Written question asked by Margaret Moran (Labour) on Tuesday, 10 July 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 12 July 2007. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Tuesday, 24 July 2007 on behalf of the Home Office.

Technology: Safety

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the implications for (a) public safety and (b) the (i) safety and (ii) privacy of individuals of use of mobile and location-based technology.

Answer: The Government meets with the communication service providers, children’s charities and other interested parties to keep these matters under review. We are supportive of the industry Code of Practice for the use of mobile technology to provide passive location services in the UK. This code governs the way services are run and provide consumer (particularly child) protection measures that supplement legal and regulatory requirements. We will work with industry to ensure that the Code of Practice is updated to take account of technological advances.

Secondary information