How police files containing information on individuals' criminal records are currently disposed of; whether it is satisfied with practice i…

Criminal conviction information is held by the Scottish Criminal Record Office (SCRO) Criminal History System. Under current policy, decisions on the retention and disposal of the information are based on one or more of a number of factors, for example the seriousness of the offence, the age of the person at the time of conviction and the number of years elapsed since the end of the sentence.A working group established by the SCRO Management Committee has been reviewing the existing policy. The aim is to develop arrangements which take account of, among other things, the Police Act 1997, the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Data Protection Act 1998.