Dominic Grieve MP

Dominic Grieve QC MP (Conservative) for Beaconsfield. He is the UK's Attorney General and member of EURIM.

DNA database

In a speech titled Liberty and community in Britain

Moreover, we have seen Labour attempt to restrict the right to trial by jury in the name of greater efficiency; and their creation of a national DNA database that is in part dependent on retaining the DNA of persons who are arrested but not convicted or charged. This has contributed to creating a two tier society of the "monitored" and "free". I know from the angry letters in my mailbag how hurt some of the wrongly arrested are when they are sullied in this manner.

Uploading Illegal Photographs

Mr. Grieve, in February 2013, threatened to prosecute individuals who uploaded photographs on social media sites such as Twitter in violation of a court order.

Identity cards

Dominic has spoken at No2ID events. 21 June 2005

Early Day Motions

Signed Early Day Motion 845 Freedom of Information 06 Febuary 2007

That this House expresses concern that the proposed new fees regulations under the Freedom of Information Act would allow authorities to refuse on cost grounds a high proportion of requests which they are currently required to answer; notes that the Government's consultation document recognises that this will have a greater impact on journalists, hon. Members, campaign groups and researchers than on private individuals; considers that such changes would undermine the Act's contribution to increased discussion of public affairs, accountability and trust in the work of public authorities; and calls on the Government not to proceed with the proposals.

Signed Early Day Motion 2699 Freedom of Information 10 December 2006

That this House welcomes the finding of the Constitutional Affairs Committee (HC991) that the Freedom of Information Act has `already brought about the release of significant new information and....this information is being used in a constructive and positive way' and the committee's conclusion that it sees `no need to change' the Act's charging arrangements; views with concern reports that the Government is considering changing these arrangements to permit an application fee to be charged for all requests or to allow authorities to refuse, on cost grounds, a significant proportion of requests which they currently must answer; and considers that such changes could undermine the Act's benefits of increased openness, accountability and trust in the work of public authorities.

News

2009-09-16 - The Telegraph - New laws to be subject to privacy test under Tories: Author: Tom Whitehead; Summary: Every new law will have to undergo a "privacy test" as part of Tory plans to roll back the surveillance state. ... Dominic Grieve, shadow justice secretary, said: "This government's approach to our personal privacy is the worst of all worlds – intrusive, ineffective and enormously expensive." "We cannot run government robotically. We cannot protect the public through automated systems. And we cannot eliminate the need for human judgment calls on risk, whether to children, or from criminal and terrorist threats." "As we have seen time and time again, over-reliance on the database state is a poor substitute for the human judgment and care essential to the delivery of front line public services. Labour's surveillance state has exposed the public to greater – not less – risk."

2009-07-07 - Dominic Grieve Website - Not everyone's on the information super highway: Author: Dominic Grieve MP; Summary: Should some of the money go towards improving broadband services? Last month, we learned that subscribers with land-line telephones are going to be charged a levy for this purpose. But how will this affect the elderly person who wants to keep a land-line for use in emergencies, but who has no intention of getting a computer and broadband connection? This is a debate which is far from nearing a conclusion.

2008-12-04 - Conservative Party Press Release - DNA database must be put on a statutory basis: Summary: Dominic Grieve said our approach to a national DNA database has been vindicated by the ruling that two British men should not have had their DNA and fingerprints retained by police. The Shadow Home Secretary said the decision by the European Court of Human Rights "vindicates all that we have been saying about the Government's wrong-headed approach to this issue which has caused so much resentment amongst the law abiding majority". He called on Jacqui Smith to "come forward and say what steps she will now take", given that the profiles of more than a million innocent people are currently on the UK's DNA database. And he laid out the Conservative stance on the issue: "We would have a Parliamentary debate about the database and put it on a statutory basis."

2008-10-15 - The Times - Government plans massive expansion in tracking calls, e-mail and internet visits: Author: Murad Ahmed and Richard Ford; Summary: Ministers are planning a massive increase in their capacity to collect records of people using e-mail, social networking sites and on line game sites, amid fears they are being exploited by terrorists and serious criminals. ... Jacqui Smith's announcement today that ministers are considering new powers will prompt fears that the UK is heading towards a "Big Brother" state with the authorities able to monitor the public's every move online. ... The Tories warned of the "exponential increase in the powers of the state" a database could bring. "While we welcome the consultative approach, Jacqui Smith’s speech begs mores questions than it answers," Dominic Grieve, the Shadow Home Secretary, said. "These proposals would mark a substantial shift in the powers of the state to obtain personal information on individuals." "Given the Government’s poor record on protecting data - and running databases - there needs to be a full and proper debate."

2008-10-01 - ZDNet - Tories attack Labour surveillance schemes: Summary: Dominic Grieve, the shadow home secretary, has criticised the ID-card scheme, among other government projects, in his speech at the Conservative conference. In Birmingham on Tuesday, Grieve said the public is "fed up with the creeping growth of a surveillance society which intrudes into their private lives and loses their personal data". He said the government had "created the worst of all worlds", by increasing surveillance while levels of crime heightened. "We're less free. We're less safe," Grieve said.

2008-09-25 - Conservatives - The Government must scrap the expensive ID cards project: Author: Dominic Grieve MP; Summary: Dominic Grieve has said it is "high time" Labour abandon their "ill-fated" ID cards project after Jacqui Smith unveiled the design of ID cards for foreign nationals. The Shadow Home Secretary stressed, "ID cards are an expensive white elephant that risk making us less - not more - safe." And he said the Government were "kidding themselves" if they think ID Cards for foreign nationals will protect against illegal immigration or terrorism - as they don't apply to those coming here for less than three months. A Conservative Government would abandon the ID cards project, and Dominic said he hoped Labour had taken that into account when they negotiated the contracts. "If they have not acted on this to protect the British taxpayer, it is reckless in the extreme at a time of heightened economic uncertainty."

Links

Dominic Grieve MP Website