Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Bill: privacy impact assessment

1. Introduction

A PIA is a tool to identify and reduce the privacy risks of a project. A PIA can reduce the risks of harm to individuals through the misuse of their personal information. The Information Commissioner's Office, as the public body chiefly concerned with data protection, has produced guidance on PIAs. Their guidance, including PIA screening questions, has been used in the development of this PIA.

This PIA explores the implications for confidentiality and privacy of information as a consequence of the Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Bill. It provides:-

• background information setting out the statutory framework within which the disclosure regime and Scottish Children's Reporter Administration's ( SCRA) Victim Information Service operates.
• the PIA screening process questions and answers, conclusions and information flows.
• details of how information is passed to the Scottish Government.
• the legal basis for gathering and storing information and the mitigations in place to safeguard that information.