WRITTEN ON March 8th, 2009 BY William Heath AND STORED IN Data nitwittery, Foundation of Trust, Identity, Transformational Government, What do we want?

The “toxic soup for all” clause 152 is to be dropped it seems (Telegraph):

Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, is to shelve proposals which critics said would have led to patients’ confidential medical records being passed to third parties. A spokesman for Mr Straw said the “strength of feeling” against the plans had persuaded him to rethink.

The proposals will be dropped entirely from the Coroners and Justice Bill, and a new attempt will be made to reach a consensus on introducing a scaled-back version at an unspecified stage in the future. “He has looked at it and he now wants to withdraw the clauses. We have asked Cabinet colleagues to agree to this,” said Mr Straw’s spokesman. “Jack recognised the strength of feeling and he recognised that the clause was drafted in a way that was too wide, and so needed to be looked at again. He understood that this issue had touched a nerve for a lot of people, and he understood why.”

Sir Bonar won’t be pleased; this was the jewel in the crown of his plans to own all our data. But he will have other ways, and will no doubt explain them soon (he’s still on gardening leave after the Arabic-themed nightclub incident).

Well done Simon, Phil and all the other heroes of common sense (derided by former Home Secretaries as intellectual pygmies) who have achieved this small but significant step.