New Clause 8 - Registration for criminal records purposes
Criminal Justice and Police Bill
6:30 pm
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire, Conservative)
Obviously, Government amendment No. 189 presents no difficulty. However, I was not entirely sure of the purpose of new clause 8. As I understand it, certificates of conviction can be sought if, for example, an employer wishes to know the background of an individual, and a registered person is somebody who is entitled to request such a certificate or co-sign an application for one. In adding to legislation an ability to refuse or cancel a registration, are the Government concerned about the potential for such information to get into the wrong hands, as occurred in Portsmouth, where information about alleged paedophiles got into the public domain? Is it an attempt to ensure that information about previous convictions cannot get into the public domain by tightening up the provisions for those who seek to be registered?