Tuesday's chaos saw opposition parties leaving the Chamber of Deputies following CSV protests over the lack of action concerning 'secret records'. Wednesday afternoon the government offered explanations on the subject.
Minister of Defence and Internal Security François Bausch was the first to speak and underlined the fact that there are currently 8 laws concerning police and their use of background checks.
François Bausch stipulated that he would prefer having stronger data protection laws, and that he is prepared to work on a new draft bill. This would, however, be a complex process and not be accomplished within three months.
The minister further states that this draft bill must leave the necessary room for authorities to do their work. Bausch is also convinced that there are problems with other databases.
"You can't expect everything to be the way it should be within 11 months of a new, complex data protection act," said Bausch. He claimed that there are currently multiple databases, also in the private sector, that do not conform with current data protection laws.
Justice Minister Felix Braz pointed out that, besides only a criminal record, frequent background checks are already being carried out. This is customary for private security firms and individuals wanting to possess weapons, where police questioning is common practice.
If the chamber is of the opinion that in future only the criminal record should be used, then new laws must stipulate this very clearly. As Braz argued, however, this will pose problems when it comes to gun control. With a new law of only criminal records, Luxembourg could be headed in the direction of the United States.
Opposition parties leave the Chamber of Deputies
How covert police files can harm citizens
