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Data Protection
Ms Beverley Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish his proposals for the implementation of the EC data protection directive 95/46/EC. [12155]
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Mr. George Howarth:
Copies of the paper setting out the Government's proposals for new data protection legislation will be placed in the Library tomorrow at 10 am.
Valerie Davey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the implementation of the Dublin convention. [12156]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The convention determining the state responsible for examining applications for asylum lodged in one of the member states of the European Communities--the Dublin convention--will come into force on 1 September 1997. The convention, which was ratified by the United Kingdom in 1992, provides a mechanism for determining which member state should be responsible for deciding an asylum application made in the European Union.
Responsibility is determined according to a set of criteria. These include whether the applicant has a close family member recognised as a refugee in another member state; whether another member state has granted the person a residence permit or visa; the location of any illegal entry into the European Union; and the existence of a previous asylum application. The applicant can be transferred under the convention only if the receiving state agrees that it is responsible and if specific arrangements are made for the transfer. In many cases, the receiving state will not be the one from which the applicant embarked. There will be no change to the existing requirement that we must be satisfied that the applicant's life or liberty would not be threatened in the country concerned on account of his race, religion or any other factor; and that he would not be sent on to another state in breach of the 1951 United Nations convention on refugees.
The convention provides for the exchange of information on asylum applicants with other European Union states. This may include personal information such as fingerprints. The convention requires that such information may be used only for asylum purposes and may be communicated only to the authorities competent to make decisions on asylum cases. Information about the basis of an asylum claim itself may be exchanged only with the permission of the applicant.
Mr. Shaw:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make an announcement about the establishment and membership of the service authorities provided for under sections 1 and 47 of the Police Act 1997 to maintain the National Criminal Intelligence Service and National Crime Squad. [12157]
Mr. Straw:
I have decided to appoint Sir John Wheeler to chair the service authorities. I am delighted that Sir John has accepted this appointment. I have no doubt that his skills and experience will prove invaluable to the service authorities in their task of maintaining the National Criminal Intelligence Service and the National Crime Squad, both of which will substantially strengthen our ability to tackle organised and serious crime at national and international level. During his 18 years in
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Parliament, Sir John chaired a number of committees and groups, including the all-party penal affairs group and the Home Affairs Select Committee.
In 1990, he was awarded a knighthood for service to the Select Committee. He has been a justice of the peace in London since 1978 and is an active member of the Order of Saint John.
The other independent members I propose to appoint are Paul Lever and Peter Holland. Paul Lever is chairman of BSM Group plc and of Ashworth hospital authority. He has held senior management positions in major public companies and has considerable experience in the fields of strategic and financial management. Peter Holland is an independent business consultant and is also chairman of Hertfordshire police authority. He has held senior management positions in the Reuters Group, with responsibility for human resource and financial management.
| Member | Position | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|
| Councillor Stephen Murphy | Greater Manchester Police Authority (LAB) | Police authorities (East and West) |
| Councillor Bob James | West Midlands Police Authority (LAB) | Police authorities (East and West) |
| Councillor Peter Fallows | West Mercia Police Authority (CON) | Police authorities (East and West) |
| David Veness QPM | Assistant Commissioner, Metropolitan Police | ACPO |
| David Phillips QPM | Chief Constable, Kent Constabulary | ACPO |
| John Warne | Director, Organised and International Crime Directorate, Home Office | Home Secretary |
The NCIS Service Authority has a total of 19 members. The additional members are:
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The National Crime Squad Service Authority has a total of 17 members. The additional members are:
| Member | Position | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|
| Cllr. Ken Walker | Cleveland Police Authority (LAB) | Police authorities (E and W) |
| Cllr. Barry Murray | South Wales Police Authority (LAB) | Police authorities (E and W) |
| Cllr. Neil Taggart | West Yorkshire Police Authority (LAB) | Police authorities (E and W) |
| Cllr. Sir. John Grugeon DL | Kent Police Authority (CON) | Police authorities (E and W) |
| Cllr. Elfyn Williams | North Wales Police Authority (Lib Dem) | Police authorities (E and W) |
| Cllr. Mrs. Angela Harris DL | North Yorkshire Police Authority (Lib Dem) | Police authorities (E and W) |
| David Wilmot QPM | Chief Constable, Greater Manchester Police | ACPO |
The independent members were selected in line with Nolan principles following the procedures set out by Sir Len Peach in his guidance on public appointments. The police authority members for England and Wales were selected from among the local authority members of police authorities so as to ensure that, as far as practicable, the membership of the service authorities reflects the balance of parties across all local authority members of police authorities.
Private Security Industry
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy that any company supplying security services to his Department should be a member of the self-regulating organisations in the private security industry. [10448]
Mr. Straw: Current policy on appraisal of suppliers--including those providing security services--is to include, as best practice, criteria covering membership of self-regulating organisations. We recommend that
- "proof of enrolment on a professional or trade register, or register of companies in the country in which the supplier is established"
is obtained. Such membership is not in itself mandatory for prospective suppliers of goods and services to the Home Department. It is one of a range of criteria on which a conclusion will be reached about the suppliers' ability to perform the proposed contract.
The planned introduction of statutory regulations for the private security industry, which I announced on 15 July 1997, will necessitate a review of our present guidance on supplier appraisal. This will follow a wide consultation exercise with the security industry over the next year.
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Mr. Todd:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list each of the functions relating to the payroll for which his Department is responsible, indicating the management systems purchased, all sub-contractors involved in the work, co-operative arrangements with other Departments and the costs of the systems and processes in the last year for which figures are available. [10732]
Mr. Straw:
The payment of salaries and wages to staff in the Home Office, its agencies and some non-departmental public bodies is made through the Home Office payroll, which is managed in-house. Payroll services are not provided to other Departments. Funds are disbursed through the payroll for tax, national insurance, voluntary deductions made by staff, attachment of earnings etc. Financial management information is provided to budget managers. The cost of the service in 1996-97 was £3.7 million. Chessington Computer Services Ltd., provide a standard payroll package on licence to the Home Office. A software bureau, SEMA Group, processes the payroll data.
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