Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the European Commission's plan to collect and store for five years the personal data of all passengers flying in and out of the European Union; whether they support the plan; and whether nation states' parliaments would have the power to decide whether or not to implement it.

The UK Government has been calling for an effective EU framework on Passenger Name Records (PNR) for several years and we are carefully considering the Commission’s proposals. We are supportive of the need to collect and store passenger data for five years as a proportionate and necessary tool in the fight against terrorism and serious crime.

The Commission’s proposals for a draft Directive would require that Member States bring into force its provisions within two years of the Directive’s entry into force.