The Wardman Wire

A further update to my previous posting .

[Post updated 16.15: Reply received to an email asking about this from the House of Commons Information Office. Details are at the bottom of the post.]

Magee Review of Criminality Information

I am interested in the “The Magee Review of Criminality Information” which is:

a substantial report with wide ranging implications for all organisations which collect information that may be relevant to the prevention, investigation, prosecution, or penalising of crime.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith anticipates - among other things - that:

we will build on, extend and strengthen existing streams of work, such as the programme the Home Office has led to implement the recommendations from the Bichard inquiry, to develop a clear strategic direction for the improvement of criminality information management across what Sir Ian is calling the public protection network.

and that she will:

improve the effectiveness of our vetting and barring processes so as to protect children and the vulnerable from those unsuitable to work with them.

The Written Statement by Jacqui Smith the Home Secretary from which I am quoting is here.

Time to Examine the Magee Review

Without expressing any particular opinion, this needs examining with a microscope - if only for the potential impact on all of us if they get things wrong in any respect.

“Placed in the Library”

Unfortunately the statement concludes:

“Copies of the documents have been placed in the Vote Office and the Libraries of both Houses.”

I’m based in the Midlands - so I need to know how I can review these findings at a time when Parliament is not sitting, or even when it is in session.

Email to the House of Commons Information Office

I thought I would ask what I can do. I have emailed them with a question:

Reports Lodged in the Commons Library f/a Mr <named person>

Mr <named person not identified here>

I was given your details by the House of Commons Information Office yesterday.

I have been looking at a Ministerial Written Statement, which refers to a report “The Magee Review of Criminality Information”.

Could you explain how I as a member of the public up in Derbyshire can easily and quickly access reports where “Copies of the documents have been placed in the Vote Office and the Libraries of both Houses.”?

The WMS is here:

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wms/?id=2008-07-16a.25WS.1

If you could give me a response in a form that I can make available to others, that would be excellent.

Regards

Matt Wardman

Wrapping Up

The answer I want is:

“you do it like this”

or even better:

“all documents placed in the library are posted on a website at this address”

In which case I will publish some effusive praise for those responsible.

I will report back.

[Update 16:15 18 Jul 2008: I have a response to my query in just over half an hour after sending my enquiry email about a report called the "Magee Review of Criminal Information":

Just because a Minister says that something has been placed in the
Libraries of the House does not mean that it is unavailable to anyone
else. The report that you mention is freely available from the Home
Office website:

http://tinyurl.com/6bq49q (Short url added by me for the sake of avoiding my web page being broken).

Let me say now that that is very impressive for 4pm on a Friday afternoon, given that the email also outlined how the process works.

There are a few more things I will want to find out - whether this applies to everything, how to find documents relating to dozens of statements at once, and so on. But I am pleased to say that this service has been excellent.]