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Cash Limits
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has for changes to the 1997-98 cash limits within his responsibilities. [5474]
Mr. Straw: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for Class VII, Vote 1 (Home Office administration, police, probation, immigration and other services, England and Wales) will be increased by £127,000 from £4,729,044,000 to £4,729,171,000. This increase is the net effect of a transfer of running costs from the Cabinet Office, and from non-voted fire credit approvals. This transfer from non-voted provision reduces the non-voted cash limit (HO/LACAP) by £60,000 from £89,606,000 to £89,546,000. The Supplementary Estimate will also cover the transfer of responsibility for voluntary services from the Department of National Heritage.
In consequence of the above changes, the Home Office gross running cost limit will be increased by £67,000 from £1,887,613,000 to £1,887,680,000.
The increases will be offset by transfers and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
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Liz Blackman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to re-examine the apportionment of police grant to shire and metropolitan authorities. [4998]
Mr. Michael:
We will be looking carefully at the funding formula by which resources are allocated between police authorities, to consider what modifications might be made both for the short and the longer term.
Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what use he plans to make of the Internet to make government more open. [5095]
Mr. Straw:
My Department will continue to pursue its programme of publishing material on the Internet whenever suitable opportunities arise.
The Home Office site www.homeoffice.gov.uk includes two pages of information about my Department's open government policies. The first, www.homeoffice.gov.uk/opengov1.htm, gives details of the system for making suggestions or complaints. The second, www.homeoffice.gov.uk/opengov2.htm, sets out the procedures for requesting information.
A wide range of information is available on the site, which is updated continually, and at present contains 288 pages. It has already been used to make consultation papers available more widely. It was also the first Government site to include details of its new ministerial team, and has links to other Government and relevant public sector pages.
Dr. Starkey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the UK Passport Agency performed against its targets in 1996-97; and what performance targets he has set for the Agency in 1997-98. [5553]
Mr. Straw:
I am pleased to say that the UK Passport Agency achieved all its targets in 1996-97. The targets for processing properly completed straightforward applications were met with demand for passport services at its highest recorded level. The average turnround time for the whole year was 6.3 working days. The Passport Agency's financial target was to reduce its unit cost by three per cent. in real terms. The latest indications are that the agency has achieved an 8.5 per cent. real terms reduction in its unit cost. Customer satisfaction levels remain very high.
During 1997-98, I expect the Passport Agency to continue to improve its standard of service to the public and manage a predicted reduction in demand as efficiently as possible.
I have set the agency the following key targets:-
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Mr. Leigh:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what means he ensures that each police authority follows a consistent policy on cautioning persons for possession of cannabis; and if he will make a statement on the practice of multiple cautioning. [4793]
Mr. Michael:
It is for the police to decide whether to caution a person found in possession of a controlled drug, in light of the circumstances of the individual case and in accordance with the guidance on the cautioning of offenders in Home Office Circular 18/1994. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary examines forces' overall cautioning policy and determines whether the policy is being observed in practice.
In 1995, the Association of Chief Police Officers issued further guidance on cautioning which encourages the use of gravity factors to ensure consistent identification of aggravating and mitigating circumstances in the decision-making process.
The Government intend to tackle the lack of consistency in cautioning and to reduce repeat cautions in respect of all offences. This is why we have pledged to replace repeat cautions with a single final warning for young offenders.
Mr. Leigh:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the total amount (a) spent and (b) allocated by his Department on tackling problems relating to drugs in respect of (i) improving international co-operation to reduce supplies from abroad, (ii) increasing the effectiveness of police and Customs enforcement, (iii) maintaining effective deterrents and tight domestic controls, (iv) developing prevention publicity, education and community action and (v) improving treatment and rehabilitation, for (1) 1994, (2) 1995, (3) 1996 and (4) 1997. [4784]
Mr. George Howarth:
Information on total Government and individual Departments' expenditure on tackling drug misuse is not recorded on an annual basis. The most recently available estimates were published in the White Paper, "Tackling Drugs Together" in May 1996. They show that at least £526 million of expenditure in 1993-94 could be directly attributable to drug programmes and activities across the United Kingdom.
The Government will be appointing a "drug czar" to co-ordinate action against drugs, working to the President of the Council as Chair of the Cabinet's co-ordinating committee on drug misuse. One of his or her first tasks will be to review urgently the existing drugs strategy, and put forward proposals for tackling the problem with renewed vigour. This review will include current Government expenditure.
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Mr. Leigh:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list by type of drug the number of persons for each police authority in England and Wales (a) cautioned, (b) proceeded against in a magistrate's court and (c) tried at the Crown Court for possession of a proscribed drug in (i) 1994, (ii) 1995 and (iii) the last 12 month period for which figures are available. [4794]
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Mr. Michael:
Details of the numbers of persons cautioned, proceeded against in a magistrates' court or tried at the Crown court for possession of a controlled drug in 1994 and 1995, by type of drug and police force area, are given in the tables, copies of which have been placed in the Library. Data for 1996 will not be available until the late autumn.
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1. to process properly completed straightforward applications within a maximum of 10 working days.
2. to secure real terms efficiency savings of 11.1 per cent. in the 3 year period 1995-96 to 1997-98.
The Chief Executive will remain directly accountable to me for the performance of the Passport Agency. An advisory board, including two private sector members with experience of delivering services to the public, will continue to provide me with an independent assessment of the agency's performance.
(1) Columns cannot be added together since a person may be dealt with for more than one type of drug.
(2) This drug was not separately identified until 1995.
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(3) Columns cannot be added together since a person may be dealt with for more than one type of drug.
(4) This drug was not separately identified until 1995.
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Notes:
(5) Columns cannot be added together since a person may be dealt with for more than one type of drug.
(6) This drug was not separately identified until 1995.
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(7) Columns cannot be added together since a person may be dealt with for more than one type of drug.
24 Jun 1997 : Column: 437
(8) Columns cannot be added together since a person may be dealt with for more than one type of drug.
24 Jun 1997 : Column: 439
(9) Columns cannot be added together since a person may be dealt with for more than one type of drug.
24 Jun 1997 : Column: 441
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