Asked by: Lord Anderson of Ipswich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many police forces have used polygraph tests in each of the last five years, and on how many occasions for each police force, including (1) to inform investigations, (2) to use test results as evidence in court, (3) for risk assessment purposes, (4) in domestic abuse cases and investigations, (5) in sexual offence cases and investigations, and (6) in terrorism cases and investigations.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not centrally collect data on the number of police forces using polygraph tests, the frequency of their use, or their application in specific investigation types. Police forces are operationally independent of Government, and it is for chief constables, working with locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners, to determine how best to deploy resources and operational tools.
The Home Office has commissioned research to explore the use of credibility assessment tools within offender management settings. This work identified that credibility assessment tools including polygraphs are being used in some policing and offender management contexts for risk management and intelligence-gathering, rather than evidential purposes. The research identified variation in adoption and use, as well as challenges relating to resources, training, validation and governance.
Through a focused law enforcement working group on Credibility Assessment, stakeholders from policing, the Ministry of Justice and the National Crime Agency have also discussed the need for robust validation, governance and standards surrounding the use of credibility assessment tools to ensure any wider adoption is evidence-led and consistent across organisations, helping to improve understanding of the key considerations associated with their use.
Asked by: Lord Anderson of Ipswich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of police use of polygraph tests for (1) informing investigations, (2) use as evidence in court, (3) risk assessment purposes, (4) domestic abuse cases and investigations, (5) sexual offence cases and investigations, and (6) terrorism cases and investigations.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not centrally collect data on the number of police forces using polygraph tests, the frequency of their use, or their application in specific investigation types. Police forces are operationally independent of Government, and it is for chief constables, working with locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners, to determine how best to deploy resources and operational tools.
The Home Office has commissioned research to explore the use of credibility assessment tools within offender management settings. This work identified that credibility assessment tools including polygraphs are being used in some policing and offender management contexts for risk management and intelligence-gathering, rather than evidential purposes. The research identified variation in adoption and use, as well as challenges relating to resources, training, validation and governance.
Through a focused law enforcement working group on Credibility Assessment, stakeholders from policing, the Ministry of Justice and the National Crime Agency have also discussed the need for robust validation, governance and standards surrounding the use of credibility assessment tools to ensure any wider adoption is evidence-led and consistent across organisations, helping to improve understanding of the key considerations associated with their use.
Asked by: Lord Anderson of Ipswich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what national standards, governance processes and safeguards are in place regarding the use of polygraph tests by police forces.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not centrally collect data on the number of police forces using polygraph tests, the frequency of their use, or their application in specific investigation types. Police forces are operationally independent of Government, and it is for chief constables, working with locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners, to determine how best to deploy resources and operational tools.
The Home Office has commissioned research to explore the use of credibility assessment tools within offender management settings. This work identified that credibility assessment tools including polygraphs are being used in some policing and offender management contexts for risk management and intelligence-gathering, rather than evidential purposes. The research identified variation in adoption and use, as well as challenges relating to resources, training, validation and governance.
Through a focused law enforcement working group on Credibility Assessment, stakeholders from policing, the Ministry of Justice and the National Crime Agency have also discussed the need for robust validation, governance and standards surrounding the use of credibility assessment tools to ensure any wider adoption is evidence-led and consistent across organisations, helping to improve understanding of the key considerations associated with their use.
Asked by: Lord Anderson of Ipswich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what value for money assessment they have made of the use of polygraph tests by police forces.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not centrally collect data on the number of police forces using polygraph tests, the frequency of their use, or their application in specific investigation types. Police forces are operationally independent of Government, and it is for chief constables, working with locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners, to determine how best to deploy resources and operational tools.
The Home Office has commissioned research to explore the use of credibility assessment tools within offender management settings. This work identified that credibility assessment tools including polygraphs are being used in some policing and offender management contexts for risk management and intelligence-gathering, rather than evidential purposes. The research identified variation in adoption and use, as well as challenges relating to resources, training, validation and governance.
Through a focused law enforcement working group on Credibility Assessment, stakeholders from policing, the Ministry of Justice and the National Crime Agency have also discussed the need for robust validation, governance and standards surrounding the use of credibility assessment tools to ensure any wider adoption is evidence-led and consistent across organisations, helping to improve understanding of the key considerations associated with their use.
