Written question asked by Baroness Laing of Elderslie (Conservative) on Monday, 29 June 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 1 July 2009. It was answered by Lord Hanson of Flint (Labour) on Monday, 6 July 2009 on behalf of the Home Office.

Independent Safeguarding Authority: Databases

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure the accuracy of information held on the Independent Safeguarding Authority database.

Answer: Much of the information held by the Independent Safeguarding Authority is obtained from the security accredited Police National computer (PNC). Information added to the PNC undergoes a series of checks to ensure accuracy The ISA will therefore accept such information as accurate and will not carry out further checks. However a range of technical and non-technical controls are employed to ensure the security and non-contamination of these records. Information obtained from other sources (such as employers) is subjected to strict accuracy and integrity checks.

Secondary information