Equality snoopers to keep files on your sexuality

A new 'Lifestyle Database' will draw information from medical records as well as government surveys (posed by models)

People will be routinely asked to answer sensitive questions about their sexuality so a Government quango can compile a massive 'equalities' database, it emerged last night.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is to take information given in confidence by millions and place it on a huge 'Lifestyle Database'.

It will draw information from sources including visits to A&E departments, government surveys and the reporting of crimes to police.



In order for bureaucrats to measure whether gay or straight citizens are suffering greater 'inequality', the EHRC said everybody should be asked to provide information about their sexual identity.

They will be asked if they are heterosexual/straight, gay/lesbian, bisexual or other.

Campaigners said the establishment of the 'Big Brother' database - which will be available on the quango's website - would alarm the public.



Alex Deane, Director of Big Brother Watch, said: 'This intrusive database is being built without even the smallest consideration for privacy.

'When people go to hospital, they don't think that information about their illness is going to be shared with the EHRC.



'What possible right does the EHRC have to build this database, and then share what they've gathered with other people on their website?'

Details of the plan emerged after the EHRC, led by chairman Trevor Phillips, began the tendering process for establishing the database.

Freedom of Information requests, obtained by the Old Holborn blogger, then revealed what the scheme involved.

Equalities bosses have decided they must work out whether citizens are suffering inequality based upon various different factors.

These include age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion and belief, transgender status, ethnicity and social class. Citizens' characteristics will be checked through their answers to various government surveys and information on whether they need hospital care or have called the police.

It will allow bureaucrats to check different groups are not more likely to die young, be murdered, suffer illness, or violent crime.

Checks will also be made of happiness, healthy living standards and educational attainment. Any minority groups considered to be losing out can then be targeted for Government help.

It will not be possible to identify individuals from the information on the database.

But what is alarming campaigners is the way the information will be compiled.

Staff are planning to take data which is given to a list of 45 different sources by members of the public.



This includes their A&E records, the British Crime Survey, the British Election Study, the Census, Childcare and Early Years Parents' Survey and the Citizenship Survey.

The information is not provided in the knowledge it will be handed over to an equality quango.

But the EHRC's report on the way the database should be established says the sexual identity question should become a standard part of major surveys 'as soon as practicable'.

An EHRC spokesman said: 'Crime rates, poor hospital treatment, lack of childcare places and inadequate housing are some of the things that British people are worried about.

'Looking at each of these problems in isolation doesn't tell the whole story, as these factors may combine together to have a bigger effect on our lives.

'By looking at all the issues together, our framework will show what needs to be done to make Britain a fairer place to live.'