§ Mr. Batisteasked the Prime Minister which categories of persons in each Department of state are authorised by law to search the premises of others without the warrant of a judge or magistrate; how many such searches have been undertaken within the last 12 months; and how many successful prosecutions have followed directly or indirectly from such searches.
§ The Prime MinisterI refer my hon. Friend to appendix 4 of the law and procedures volume of the Royal Commission on criminal procedure (Cmnd. 8092–1), which reported in 1981. Appendix 4 contains information about the categories of officials who may exercise statutory powers of entry, and shows which of those powers available allowed for search, and what safeguards were attached to their exercise. No information is available centrally about the frequency or outcome of the use of such powers.