§ Lord Marlesfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the statutory requirement under Section 39 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 to establish a central register of persons who have applied for a firearm or shotgun certificate or to whom a firearm or shotgun certificate has been granted, which came into force on 1st October 1997, has not been complied with; whether they regard such non-compliance as acceptable; and, if not, what action they propose to comply with the law in this respect. [HL 4364]
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonThis register is being established as part of the PHOENIX database and has been included by the Police Information Technology Organisation in its 1999–2000 work plan for service and product development. The current police requirement is based on a central Police National Computer register with feeders from and pointers to local police systems. This approach will make maximum use of the information currently available and will avoid the need for expensive re-keying of data. As a next step a detailed impact assessment will be carried out. The Government remain fully committed to meeting their obligations under Section 39 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 and views the national register as a priority development.