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Opportunist Crimes (Traffic Lights)
Sir Irvine Patnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice his Department has issued to (i) police forces and (ii) the public on countering opportunist crimes at traffic lights. [39561]
Mr. Maclean: Advice on preventing this kind of crime is contained in a number of Home Office publications.
The Home Office crime prevention agency handbook, "Your Practical Guide to Crime Prevention", contains advice on personal safety, which includes advice on safety while driving, much of which is relevant to this kind of opportunistic crime. More specific guidance is also included in "Steer Clear of Car Crime", which the Home Office produced in 1995. Copies of these publications are distributed to forces in England and Wales, and are passed on through crime prevention officers to the general public.
As with all crime prevention advice produced by the Home Office, great care is taken to ensure that it is not fear inducing.
Advice on safety while driving is also included in the crime prevention manual produced by the Home Office crime prevention college. Crime prevention officers retain the manual on completion of their training.
Sir Sydney Chapman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the Centrepoint-National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children report, "Nowhere to Hide: Giving Young Runaways a Voice", a copy of which has been sent to him; and what progress has been made since the inter-departmental and inter-agency meetings in 1992. [39650]
Mr. Maclean:
We have not received a copy of the report but will be glad to look at it should a copy be sent to us.
The Home Office has funded the Police National Missing Persons Bureau, which was set up in 1994 as a national resource for information on vulnerable persons, including juveniles, who have been reported as missing for over 28 days, and those who have been missing for less than 28 days but whose disappearance gives ground for concern.
24 Jul 1996 : Column: 612
Ms Hodge:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of the civilianisation of posts within the Metropolitan police service. [39572]
Mr. Maclean:
I understand from the Commissioner that, during the last 10 financial years, 2,592 non-operational police posts have been civilianised within the Metropolitan police.
Ms Hodge:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the future role of the Metropolitan police service in undertaking the coroner's assistant duty; [39570]
Mr. Maclean:
There are no plans for the Metropolitan police to withdraw from undertaking the coroner's assistant duty. A programme of civilianisation of the role of coroner's officer, releasing police officers for other operational duties, will be completed in September this year. I understand from the Commissioner that the annual cost of the coroner's assistant role is £1.6 million, representing 180,000 hours.
Ms Hodge:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police vehicles were on operational duty with the Metropolitan police service in each of the last five years; and how many are currently on operational duty. [39571]
Mr. Maclean:
The information in the table has been supplied by the Commissioner of Police of the Metroplitan. The figures exclude boats, trailers, instructional vehicles, industrial and agricultural equipment, air support units and other miscellaneous vehicles.
(2) what estimate he has made of the annual (i) cost to the Metropolitan police service for undertaking the coroner's assistant role and (ii) the number of hours that the Metropolitan police spend on coroner's assistant duties. [39574]
| Year (as at 31 March) | Operational fleet |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 3,934 |
| 1992 | 4,028 |
| 1993 | 4,037 |
| 1994 | 3,948 |
| 1995 | 4,029 |
| 1996 | 4,192 |
| Current | 4,289 |
Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by the Metropolitan police in each of their divisions in the financial year 1995-96; how much is budgeted to be spent in each division in 1996-97; and how many full-time police officers are currently employed in each division. [39692]
Mr. Maclean: I will write to the hon. Member.
Ms Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recruits from training school are being taken on by police stations in the Metropolitan police service in the current year; and how many were in each of the last five years. [39573]
24 Jul 1996 : Column: 613
Mr. Maclean: The information has been obtained from the Metropolitan police Commissioner and is given in the table.
| Calendar year | Number of recruits |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 1,128 |
| 1992 | 877 |
| 1993 | 1,358 |
| 1994 | 1,248 |
| 1995 | 1,012 |
| 1996 (to date) | 442 |
Mr. Brian Parsons
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he estimates that solicitors acting for Mr. Brian Parsons will be granted full disclosure of material arising from recent investigations by the Devon and Cornwall police, in accordance with the Hickey ruling. [39608]
Mr. Kirkhope: Officials are arranging for the appropriate material to be disclosed to Mr. Parsons' solicitors within the terms of the divisional court judgment in ex-parte Hickey et al. We would expect to make this disclosure in the next fortnight.
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date he indicated to the solicitor for Mr. Brian Parsons that the scenes of crime video relating to his case would be disclosed; and when he expects it will be disclosed. [39607]
Mr. Kirkhope: Disclosure of the scenes of crime video is entirely a matter for the Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall police. I understand, however, that a copy is to be made available to Mr. Parsons' solicitor this week.
Fine Defaulters
Mr. Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) of those fine defaulters who have received a custodial sentence in the last year for which figures are available, what is the average sentence (a) imposed and (b) served; [39703]
- (2) what percentage of the average prison population in the last year for which figures are available has consisted of fine defaulters. [39701]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for these matters has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from David Scott to Mr. Walter Sweeney, dated 24 July 1996:
Mr. Sweeney:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce community service orders and combination orders as alternatives to custody for fine defaulters. [39702]
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Questions about fine defaulters.
I will write to you with a full reply as soon as possible.
24 Jul 1996 : Column: 614
Mr. Maclean: Together with the Lord Chancellor, my right hon. and learned Friend and I are reviewing the powers and procedures available to the courts to ensure that they can enforce payment of fines without restoring to imprisonment save in the most exceptional of circumstances. Alternative options for fine enforcement under consideration include the possibility of a community-based penalty instead of imprisonment for fine default.
Prisoners (Correspondence from Members)
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the policy of the Prison Service in respect of opening letters from hon. Members to serving prisoners. [39656]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from David Scott to Mr. Doug Hoyle, dated 24 July 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about Prison Service policy on the opening of letters to prisoners from honourable Members.
I will write to you with a full reply as soon as possible.
Prisoners (Taxis)
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 10 July, Official Report, column 171, if he will list the (a) destinations and (b) cost of each prisoner and accompanying officers transported by taxi at Doncaster prison. [39805]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from David Scott to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 24 July 1996:
Mr. Redmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 11 July, Official Report, columns 269-70, if he will list the (a) destinations and (b) cost of each prisoner and accompanying officers transported by taxi at The Wolds prison. [39806]
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about (a) destinations and (b) the cost of each prisoner and accompanying officers transported by taxi at Doncaster prison.
I will write to you with a full reply as soon as possible.
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
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