§ Mr. Newensasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if information is circulated by Interpol on the religions or political opinions or activities of particular individuals with no known or suspected involvement in criminal activities; and if the British police receive or provide such information.
§ Dr. SummerskillNo.
§ Mr. Newensasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests for information or assistance have been made by the British police to Interpol or vice versa for different categories of crime during the course of each of the last five years for which statistics are available.
§ Dr. SummerskillThe, information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Newensasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information is available to indicate the extent to which co-operation with Interpol is successful in limiting the activities of international criminals and crime syndicates in Great Britain.
§ Dr. SummerskillInterpol provides a very important means of exchanging information between British police forces and the police in other countries, and has facilitated successful operations against such major crimes as drug trafficking, forgery, fraud and trafficking in stolen vehicles and airline tickets.
§ Mr. Newensasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if aliens resident in, or seeking to enter, the United Kingdom are ever excluded or expelled on the basis of information supplied via Interpol; and what provisions exist to ensure that such information is authentic and has not been falsified.
§ Dr. SummerskillRelevant information transmitted through Interpol may be278W amongst the factors taken into account in these cases. The reliability of the information is carefully assessed in each individual case.
§ Mr. Newensasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent studies have been made of the manner in which Interpol functions; and if the participation of the United Kingdom in its activities is satisfactory in all respects.
§ Dr. SummerskillWe have no reason to think that the participation of the United Kingdom police in Interpol is unsatisfactory or that any special study of the operation of Interpol as it affects this country is called for.