Fingerprinting school children

Fingerprinting school children

A call by the European Commission for the UK to justify fingerprinting of children in schools has been welcomed by MEP Paul Nuttall.

"For the first time in six and a half years the European Commission has got something at least half right," said Mr Nuttall, UKIP Euro MP.

"Fingerprinting has always been abhorrent for anyone outside the criminal class, never mind children."

The Commission says it has "significant concerns" that the policy breaks European Union privacy laws.

It has also raised concerns that parents are not allowed legal redress after a father was told he could not challenge the compulsory fingerprinting of his daughter without his permission.

"Following massive pressure from UKIP the Department for Education and Skills agreed in 2006 that no child could be digitally fingerprinted without parental consent but that seems to have been a worthless promise," said Mr Nuttall.