Shawn Seabrook

First of all: before I begin with the contents of my letter from the House Of
Commons, I would like to point out a few things.

This proposal may not change the procedure as needed by the US Embassy for Visa
applications, as their line is that no conviction is a 'spent' conviction. You'll see
what I mean as you read the letter...

The dates mentioned for the future are proposed, and are subject to change as
Parliament sits (and the outcome of the impending Election next month).

I cannot tell you how this law will specifically affect black gay Communists in
the porn film industry of uncertain nationality (if you don't get that last bit,
please ignore).

I wrote to my local MP regarding the 40 days maximum wait taken to obtain a Police
National Printout report from New Scotland Yard in London on the 23rd of March.
Charles Clark MP (Member of Parliament for Norwich South and Minister of State for
the Home Office) replied on behalf of Jack Straw MP (Home Secretary) with the
following reply. This was sent on to me by my local MP with a cover letter that we
don't need to go into here:

[paragraph stating this is a response to member's letter]

[paragraph confirming the procedure for obtaining the PNC for £10 through New
Scotland Yard]

I was surprised and disturbed to read what Mr Seabrook said about the availability of
British criminal records through an American company. In the UK, the police treat
criminal records as highly confidential documents. My officials inform me that the
website mentioned by Mr Seabrook notes that the results of the operations carried out
by the company will vary by country.

However, I agree that the current situation is imperfect. We are therefore proceeding
with the creation of the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). Once the CRB is fully
established, people will be able to apply to it for a 'Basic Disclosure'. This
certificate will list unspent convictions and will be issued much more rapidly than a
printout from the police under the subject access arrangements. The Bureau will begin
providing this service in 2002.

[signed]

So there you have it. There will soon be a new sort of printout available detailing
past criminal activity in the UK, but it may not be the one that the US Embassy
request... and this may muddy the waters for further applicants posting to this
newsgroup from the UK. Writers of FAQ pages, please take note and listen out for
further announcements. At the moment, you still definitely need to obtain your UK
records from the Subject Access Office at New Scotland Yard through your county
Police HQ.

--
ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸¸,ø¤Â� �`°¤ø,¸¸»«¸,ø¤°`� �°Â¤Ã¸,¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,Â� �¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸,ø� �¤Â°`°¤ø,¸ø¤°`°¤ø Shawn
Seabrook. Still waiting for the NOA... _ __=/ http://www.shawnseabrook.com =__ _ I do
not fear computers. I fear the lack of them. (Isaac Asimov.)
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