Home Office Guidance On Paedophiles

EDM number 323 in 1996-97, proposed by Ken Livingstone on 06/12/1996.

That this House deplores the legal advice of the Home Office Probation Unit issued to chief probation officers on 29th October, that 'there is indeed no legal obligation on the Probation Service to advise employers about the convictions of' high risk paedophiles and that to do so would risk costs being awarded against the Probation Service; congratulates the Association of Chief Officers of probation whose protests led to the withdrawal of this advice in a Home Office circular dated 7th November which went on to state 'that proper guidance is now needed, and we shall press on with this in consultation with Association of Chief Officers of Probation as a matter of urgency'; further notes that a month has now passed since the second circular; and urges the Home Secretary to make a statement to this House in which he makes clear beyond any doubt that the protection of innocent children must take priority over all other considerations and, in that spirit, to recognise that this is not a partisan issue and that he would have the co-operation of all parties if he would reverse his decision not to legislate in this Session for the protection of children from paedophiles.

This motion has been signed by a total of 42 MPs.