§ Lord Mason of Barnsleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have given any consideration to the establishment of a National Fingerprints Register and its feasibility, cost, and acceptability to the public and the Police Federation; and whether they have made any assessment of its potential to assist the fight against crime.
The Minister of State, Home Office (Earl Ferrers)A national register of the fingerprints of those convicted of recordable offences is held at New Scotland Yard. We understand that the scope of this register is considered to be sufficiently broad for operational purposes. But we are considering how to make the information in it more readily accessible to forces through the application of new technology.