Written question asked by Margaret Moran (Labour) on Friday, 19 February 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 23 February 2010. It was answered by Maria Eagle (Labour) on Monday, 1 March 2010 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Paedophilia

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent guidance his Department has issued on the publication of images of convicted paedophiles; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: The Ministry of Justice has not issued guidance on the publication of images of convicted criminals. However, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre's Most Wanted website was launched in November 2006 in partnership with Crimestoppers. That website contains photographs of convicted child sexual offenders who are wanted because they have breached the notification requirements. The Home Department has indicated that, to date, 15 of the 20 offenders whose photographs have been posted on the website have been located.The photographs and details of child sexual offenders who have failed to comply with their notification requirements and have gone missing are included on the website only following the exhaustion of all lawful means to identify their whereabouts and a comprehensive risk assessment by the responsible police force in respect of the impact on victims, the individual offenders, their family and the community. CEOP and police forces comply with Standard Operating Procedures drawn up in consultation with the Home Office, ACPO and Crimestoppers.

Secondary information