HC Deb 11 November 1992 vol 213 cc782-3W
Mrs. Mahon

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what steps he has taken to implement each of the short-term recommendations in annex M of his Department's efficiency scrutiny into the national collection of criminal records published in October 1991;.

(2) what progress has been made in implementing the five-day limit for police notification to the national identification bureau of all pending prosecutions after arrest and the 13-day limit for all court convictions being notified after the court decisions as recommended by his Department's efficiency scrutiny into the national collection of criminal records published in October 1991.

Mr. Charles Wardle

[holding answer 10 November 1992:] The position on recommendations 63 to 68 of the "Efficiency Scrutiny of the National Collection of Criminal Records", which together constitute annex M, is as follows:

  1. 1. It was recommended in the scrutiny report that microfiche collection of court results be stopped for post–1980 offenders. Further work revealed that this could not be done immediately without loss of information, but the conversion of all criminal records for inclusion in the computerised National Criminal Record System will ensure the provision of a more comprehensive record than is currently available on the Police National Computer (Recommendation 63).
  2. 2. It has long been the practice for NIB to mark the manual records that any acquittal should not be cited as a conviction (Recommendation 66).
  3. 3. Copies of the scrutiny report were sent to all chief constables and, without imposing rigid time limits, NIB will continue to encourage forces to improve the time taken to notify them of arrests (Recommendation 64).
  4. 4. Since the scrutiny was completed, the Government has re-examined the arrangements under which court results are notified to the NIB and the police notify the courts and the Crown Prosecution Service of defendants' and prosecution witnesses' criminal records; revised proposals to improve those arrangements are being taken forward (Recommendations 65, 67, 68).

Mrs. Mahon

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to appoint the advisory committee to the national identification bureau at New Scotland Yard which was recommended by his Department's efficiency scrutiny into the national collection of criminal records published in October 1991.

Mr. Charles Wardle

[holding answer 10 November 1992]: Oversight of the national identification bureau is being considered in the context of wider changes in the management of police information services. We hope to announce new arrangements shortly.