Baroness Deech, Ruth Deech, Crossbench, Member of the Communications Select Committee, Current Gresham Professor of Law and Chair of the Bar Standards Board

Contacts

House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW Tel: 020 7219 5353 Email: deechr@parliament.uk

Career

Baroness Deech chaired the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (1994-2002). From 2002 to 2006 she was a Governor of the BBC, participating in the accountability and strategy of national TV and radio. She was also Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford (2001-2004).In 2004 she stepped down from her positions at Oxford and became the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education(2004-2008).

Education

She received her Bachelors and Masters degrees from St. Anne's College, Oxford, before going on to further legal studies in the U.S.A. and the Netherlands.

Views

Data Protection Act

In an interview for BBC News website Baroness Deech stated that 16 February 2012

referees feel unable to give honest accounts of candidates because they can be seen by those concerned - and their parents.She says the problem also applies to job applications and has "destroyed" any opportunity to make a discerning choice.

...

If I was prime minister for half a day I would abolish the Freedom of Information Act and the Data Protection Act and start all over again.I would have one statute defining what's private and what's public, and I'd shift things around in those categories. References would definitely go in the private category, as would the minutes of some committee meetings