Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)

I wish to express the strongest concern about CACI (UK) Limited, the company administering the census under way in the State. A census gathers comprehensive sensitive and personal information about every citizen and we should ensure this information is secured by those carrying out the census and that it is in the hands of a body that has no questions marks over its integrity. CACI has serious question marks over its character and integrity on two fronts.

First, the company is linked to CACI in Virginia, in the USA, which has defence contracts with the US military relating to interrogation. Its staff were involved in interrogation in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Serious allegations of torture have been made by victims, and lawsuits are pending against the company because of its involvement in the horrendous atrocities that took place in that prison. To avoid prosecution on these matters, CACI has claimed immunity in the US on the ground that it was working for the US military. On 11 September 2009, a US court of appeal ruled that the company fell under the US military chain of command and thus has government contractor immunity. In other words, a company that is under the American military chain of command according to the US courts is organising our census. I find it worrying that such a company will have access to the most comprehensive and sensitive information about our citizens.

When this issue emerged while a census was being conducted by the company in Scotland, the Registrar General accepted there was a serious problem because the USA PATRIOT Act 2001 gives the American Government the right to demand or to take, even without its knowledge, any information it wants from any American company. The Registrar General acknowledged this was a serious problem. If the US Government wants our census information, it can simply demand it of CACI. This is aside from the company's involvement in the horrors at Abu Ghraib prison and the fact that victims of that horror are trying to take legal action but are being blocked at every level.

Amnesty International and other human rights organisations have conveyed serious concern about CACI's human rights record. This is not acceptable. What guarantees will the Government give that this comprehensive sensitive and personalised information about every citizen in the State is secure? A declaration signed by the company means nothing in the context of the USA PATRIOT Act and the abominable record of CACI. What will the Government do about this serious issue?

See this speech in context