Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2006

My Lords, we have a clean sweep, as I thank the Minister and I am going to support the order. It certainly appears to be an uncontroversial measure. I am grateful to the Minister in particular for explaining why there is a reference to the Football Association in the order and for linking it with the changes that it is hoped we might achieve in the Violent Crime Reduction Bill. In addition, can the Minister answer another query of mine, of which I gave prior notice? I was intrigued by the drafting of paragraph 25 in the amendment to Schedule 1 on page 3 of the order. I wonder what the intention is behind it, as it refers to: "““Persons who in the course of their work have regular access to personal information relating to an identified or identifiable member of the judiciary””." I wonder which persons that is intended to cover. I declare an interest as my husband, although not a full-time judge, sits as a deputy High Court judge in the family division and from time to time as a recorder. I am thinking of magistrates more generally as well, given that there are more than 30,000 of them. They are covered as members of the judiciary because of the definition of ““judiciary”” in this order. It is possible to interpret paragraph 25 very widely indeed, as it looks as though it would cover people who are responsible for keeping health records in a GP’s surgery of a primary care trust. I am sure that that is not what the Government intend, but if judges are registered there, they are certainly identifiable as members of a judiciary, as are magistrates. I wonder why those information banks, or people working in them, would be excluded from the definition in paragraph 25. I suspect it may rest on the definition of public or private information, but I should be grateful if the Minister could explain.