The Personal Data Protection Act and Credit Tip Off Companies Act are being formulated by the Energy, Water and Communication Ministry and Finance Ministry respectively.

"The attorney-general wants both the Acts to be combined. The suggestion is being studied and the Acts will be tabled in parliament next year," parliamentary secretary to the Finance Ministry Hilmi Yahaya told the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to a query from Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin (BN-Papar) who asked the finance minister to state the actions and measures taken in the case of Ctos.

Hilmi (BN-Balik Pulau) said the government has taken several steps to monitor Ctos. He added that all government agencies have been advised not to use Ctos as their reference.

"Now, all banks need to get permission of individuals before acquiring their personal details from a credit tip-off services company," he said, adding that Ctos has also been told not to charge those who wish to check and update their details in the company's database.

He also explained that it is not wrong for the credit tip-off services company to gather details of a person from public domains such as newspapers and courts.

"As long as the information is not gathered from confidential sources, it does not go against the law," he said.

In June, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department M Kayveas said Ctos had caused problems for many people in obtaining loans.

Kayveas claimed that the company had not submitted its annual financial report to the Companies Commission of Malaysia for the past 10 years, the last being in 1997, stating that it earned RM1.2 million.

Disabled passengers

In a separate development, Deputy Transport Minister Tengku Azlan Abu Bakar stressed that Malaysian Airlines (MAS) and Air Asia take the plight of disabled passengers seriously.

He explained that for the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), MAS has appointed vendors to assist disabled passengers.

"These vendors are required to assist them at the Custom and Quarantine clearance and boarding gate," he said, adding that no extra charges will be imposed for these services.

"Meanwhile, Air Asia has prepared two units of ambulift to carry disabled passengers upon boarding and landing," he said, adding that it has also increased the number of built-in handles to assist them.

He was replying a query from Rosli Mat Hassan (BN-Dungun).

In answering a supplementary question from Rosli, Tengku Azlan (BN-Jerantut) said the government will conduct studies on special lanes that cater to blind and wheelchair-bound passengers.