asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many closed circuit television cameras operating in the Greater London area are under the control of government departments or government agencies.[HL7852]

No exact data on the number of CCTV cameras operating in the London area under the control of government departments or government agencies is held. There is currently no central database holding information of that kind.

This issue has been highlighted in the Home Office/ACPO report on a national CCTV strategy, which is currently under development. The figure is likely to be quite small in comparison with the total number of cameras in operation in London.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have made an assessment of the number of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras surveying public walkways or places in the Greater London area under the control of the private sector; and what regulations apply to the installation and operation of CCTV cameras.[HL7853]

No estimates of the number of CCTV cameras controlled by the private sector have been made centrally. An estimate of 4.2 million CCTV public space cameras was made in 2003 in the UK as a whole, and 400,000 for London. Plans for the installation of any CCTV systems whether or not they are to be used to survey public walkways or places, should be registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).