Ministers' access to personal data revealed

Government ministers have instant access to large amounts of New Zealanders' personal information, the row over two DPB mothers has revealed.

But there appear to be no checks or balances on what information they access or how they use it.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett told Parliament yesterday that she did not know how her office came by the information on how much two women who criticised Government policy received on the DPB. "I myself asked my staff for the information, they accessed it for me and, as such, it was put forward."

Her office later confirmed that a Social Development Ministry staffer based in Ms Bennett's office was able to access beneficiaries' files in the department database. "We have a private secretary who is authorised to look at that information and she looked," a spokeswoman said.

"The minister . . . doesn't consider there is any wrongdoing and no-one is in trouble."

The practice of installing staff with access to the ministry database in the minister's office began under Labour and there had been "no deviation of policy" under National.

Labour MP Trevor Mallard confirmed that as education minister he had a staff member with access to the Education Ministry database. Other ministers would have had staffers with access to their departments. "But if Helen Clark had caught a minister using information which we all know is available inappropriately she would have sacked them.

"It would never have been appropriate for me or my political staff to use that computer. They were ministry computers."

Ministers had access to vast amounts of personal information, including employment records and mental health issues, and other matters that they were briefed on in relation to their portfolios. But they were usually supplied the information when replying to correspondence. The information was only ever expected to be used "between you and them" - not for political purposes.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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Graham Macdonald   #1   01:56 pm Jul 30 2009

Any complaint, note any, appears to trigger ministers accessing files. I complained to the then Minister Ruth Dyson, about the lengthy time that ACC was taking to confirm a claim. The reply indicated the minister had read my file. Note the complaint was not about a decision, there should have been investigation on only the issue of the delay. When I pointed out that access to my file did not have my approval, & was a breach of my privacy, I was told that any letter gave the minister the right to see the file regardless of topic.

The Privacy laws do not apply to MP's. That's only for the rest of us.

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