIPA legislation to check on minor matters);
• Section 44 powers (under the Terrorism Act 2000), which have been used to stop and search hundreds of thousands of innocent people are to be scrapped;
• the maximum period of pre-charge detention for terrorist suspects will be reduced to 14 days;
• DNA samples and fingerprints of hundreds of thousands of innocent people will be deleted from police databases;
• thousands of gay men will be able to clear their names with the removal of out-of-date convictions for consensual acts; and
• thousands of motorists will now be protected from rogue wheel-clamping firms.

Protection of Freedoms Bill is released • The Register

And oped: The repeal bill: what's left in, what's left out • The Register

So far so good, pity it wont get Royal Assent sooner..

[Amethyst]

Re: Protection of Freedoms Bill 2010-11

Anything in there to ban schools from taking children's fingerprints for use at dinner checkouts, registration etc ? No just requirement for consent . CONSENT - it is bullied and brainwashed out of you because if you don't agree your child cannot have school dinners at my kids school.

1. Chapter 2
   Protection of biometric information of children in schools etc.
   1. 26. Requirement for consent before processing biometric information
   2. 27. Exceptions and further provision about consent
   3. 28. Interpretation: Chapter 2
   
   
   (6) The relevant authority must ensure that reasonable alternative means are
   30available by which the child may do, or be subject to, anything which the child
   would have been able to do, or be subject to, had the child’s biometric
   information been processed.

Good. I'm looking forwards to more discussion on this one in HoC and HoL.

[Curlyben]

Re: Protection of Freedoms Bill 2010-11

So had it's first second reading just waiting for the commitee stages now.
then onto the HoL for mullering.

[Caspar]

Re: Protection of Freedoms Bill 2010-11

Ame,

If I were you I take in a web reference to the full law and arrange a meeting with the head. Tell them in the appointment that this is soon to become law and so it would be ridiculous at this stage to go ahead with introducing any form of biometric fingerprinting system.

Take the attitude you're aware how tight school budgets are and think the school ought to be made aware of this probable law before wasting thousands of pounds - might also be worth copying it to the Chair of Governors.

I know as a Headteacher I would never have had time to read this and would have relied heavil on the LEA to forewarn me of it.

You could come out with your halo glowing even more than it does already!

[Amethyst]

Re: Protection of Freedoms Bill 2010-11

I'd really love to, but sadly I'm just not quite at 'meeting with the head' level of confidence yet

They have had biometric for the last 4 years, however when my daughter started there in September they started the new 'fingerprints or packed lunch' policy which seems very unfair - particularly to people on Free school meals as basically they have no choice.

[Caspar]

Re: Protection of Freedoms Bill 2010-11

Ame,

I assume your daughter is secondary school age. Why not write a letter to the Chair of the Governing Body? This way at the next governors' meeting it will have to be brought up under correspondence received by Chair of Governors, they gt loads - it's an item on EVERY Governor Meeting agenda. You don't have to speak to anyone, and it raises the issue with all governors. Remember about a third of each governing body is a parent.

Also Headteachers are not scary - only to the parents. I used to be genuinely disappointed when I found parents would not approach me because I was the head - that's exactly why they should be able to approach you in my opinion.

Having said that, i know a lot of heads with their own head buried firmly up a rear orifice!

[charitynjw]

Re: Protection of Freedoms Bill 2010-11

Information Commissioner Christopher Graham has largely welcomed the Protection of Freedoms Bill - including the government's plans to reduce the length of time the police can keep biometric information - but has said that some of the proposed changes, such as the future regulation of CCTV, need further consideration.
The Information Commissioner will be giving evidence to the Public Bill Committee on 24 March to ensure these issues are addressed before the Bill is passed into law. A full copy of the evidence the ICO has already submitted to the committee is available here.