Written question asked by James Duddridge (Conservative) on Monday, 21 July 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 6 October 2008. It was answered by Phil Woolas (Labour) on Wednesday, 5 November 2008 on behalf of the Home Office.

Departmental Databases

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what use (a) her Department and (b) its agencies make of (i) MOSAIC data and (ii) ACORN data.

Answer: The Home Office and its agencies use such data to target our paid for communications effectively, and maximise their value for money. ACORN data are also used to derive indicators applied within the principle formula Police Grant and in analysis of the British Crime Survey to help measure variations in the risk of being a victim of crime by type of residential neighbourhood. ACORN data are also used to group areas of the country sharing similar characteristics into most similar families which in turn enable each area to be compared with its peers for performance assessment purposes.We will continue to use these commercial products in the future in new analyses where their application is most appropriate to answer analysis and research questions.

Secondary information