§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will give immediate consideration to the value to crime prevention and nuisance prevention of the system operated in New Jersey which enables a customer to order the number of the last call to be recorded;
(2) whether he has been able to consider American evidence on the reduction of crime as a result of the 310W operation of calling line identity systems particularly in relation to obscene and threatening phone calls; and if he will make a statement;
(3) if he will sponsor immediate research into the likely benefits to criminal investigation and crime prevention of calling line identity systems, particularly in respect to obscene and threatening phone calls in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. John PattenWe are watching closely the latest technological advances aimed at curbing obscene or threatening telephone calls, and are aware of the recently published American research into caller-ID or call trace systems. The research has emphasised the importance of carefully monitoring the effects of the new technology on reducing obscene and threatening phone calls. The Home Office is planning appropriate action along precisely these lines, as part of the Hull safer cities project, where funding of over 19,000 has been approved for an assessment of the effects of a modest call-tracing system to be operated in Hull by Kingston Communications, the local telephone company. The work will start next year.