As promised, here are my replies to the questions sent to me
via the cam-election list. You can also find them on
Anne Campbell's Campaign Website at
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/anne.campbell/
Introduction
~~~~~~~~~~
It was heartening to get such well-considered questions,
and I am glad to have the opportunity to reply via
the Internet. Labour's IT and Internet
policy is given in detail
in the document "Communicating Britain's Future",
available from the party website, and I
recommend you read it.
I have tried to give full answers to
the questions put to me, but there are many
issues which can only properly
be addressed in Government.
Concerning the specific issue of encryption technology,
the Department of Trade and Industry's consultative paper
on Trusted Third Parties was published only recently
and representations are still being made.
(The Green Paper is accessible online at
http://dtiinfo1.dti.gov.uk/pubs/)
An incoming Labour Government will
consider those representations,
to which we do not currently have access, before coming
to any decision on the steps to be taken in this area. To
do anything else would be to pre-empt the consultative
process and ignore the advice which the DTI has sought
from interested parties and experts in this field.
It is particularly important that in such a complex
area we take all relevant views into account.
On specific questions:
============== Question ==========
Freelance Journalist
Under a Labour government:
1. Specifically what key management arrangements will be made for doctors
and NHS administrators transmitting sensitive clinical information over
private or public networks? Will a TTP hold private keys and who would the
TTP be? Under what circumstances would NHS administrators be able to demand
the release or decryption of sensitive medical data held by doctors?
2. If Labour intends to introduce any key recovery regulations at all, would
they include any special exemption for medical data trustees such as doctors?
3. Has the party decided on its encryption policy for the NHS's private
netowrk and other Government nets?
4. Has the Party produced any draft legislation for implementation of the
1994 European Directive on Personal Data Protection, and if so where can it
be obtained?
============ Answer ==============
We are clearly concerned to ensure that the NHS makes
the best possible use of information and communication
technologies (ICT), and the electronic transfer of
medical records offers great potential benefits to patient
and doctor. However it is important that any system is secure,
and that the security arrangements put in place are appropriate
to the sensitivity of the information carried. Encryption
is an obvious way to provide confidential communication channel
over a public network, but not all health data will move on
public networks.
On the specific questions concerning exemption from key recovery
regulations and an encryption policy for the Government's own
networks, I cannot comment at present. As I have indicated,
an early task for an incoming Labour Government will be to
consider the outcome of the consultation on the DTI TTP proposals.
As a Member of the European Parliament (1984-1994) I was rapporteur
for the Parliament on the Directive on Personal Data Protection,
so I am very familiar with the 1994 Directive.
Whilst this is properly a Home Office
matter, it is obviously also of importance to the Internet
community. I have had meetings with Elizabeth France (the
Data Protection Registrar) and also spoken at DPR conferences
on this subject.
We do not have draft legislation awaiting enactment, but we
are certainly well aware of the requirements of the Directive
and will act appropriately if elected to ensure that legislation
is drawn up in the best interests of the United Kingdom.
============= Question =============
Here are a couple of questions for Mr Hoon, including some background incase
he has not yet visited Acorn while in Cambridge:
As you may be aware Cambridge is the home to a very special British
company, the Acorn Computer Group plc.
Acorn made the popular BBC micro computer which was widely used in
education, and have continued to excel. They went on to produce the
Archimedes, the first ever RISC based home computer, and now sell the
powerful StrongARM RiscPC.
In the last couple of years they have earned world wide recognition as the
company which made Oracle's Network Computer vision a reality.
It was Acorn, not a large US corporation, who had the low energy/high power
RISC ARM chips; it was Acorn who had the small efficient ROM based OS; it
was Acorn who had the TV and font technology which meant their computers
could be pluged into a normal TV.
As far as I am aware Acorn are the only computer design company in Europe.
They created the world leading ARM RISC processors, and the OS and hardware
which is so useful in Network Computer, Set Top Box, and desktop applications.
And yet Acorn desktop computers are still looked down on by the British
people. Everyone seems to have fallen for the story that PC means an Intel
processor running Microsoft Windows, when PC of course means simply a
personal computer.
