Protecting Rhondda Data

The Assistant Information Commissioner has written to Rhondda MP Chris Bryant saying that a recent Plaid Cymru leaked memo may indicate a breach of the Data Protection Act. The memo, mentioned here before, suggested that Plaid Cymru may either have compared confidential casework records with their canvassing records, or worse still used those casework records for telephone canvassing. The Western Mail has the full story.

One of their Assembly Members said in the memo that there was not much point in Plaid Cymru Asembly members doing casework, complaining that when Plaid Cymru held the Rhondda Assembly seat from 1999-2003, not many of the people whose cases they took up actually voted for them. The actual words were:

A very small proportion of those people indicated that they would be voting Plaid Cymru in telephone canvassing. This begs the question, 'is casework the best use of any AM's time'?

The Information Commissioner for Wales has told Chris Bryant MP:

I would certainly agree with you that the wording of the leaked memo indicates the possible unlawful disclosure of personal information.

I have now urged her to launch a full investigation. In my letter to her, I have pointed out that the memo:

clearly indicates either that Plaid Cymru used the casework names and addresses for telephone canvassing purposes, or they subsequently compared their telephone canvassing returns to Mr Davies's casework records.

Either would be unlawful, as I understand it. We need to get to the bottom of this. My constituents are entitled to know that their confidential records have not been misused.