To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what access his Department has to information stored on the Police National Computer. (290003)

The Department has two, separate, requirements for information held on the Police National Computer (PNC):

(i) Company Law and Insolvency investigations and enforcement:

The Department carries out PNC checks for possible suspects, defendants and witnesses in relation to cases it prosecutes. These cases tend to arise from individual and corporate insolvency proceedings and associated fraud together with a range of other matters arising from the Department’s regulatory functions such as Employment Regulation offences.

(ii) Security checks for people who work within BIS:

PNC checks are only carried out on those requiring CTC, (counter terrorist check), SC (security clearance) or DV (developed vetting) clearance. The PNC checks cover spent and unspent criminal convictions.