SCHOOLS in York have been given the go-ahead to continue fingerprinting their pupils.

The Government has issued new guidance on the hugely- controversial issue.

York's education boss, Coun Carol Runciman welcomed the intervention by schools minister Jim Knight, and said it was overdue.

Earlier this year, The Press revealed thousands of children in York had had their thumbprints taken, for use in high-tech library systems.

The news sparked outcry from parents and civil rights campaigners, who voiced concerns over the security of the system, and said children were being indoctrinated into thinking giving up personal data was normal.

Mr Knight has now issued fresh guidance, saying that the fingerprinting systems can be used, but only with strict guidelines. He said data must only be used for its stated purpose, it must not be shared with anyone else, and it must be destroyed as soon as the pupil in question leaves the school.

Coun Runciman, City of York Council's executive member for education issues, said: "These guidelines have been needed for sometime and it is a pity that the government has taken so long so issue them.

"This important issue is one which needs to be handled carefully and sensitively. I have seen fingerprinting being used in schools myself, to speed up the issuing of library books. But great care is needed to make sure that fingerprints are only held for the time the child is in school and are carefully destroyed as soon as they leave.

"Liberal Democrats believe that parents should be involved and that careful checks are needed to ensure that there are no privacy issues. While schools are good at holding sensitive information, any breach of security could be worrying.

"I hope schools will be able to act quickly to comply with the guidance and that they will contact the local authority if they have any concerns."

In January, documents released to The Press under the Freedom of Information Act showed 11 schools in York were using fingerprint recognition in their libraries. Another school, All Saints' RC, later said they too were using such a system.

Phil Booth, national co-ordinator of campaign group NO2ID said at the time: "Young kids are being essentially conditioned to accept that being fingerprinted is a normal, everyday thing, which is worrying."

But head teachers said the systems were safe.