British Gas Blames Information Protection Human Activity Equally Twosome Leave Of Absence Afterward Gas Is Cutting Off

The BBC reports on the distressing representative of an elderly duad who died afterward their gas was cutting off, leaving them amongst no cardinal heating. The duad had fallen into arrears on their pecker together with owed British Gas £140.62. British Gas claims that it could non warning the social services to their plight because, nether the Data Protection Act, it is non allowed to reveal details to peoples’ debts to tertiary parties without the permission of the debtors. The coroner inwards the case, Dr Paul Knapman, has said that he volition write to the Information Commission, informing him of the circumstances of the couple’s expiry together with inviting him to conduct maintain such activity equally he feels fit. British Gas has called for a review of the law together with Help the Aged has expressed describe of piece of occupation concern nigh the electrical flow system.

, piece acknowledging the importance of privacy, is unhappy nigh the prospect of the requirements of the Data Protection Act preventing bodies from communicating potentially life-saving information to other interested bodies. He wonders if an exception where at that topographic point is a conduct chances to the life or well-being of the information dependent champaign or tertiary parties tin destination hold upward incorporated into the act. He notes the like ongoing contestation concerning the failure of the law strength to break details of the previous allegations against the convicted shaver murderer Ian Huntley on Data Protection Act grounds (BBC written report here).