Dr Ken Macdonald�s call for organisations to make a commitment to the Personal Information Promise is one that chief executives should heed.

Dr Ken Macdonald's call for organisations to make a commitment to the Personal Information Promise is one that chief executives should heed (Letters, June 4). Noticeably absent from the list of signatories to the promise are both the UK and Scottish Governments.

Clearly, the UK Government could not sign the pledge in good faith until the Home Office reverses its entire philosophy and loses its obsession with hoarding our personal data.

The Scottish Government is in a better position, but changes to certain policies would be required. For example, logging individuals' bus journeys is not compatible with keeping personal information "to the minimum necessary". Recording such data may be convenient for bureaucrats administering the concessionary travel scheme, but it is certainly not necessary.

The Scottish Government should lead the way and bring itself into compliance with the principles of the Personal Information Promise as a matter of urgency.
Dr Geraint Bevan
Glasgow