Written question asked by Mohammad Sarwar (Labour) on Tuesday, 5 May 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 7 May 2009. It was answered by Shahid Malik (Labour) on Thursday, 14 May 2009 on behalf of the Home Office.

Criminal Records: Slovakia

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements her Department has with the authorities in the Slovak Republic to obtain checks on the criminal records of Slovakian nationals (a) entering and (b) resident in the UK.

Answer: The United Kingdom is able to obtain checks, through the UK Central Authority for the Exchange of Criminal Records, of previous convictions of Slovakian nationals subject to criminal proceedings in the UK using the terms of Council Decision 2005/876/JHA. If police officers in the United Kingdom are investigating a Slovakian national they can also make a request through Interpol channels for information held on the individual, including criminal record information.There is no formal arrangement for sharing criminal records of people seeking entry to the UK. Under the Free Movement Directive 2004/38 EC nationals of the European Economic Area (EEA) can move freely within member states; they do not require leave to enter or leave to remain.Slovakian nationals will come to the attention of UKBA officials (and may be refused entry at port) if there was an outstanding European arrest warrant for them or if they had been deported from the UK or if they had been on the UK watch list because they constitute a threat to public security.

Secondary information