BSIA granted audience with anti-ID fraud MP

06 Jul 09

The British Security Industry Association’s Information Destruction Section has had an audience at the House of Commons with Nigel Evans MP, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on identity fraud.

By Brian Sims

Represented by chairman Russell Harris, the BSIA Section was able to ask questions on the impact of the Data Protection Act and the role of the Information Commissioner, and to voice concerns surrounding the perceived need for businesses to take the disposal of their confidential information very seriously indeed.

Harris told SMT Online: “Protecting confidential information is an essential practice for any business or public sector organisation. With an existing interest in identity fraud, Nigel Evans acknowledged this and was sympathetic to the need for destroying confidential information effectively and securely.”

Harris added: “The BSIA’s Information Destruction Section wishes to raise awareness at a Government level of the need to shred confidential information securely, and for the Data Protection Act to be actively and rigidly enforced. The visit to the House of Commons was a step forward in the right direction, and we intend to further engage with MPs and the business community to take these aims forward.”

What does the ID Section do?

The Section consists of companies that undertake the secure destruction of information in all its forms, for example paper, DVDs and computer hard drives. They also dispose of other items that could cause problems if they fall into the wrong hands, such as branded products and uniforms.

A major focus of the Information Destruction Section is to highlight both the overall importance of information destruction for businesses, and the benefits to be gained from using a quality supplier. With identity fraud rising, many problems can occur – both legal and commercial – if sensitive information is not disposed of responsibly and destroyed effectively.

As stated, the work of the ID Section is particularly relevant to the Data Protection Act. This requires a company’s data controller to choose an information destruction company providing sufficient guarantees of security measures, including destruction being carried out under contract and evidenced in writing.

All BSIA Information Destruction companies offer this quality guarantee. In addition, they are independently inspected to a British Standard for the secure destruction of confidential material (BS 8470) as part of their ISO 9001:2000 inspection. The British Standard is based on a BSIA Code of Practice developed by the section.

Look to the BSIA’s web site for further information

For more information on the work of the BSIA’s Information Destruction Section, click on the dedicated link provided on the right hand panel of this page.