Asked by: Lord Anderson of Ipswich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what use, if any, they have made of the power in section 66 of the Immigration Act 2014 to deprive naturalised citizens of their British citizenship when the consequence is to render them stateless; and what assessment they have made of the utility of that power.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The power to deprive an individual of British citizenship under section 40(4A) of the British Nationality Act 1981 has not been used since its introduction in July 2014.
Following the first statutory review of the power, which was published in April 2016, a further review will be undertaken within 12 months of the power first being used.
Asked by: Lord Anderson of Ipswich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the letter of 22 May from nine European Presidents and Prime Ministers to the Council of Europe concerning criminal foreign migrants, and (2) the Council of Europe’s response.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
The UK participates in regular engagement with the Council of Europe and its member States, including on the important issues raised in this letter. We agree with the Council of Europe Secretary General that any discussion needs to take place between member States. This was confirmed by the Lord Chancellor in her speech to the Committee of Ministers on 18 June 2025.
Asked by: Lord Anderson of Ipswich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, who was responsible for (1) drafting, and (2) approving, The National Archives’ Re-closure Policy implemented as a result of sections 45 and 46 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010; and whether any consultation with external stakeholders took place.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The National Archives’ reclosure policy was first drafted by officials in The National Archives and approved by directors and the then Chief Executive and Keeper of Public Records in 2010. Following its inception, the reclosure policy has been kept under continuous review and amended several times, most notably in 2018 due to changes in data protection legislation.
The National Archives’ Reclosure Panel provides internal expert scrutiny of the application of The National Archives’ reclosure policy. The Reclosure Panel is composed of members of staff with expertise in Freedom of Information (FOI) and Data Protection, along with records and catalogue specialists from across The National Archives. The Panel is chaired by the Director for Public Records Access and Government Services. On behalf of the Secretary of State, the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives provides external scrutiny of the Reclosure Panel’s decisions where qualified exemptions under the FOI Act 2000 are applied.
The legal provisions underpinning public access to records held by The National Archives are section 5 of the Public Records Act 1958 and section 1 of the FOI Act 2000 (subject to any relevant exemptions stated elsewhere in the FOI Act).
Under section 2(4) of the Public Records Act 1958, ‘the Keeper of Public Records shall have power to do all such things as appear to him necessary or expedient for maintaining the utility of the Public Record Office.’ When The National Archives are made aware that information in a record may fall within a relevant exemption under the FOI Act or the UKGDPR, the record is temporarily withdrawn from public access so that an assessment may take place.
Whilst this assessment is taking place and subsequently, the statutory right of access to information under the FOI regime of any requestor is not affected. Therefore, an FOI request can still be made for any record that has an ‘Access Under Review’ status on The National Archives’ catalogue, Discovery. Reclosure decisions by The National Archives under the FOI Act are subject to review by the Information Commissioner and, ultimately, the courts.
Asked by: Lord Anderson of Ipswich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many times The National Archives’ Re-closure Policy has been reviewed since its inception; and by whom.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The National Archives’ reclosure policy was first drafted by officials in The National Archives and approved by directors and the then Chief Executive and Keeper of Public Records in 2010. Following its inception, the reclosure policy has been kept under continuous review and amended several times, most notably in 2018 due to changes in data protection legislation.
The National Archives’ Reclosure Panel provides internal expert scrutiny of the application of The National Archives’ reclosure policy. The Reclosure Panel is composed of members of staff with expertise in Freedom of Information (FOI) and Data Protection, along with records and catalogue specialists from across The National Archives. The Panel is chaired by the Director for Public Records Access and Government Services. On behalf of the Secretary of State, the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives provides external scrutiny of the Reclosure Panel’s decisions where qualified exemptions under the FOI Act 2000 are applied.
The legal provisions underpinning public access to records held by The National Archives are section 5 of the Public Records Act 1958 and section 1 of the FOI Act 2000 (subject to any relevant exemptions stated elsewhere in the FOI Act).
