Written question asked by Mark Oaten (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 21 July 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 10 October 2005. It was answered by Hazel Blears (Labour) on Monday, 12 September 2005 on behalf of the Home Office.

Improper Use of Internet

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what decision has been reached in relation to whether the IMPACT system will contain unevaluated information and intelligence in addition to evaluated intelligence; and what assessment he has made of the implications of each option in terms of (a) cost and (b) the timescale of the project.

Answer: The aim of the IMPACT Programme is to deliver an effective local, regional and national information sharing and intelligence capability. This is likely to include access to both evaluated intelligence and other information, and decisions will be taken as the programme progresses as to the nature and extent of the information available. How this is to be achieved will be outlined in a business case for a long term programme of work in September that will address costs and time scale associated with each project. Full guidance to the police is being prepared on all aspects of information management and sharing.

Secondary information