HC Deb 26 April 1995 vol 258 cc563-4W
Mrs. Golding

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who will have access to the Phoenix database when it comes into service. [20466]

Mr. Maclean

The following organisations, all of which currently have access to the police national computer criminal names file, will have access to the Phoenix criminal justice record service database when it comes into service:

  • All police forces maintained under the Police Act 1964, or the Police (Scotland) Act 1967
  • The Metropolitan police
  • The City of London police
  • Regional crime squads, including the Scottish crime squad
  • National Identification Service
  • Scottish Criminal Record Office
  • National Criminal Intelligence Service
  • Regional criminal intelligence offices
  • Royal Ulster Constabulary
  • Isle of Man police
  • Jersey police
  • Guernsey police
  • British Transport police
  • Ministry of Defence police
  • Dover Harbour Board police
  • National Ports Office
  • HM Customs and Excise

The following four organisations will have access to the database for maintenance, development, or training purposes only:

  • Hendon data centre
  • Central police national computer training centre
  • Home Office technical policy division (maintenance and development)
  • The Police Staff college, Bramshill (training access only)

In addition, as I announced to the House on 22 March at column 200, six Government Departments and agencies

May 1992-April 1993 May 1993-April 1994 May 1994-April 1995
Male Female Male Female Male Female
Hunger Strikers 1 1 74 50
Suicides
1 Records of hunger-strikers in prisons prior to May 1993 do not distinguish between immigration detainees and others.

will also be given limited access to the system, for the purpose of conducting preliminary security vetting checks. Limited direct access has also been approved in principle for the Forensic Science Service to allow the addition of markers to indicate that a sample has been taken and whether a DNA profile is available, and to ensure that their separate DNA database is appropriately weeded.