ContactPoint to be scrapped

The controversial children’s database ContactPoint is to be scrapped by the new government, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have revealed.

The coalition agreement published by the two parties yesterday outlines the key policy issues that the new government has agreed to implement.

It says ContactPoint will be scrapped alongside the ID card scheme, the National Identity Register and the next generation of biometric passports.

The plan to scrap ContactPoint is included in what the coalition agreement describes as “a full programme of measures to reverse the substantial erosion of civil liberties under the Labour Government and roll back state intrusion.”

ContactPoint is the national children’s database launched by the previous Labour government in January 2009 to provide demographic data on every child in the country, plus the name and address of any professional working with them.

The database was created as a result of recommendations from Lord Laming’s inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbe but was criticised by civil liberties groups and some children’s campaigners.

It did receive the backing of other children’s organisations and both the Royal College of GPs and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

The database, created by Cap Gemini, had set up costs of £224m and estimated annual running costs of £41m.

Both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats had pledged to scrap the online system because they claimed there was a danger of sensitive information being mislaid or lost.

No details have been released yet of how the scheme will be dismantled.