Letter to the Chairman dated 19 April
2007 from Ms Joan Ryan, MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State,
Home Office
You requested further information on the cost
of the implementation of the data sharing covered by the draft
Council Decision on stepping up of cross-border cooperation particularly
in combating terrorism and cross-border crime, which proposes
incorporating elements of the Prüm Convention into EU law.
I thought you may also be interested to know
about the progress of negotiations. Following a Director level
meeting of senior officials in Brussels on 22-23 March, we believe
that the final Council Decision will reflect the UK position and
not include a provision along the lines of Article 25 of the Prüm
Convention on measures in the event of imminent danger. The detail
of the text will be discussed at a Director level meeting in April.
We will use this as an opportunity to pursue our remaining concerns,
including ensuring that the data protection provisions are consistent
with national and EU law. We still expect the Presidency to try
and reach agreement on this proposal at the June JHA Council,
and would therefore welcome any views you have on the proposed
Council Decision as soon as possible.
COST
As you know, one of our principal concerns in
taking forward this proposal has been to establish the likely
cost of implementation. For this reason the UK asked the German
Presidency to hold a technical workshop, which took place on 9
March in Wiesbaden. The Government sent experts from the DNA National
Database, Police Information Technology Organisation, the Driver
and Vehicle Licensing Agency, and the Department of Constitutional
affairs as well as the Home Office.
UK experts used both the information provided
in Wiesbaden by existing Prüm signatories and previous experience
to work up some estimated base costs. These figures in some cases
appear considerably higher than German or Austrian costs because
of different methods of costing in the UK. As far as I understand,
the figures from other signatories do not include project or business
costs, which can often be some of the most expensive elements.
These costs are likely to have been included in the German implementation
but will have been accounted for through other financial streams.
The Government estimates the total start up
cost for the UK to be in the region of £31 million pounds
for exchange of fingerprint, DNA and vehicle registration data.
This figure is subject to change depending on a more detailed
feasibility study and final decisions on system specifications
that represent best value. We do not consider this an unreasonable
figure considering the benefits that the draft Council Decision
will bring. It has the potential to improve the safety of UK citizens
by aiding UK authorities in criminal investigations including
those against foreign nationals who may have committed crimes
in the UK and crossed borders to avoid detection.
I must stress that these are informed but necessarily
limited estimates of cost based on the information currently available.
I is likely that a project such as this one will require a more
detailed feasibility study and impact assessment before we agree
on the specific implementation models. The Presidency has indicated
that it intends to table a proposal for an EU implementation agreement
in due course, drawing heavily on the implementation agreement
that accompanies the current Prüm Convention. Negotiations
on that would commence following agreement on the terms of the
Council Decision.
I hope that you find the above information useful
and will keep you informed as to the progress of negotiations
on the draft Council Decision. I would also like to use this opportunity
to remind you that the Presidency are hoping that the matter will
be agreed in early June and I look forward to having your opinion
well in advance of this.
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