safe harbour, data protection
Committee hears evidence on Safe Harbour
1 April 2014
The House of Lords Home Affairs, Health and Education EU Sub-Committee will tomorrow question data protection experts and the European Commission's Director of Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, in the second session of its enhanced scrutiny of safe harbour.
- Parliament TV: Watch the evidence session of Safe Harbour
- Enhanced Scrutiny: Safe Harbour
- EU Sub-Committee F: Home Affairs, Health and Education
Witnesses
Wednesday 2 April, Committee Room 2, Palace of Westminster
At 10:50am:
- Paul Nemitz, Director, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, Directorate-General for Justice, European Commission
At approximately 11:45am:
- David Smith, Deputy Commissioner, UK Information Commissioner's Office
- Peter Hustinx, European Data Protection Supervisor
The Committee will begin tomorrow's session by questioning Paul Nemitz by videolink. It will be investigating with Mr Nemitz issues including:
- the progress in negotiations with the United States concerning safe harbour; what form the broader 'stock take', as referred to in the Commission's Communication on Rebuilding Trust in EU-US Data Flows, will take;
- how concerns raised in previous reviews of the safe harbour scheme have been taken forward;
- and the Commission's assessment of the recommendations by the EU Data Protection Supervisor for greater clarity of the principles, better communication of them to citizens, more inspections by the Federal Trade Commission and that the principles were not designed for large-scale access to data by US intelligence authorities.
Following on, at about 11:45am, the Committee will speak to David Smith and Peter Hustinx. The Committee will discuss a number of issues with the witnesses, including:
- the key strengths and weaknesses of the present Safe Harbour Agreement, and how any weaknesses should be addressed;
- whether they agree that EU citizens' redress rights need to be bolstered further than the Commission Communications propose;
- if self-regulation is the most appropriate model and what action should be taken to ensure compliance; and
- if there are any gaps in the Commission's planned activities to increase trust in EU-US data flow.