Under section 2(4) of the Public Records Act 1958, ‘the Keeper of Public Records shall have power to do all such things as appear to him necessary or expedient for maintaining the utility of the Public Record Office.’ When The National Archives are made aware that information in a record may fall within a relevant exemption under the FOI Act or the UKGDPR, the record is temporarily withdrawn from public access so that an assessment may take place.
Whilst this assessment is taking place and subsequently, the statutory right of access to information under the FOI regime of any requestor is not affected. Therefore, an FOI request can still be made for any record that has an ‘Access Under Review’ status on The National Archives’ catalogue, Discovery. Reclosure decisions by The National Archives under the FOI Act are subject to review by the Information Commissioner and, ultimately, the courts.
Asked by: Lord Anderson of Ipswich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the legal basis for those provisions within The National Archives’ Re-closure Policy that allow for the retrospective application of exemptions to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to justify the re-closure of records that were previously open.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The National Archives’ reclosure policy was first drafted by officials in The National Archives and approved by directors and the then Chief Executive and Keeper of Public Records in 2010. Following its inception, the reclosure policy has been kept under continuous review and amended several times, most notably in 2018 due to changes in data protection legislation.
The National Archives’ Reclosure Panel provides internal expert scrutiny of the application of The National Archives’ reclosure policy. The Reclosure Panel is composed of members of staff with expertise in Freedom of Information (FOI) and Data Protection, along with records and catalogue specialists from across The National Archives. The Panel is chaired by the Director for Public Records Access and Government Services. On behalf of the Secretary of State, the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives provides external scrutiny of the Reclosure Panel’s decisions where qualified exemptions under the FOI Act 2000 are applied.
The legal provisions underpinning public access to records held by The National Archives are section 5 of the Public Records Act 1958 and section 1 of the FOI Act 2000 (subject to any relevant exemptions stated elsewhere in the FOI Act).
Under section 2(4) of the Public Records Act 1958, ‘the Keeper of Public Records shall have power to do all such things as appear to him necessary or expedient for maintaining the utility of the Public Record Office.’ When The National Archives are made aware that information in a record may fall within a relevant exemption under the FOI Act or the UKGDPR, the record is temporarily withdrawn from public access so that an assessment may take place.
Whilst this assessment is taking place and subsequently, the statutory right of access to information under the FOI regime of any requestor is not affected. Therefore, an FOI request can still be made for any record that has an ‘Access Under Review’ status on The National Archives’ catalogue, Discovery. Reclosure decisions by The National Archives under the FOI Act are subject to review by the Information Commissioner and, ultimately, the courts.
Asked by: Lord Anderson of Ipswich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what processes are in place to ensure effective scrutiny of the operation of The National Archives Re-closure Policy.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The National Archives’ reclosure policy was first drafted by officials in The National Archives and approved by directors and the then Chief Executive and Keeper of Public Records in 2010. Following its inception, the reclosure policy has been kept under continuous review and amended several times, most notably in 2018 due to changes in data protection legislation.
The National Archives’ Reclosure Panel provides internal expert scrutiny of the application of The National Archives’ reclosure policy. The Reclosure Panel is composed of members of staff with expertise in Freedom of Information (FOI) and Data Protection, along with records and catalogue specialists from across The National Archives. The Panel is chaired by the Director for Public Records Access and Government Services. On behalf of the Secretary of State, the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives provides external scrutiny of the Reclosure Panel’s decisions where qualified exemptions under the FOI Act 2000 are applied.
The legal provisions underpinning public access to records held by The National Archives are section 5 of the Public Records Act 1958 and section 1 of the FOI Act 2000 (subject to any relevant exemptions stated elsewhere in the FOI Act).
Under section 2(4) of the Public Records Act 1958, ‘the Keeper of Public Records shall have power to do all such things as appear to him necessary or expedient for maintaining the utility of the Public Record Office.’ When The National Archives are made aware that information in a record may fall within a relevant exemption under the FOI Act or the UKGDPR, the record is temporarily withdrawn from public access so that an assessment may take place.
Whilst this assessment is taking place and subsequently, the statutory right of access to information under the FOI regime of any requestor is not affected. Therefore, an FOI request can still be made for any record that has an ‘Access Under Review’ status on The National Archives’ catalogue, Discovery. Reclosure decisions by The National Archives under the FOI Act are subject to review by the Information Commissioner and, ultimately, the courts.