Section 71 — Privacy Act: Duties and functions of designated Minister

Subject to subsection (2), the designated Minister shall cause to be kept under review the manner in which personal information banks are maintained and managed to ensure compliance with the provisions of this Act and the regulations relating to access by individuals to personal information contained therein; assign or cause to be assigned a registration number to each personal information bank; prescribe such forms as may be required for the operation of this Act and the regulations; cause to be prepared and distributed to government institutions directives and guidelines concerning the operation of this Act and the regulations; and prescribe the form of, and what information is to be included in, reports made to Parliament under section 72. Anything that is required to be done by the designated Minister under paragraph (1)(a) or (d) shall be done in respect of the Bank of Canada by the Governor of the Bank of Canada. Subject to subsection (5), the designated Minister shall cause to be kept under review the utilization of existing personal information banks and proposals for the creation of new banks, and shall make such recommendations as he considers appropriate to the heads of the appropriate government institutions with regard to personal information banks that, in the opinion of the designated Minister, are under-utilized or the existence of which can be terminated. Subject to subsection (5), no new personal information bank shall be established and no existing personal information banks shall be substantially modified without approval of the designated Minister or otherwise than in accordance with any term or condition on which such approval is given. Subsections (3) and (4) apply only in respect of personal information banks under the control of government institutions that are departments as defined in section 2 of the Financial Administration Act . The designated Minister may authorize the head of a government institution to exercise and perform, in such manner and subject to such terms and conditions as the designated Minister directs, any of the powers, functions and duties of the designated Minister under subsection (3) or (4).