HL Deb 20 May 1998 vol 589 cc173-4WA
Lord Burton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What assurances an applicant for a firearm or shotgun certificate will have to maintain "patient confidentiality" between himself and his doctor, if the proposals made by the Home Office Operational Police Policy Unit are adopted, to require or authorise enquiries to be made by police officers or police civilians directly with the applicant's general medical practitioner; what safeguards the Government propose to build into these proposals; and whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of advice they have received from the British Medical Association and other professional medical bodies; and [HL 1882]

What assurances an applicant for a firearm or shotgun certificate will have that enquiring police officers or police civilians have a satisfactory understanding of the medical facts presented to them, if the proposals made by the Home Office Operational Police Policy Unit are adopted to require future applications to disclose to the police "any medical condition" or "disability" the applicants have or may have had; what safeguards the Government propose to build into these proposals; and whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of the advice they have received from the British Medical Association and other professional medical bodies. [HL1883]

Lord Williams of Mostyn

The firearms rules, which prescribe various forms used in the firearms licensing system, are in the process of being revised to take account of the recent changes in firearms law. The new application form for a firearm certificate will contain a number of questions about the applicant's health. An applicant's medical condition or history may be a relevant factor in determining fitness to possess firearms. It is only right that the chief officer of police should have this information in order to reach an informed judgment on an application. Accordingly, it is proposed that the application form should seek the applicant's authority for the police to obtain factual information about these conditions from his doctor. It will be for individual chief officers to ensure that such information can be interpreted properly, through either appropriate training or access to professional medical advice. Correspondence from individuals and bodies with whom we may consult as a matter of routine is not normally published and we have no plans to do so.