A similar provision currently operates in the United Kingdom in respect of access requests which are made by an adoptive child for information relating to his or her natural parents. Here it is a condition of the request being granted that the child first accept counselling as to its potential implications. Following this, the decision whether to proceed is one entirely for the child. A variety of more specialised exceptions apply to the access provisions. These include the situations where data is held under the protection of legal professional privilege, where it relates to the making of judicial appointments and, analogous to the provisions relating to criminal investigation and prosecution, to data which is held by certain regulatory bodies such as Lloyds and the Stock Exchange.
Further provisions regulate student access to examination records.
Here, users may respond within the normal 40 day period and be subject to the general rules. In the case of some major examinations, such as the SCE Ordinary and Higher Grade examinations, the marking process may extend beyond this period. An option is provided to the data user allowing compliance with a request for access to be delayed until 40 days after the publication of the results, subject to a maximum period of six months. Exercise of this option carries a not insignificant penalty in that the subject then has to be supplied not only with information relating to the marks finally awarded but also with any other material, perhaps in the form of provisional marks which were recorded at any time subsequent to receipt of the request for access.