Overview

This bill aims to increase public access to criminal records held by the Criminal Records Office (CRO) in England and Wales. It mandates the CRO to digitize and make publicly available all relevant court registers of convictions.

Description

The Criminal Records (Public Access) Bill requires the CRO (or any successor body) to maintain electronic copies of all Magistrates’ Courts Registers and other court registers detailing convictions. This information must be made accessible to the public. Importantly, this information will be excluded from the definition of "personal information" under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

The bill stipulates that the registers must be updated within one month of a conviction and that only records from the date of the bill's passing onwards will be included. The bill defines "Magistrates’ Courts Registers" as those held according to the Criminal Procedure Rules under the Courts Act 2003.

Government Spending

The bill states that any expenditure incurred by a Minister of the Crown, government department, or other public authority in implementing this Act will be met from money provided by Parliament. No specific figures are provided in the bill itself.

Groups Affected

Groups potentially affected include:

• The Public: Gain increased access to criminal records, potentially impacting employment decisions, neighbourly relations and other aspects of daily life.
• The Criminal Records Office (CRO): Will incur costs related to digitization, maintenance, and public access to the registers.
• Individuals with criminal convictions: May experience increased scrutiny and potential negative consequences as a result of greater public access to their records.

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