I take it that my noble friend’s comments primarily were probing. Clause 115 provides the basis of information-sharing agreements between individuals and the College of Policing. In order for the college to fulfil its objectives it will need, from time to time, to have access to certain information. This information could cover a range of issues, including information about data in support of its work on the effectiveness of policing practice, data to inform the standards it sets for police officers and staff, and information that will help it produce the standards of ethics and values for the police. For example, as part of the college’s work to develop standards and ethics for the police, it may need information from the IPCC about its investigations and some of the lessons it has learned from the conduct of police officers. This information will be general and it should not be necessary for the IPCC to share information that would enable the college or its staff to identify individual police officers. I hope that noble Lords agree that it is important for the IPCC and other public authorities to have a clear legal power to share this valuable information with the college.
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Noble Lords will be aware that public authorities can act only within the scope of the powers given to them by legislation. It is therefore necessary for them to have clear statutory powers to share information. This clause will ensure that every organisation that would not otherwise have the power to disclose information to the college has a power to do so. However, it does not absolve those organisations, or the college, from their legal duties in relation to the sharing of information, which was a particular issue that I raised vis-à-vis the Data Protection Act. The Data Protection Act provisions on the processing of personal data, the right to privacy under the European Convention on Human Rights and the common-law duty of confidentiality are not affected by this clause.
This enabling power ensures that organisations which may wish to share information with the college are able to do so. We have not specified those organisations
or the information that they may need to share in the Bill. We want the college, working together with the police, to determine how it can best deliver its objectives. That should include allowing it the freedom to identify the organisations with which it will work and how it wants those organisations to support its delivery. This clause will enable the college to do so successfully. In that explanation, I hope that I have addressed the questions raised by my noble friend and, if she is satisfied, that noble Lords will agree that the clause stands part of the Bill.