What would Labour do to promote this British technology? I believe that
where we have better technology we should encourage those companies to grow
and once again bring Britain to the leading edge of information technology.
There are countless possibilities for exploring the future of information
technology with British hardware. Would Labour, for example, expand the
current Acorn Online Media trial in Cambridge to other areas? Perhaps give
each school in the country Acorn Network Computers along with their leased
lines from BT?
And looking even further into the future would Labour fund or simply
encourage research into exciting new technologies? For example a group at
Manchester University are working on the AMULET, a 32 bit asynchronous (ie
no clock like all current standard processors) processor.
British technology could help to lead the world into the 21st century, but
only if we encourage and support it.
-- James Sears============== Answer ==============
I have visited Acorn computers and was extremely impressed by their technology and achievements - particularly the StrongARM processor which has demonstrated Acorn's continued ability to design and implement advanced microprocessor technology.
Labour wants to ensure that British based companies, which lead the world in many areas, are able to invest in research and development and maintain their competitive position.
This means providing the skills training that the high technology workforces of the future require; it means ensuring that our teachers have the best IT training possible and the computers and network connectivity they need to meet the needs of their students; and it means building a strong economy able to provide the revenues companies need to support their R&D efforts. Only Labour can offer a positive future for British based high technology companies such as Acorn.
============= Question =============
Question for Geoff Hoon from Scott Aikens
NetDay:
NetDay is a concept that has worked extremely well in the US. Basically, activists, ISPs and assorted techies volunteer their time and expertise for a day, go to an assigned school and install computer equipment and networks.
What are the specifics of Labours plans to introduce the new technology to British youth? Has Labour thought of promoting concepts similar to NetDay concepts in the UK?
FYI
============== Answer ==============
I am sure you are aware of Labour's commitment to wire up every school in the country and provide affordable access to the Internet for schools and colleges. We have also announced funding for extensive teacher training to ensure that students are not more familiar with computers than their teachers.
I am not familiar with NetDay itself, but I understand that my colleague David Blunkett has been talking to a major computer company about setting up a similar scheme in Britain.
Encouraging schools to invest the energy and time of parents in ways which enhance the facilities available for all children is certainly something Labour would want to endorse, provided that it was supported by all those involved in the school.
============= Question =============
Q. Labour (and especially our own Anne Campbell) have stated their intention to elliminate the "Information Underclass" of people who cannot access the Internet for reasons of finance, skill, or location. Part of the solution is the provision of free Internet services for schools and community groups. My question is :
"Would the Labour party support local Internet services run by the community they serve ?"
Bernard Jauregui Chair - CamNet - The Cambridge FreeNet http://www.cam.net.uk/
============== Answer ==============
Bernard
I am aware of the pioneering work you have done in making the Internet more accessible to non-technical users, through CityScape and now CamNet. Access to the network is at the heart of Labour policy in this area, because without access you have no way to benefit from the services and facilities available online. We do not want to divide our society even further and create an information underclass, denied use of the information network.
We already have a detailed policy commitment, made in "Communicating Britain's Future", to connect every school to the Internet, and we also want to see more public access points for people who do not have access from home. There is no single model for Internet connectivity, and partnerships will be key to ensuring universal access in the future. We are keen to encourage any organisation - whether a commercial enterprise like your original company, CityScape, or a freenet like CamNet - that can provide access at a price people can afford.
======= Question =====
To Ian Dickson and Douglas Reay, who posed questions about encryption policy:
======== Answer ==========
Thankyou for your suggestions - it would be very helpful if you put them into a suitable format and submitted them to the DTI (ttp.comments@ciid.dti.gov.uk) for consideration as part of the consultation process around the TTP Green Paper, accessible online at http://dtiinfo1.dti.gov.uk/pubs/
Geoff Hoon Shadow Minister for Technology Cambridge, April 23rd 1997
++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Anne Campbell New Labour Candidate for Cambridge 01223 500515 http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/anne.campbell/
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