§ Mr. Andrew F. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many security check inquiries were made of the National Identification Bureau on individuals by(a) Government departments and (b) other approved bodies in the years 1986, 1987 and 1988; and if he will list the names of the approved bodies who may undertake such inquiries;
(2) if he will list the areas of employment which require security checks; and if he will list the areas of employment of those individuals who were the subject of a security check in 1989;
(3) what was the cost of making security check inquiries on individuals in 1989.
§ Mr. Peter LloydDetails of criminal records are not released to bodies outside the criminal justice system except where disclosure is clearly in the public interest Information may be provided by the Nationa Identification Bureau to Government Departments and other bodies, direct or through the police, for purpose: such as the protection of national security, the protection of children and other vulnerable members of society and ensuring probity of justice. This covers a wide range o[...] areas of employment but detailed records of these are no kept.
Under the terms of the data protection registration fo the police, information may be released to the following
- Central Government Departments
- Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority
- Gaming Board for Great Britain
- Office of Fair Trading
- Local Authorities
- Foreign Governments
- Police Forces
- Prosecuting Authorities
- Courts
- Judges
- Magistrates
- Probation Service
- Hospitals, nursing homes
- Banks
- Lawyers
- Research Organisations
- British Telecom
- British Broadcasting Corporation
- Civil Aviation Authority
719 - Post Office
- Police Complaints Authority
- General Medical Council and other similar professional organizations
- Official Receiver
- Traffic Commissioners
- Criminal Injury Compensation Board
- Crown Agents
- Crown Estate Commissioners
- National Museums and Galleries
- Royal Mint
- United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
- Securities and Investments Board
The purposes of criminal record checks by the police, Government Departments or approved bodies are not recorded centrally and the number and cost of those for security vetting cannot be identified. The number of checks undertaken by the Government searches section of the National Identification Bureau for vetting and other purposes was as follows:
Number 1986 384,595 1987 348,901 1988 385,308 These figures represent the number of transactions undertaken and not the number of individuals on whom checks were made. The same individual may have been checked more than once.
The estimated cost of the Government searches section in 1989 was about £500,000.