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Welfare Benefit Advice
Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the total amount spent on welfare benefit advice in Wales in each of the past 10 years; and if he will estimate the amount of additional benefit claimed as a result of this expenditure in each of the past 10 years. [64658]
Angela Eagle: This is an operational matter for Peter Mathison, the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Chris Ruane, dated 11 January 1999:
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Mr. McNulty:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will respond to the Social Security Committee's Fifth report of 1997-98, Pensions on Divorce HC869. [65652]
Mr. Timms:
I have written today to the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood) in response to the Social Security Select Committee Report. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library.
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking if he will estimate the total amount spent on welfare benefit advice in Wales in each of the past 10 years; and if he will estimate the amount of additional benefit claimed as a result of this expenditure in each of the past 10 years.
One of the most important role of Benefits Agency (BA) staff is to provide advice and information on benefit matters to our customers. This is part of the normal every day service delivery process. Advice and information is provided on a daily basis by any member of staff who works in the benefit related field of operations. We do not, therefore, separate out the cost of providing this service, regarding it as an integral part of the overall approach we take to customer service.
As the BA does not maintain discrete information on the provision of benefit advice and information, it is not possible to estimate an amount of additional benefit claimed as a result of this service.
I am sorry that I cannot be more helpful in this instance.
Repeat Offenders
Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what considerations he has given to the methods available for dealing with serious repeat offenders; and if he will make a statement. [65639]
Mr. McLeish: We are committed to taking all reasonable steps to protect the public from serious repeat offenders, many of whom may suffer from personality disorders. We have therefore decided to establish a committee to review the sentencing and treatment of serious violent and sexual offenders, including those with personality disorders, in Scotland. I am delighted that the hon. Lord MacLean, who is a Senator of the College of Justice, has accepted the Secretary of State's invitation to act as chairman of the committee. It will have the following terms of reference:
To consider experience in Scotland and elsewhere and to make proposals for the sentencing disposals for, and the future management and treatment of, serious sexual and violent offenders who may present a continuing danger to the public. In particular:
to consider whether the current legislative framework matches the present level of knowledge of the subject, provides the courts with an appropriate range of options and affords the general public adequate protection from those offenders;
to compare practice, diagnosis and treatment with that elsewhere, to build on current expertise and research to inform the development of a medical protocol to respond to the needs of personality disordered offenders;
to specify the services required by this group of offenders and the means of delivery;
to consider the question of release/discharge into the community and service needs in the community for supervising those offenders.
The membership of the Committee and its arrangements for taking evidence will be announced later.
HEALTH
Social Services Authorities
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list all the local authority social services authorities specifying in respect of each whether the chair is a man or a woman. [65317]
Mr. Hutton:
Local authorities are not required to inform the Department on the details of the chair, therefore the information requested is not available centrally.
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Liquor Licensing
Mr. Pearson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Government expect to announce proposals to reform liquor licensing in England and Wales. [65090]
Mr. George Howarth: Our review of liquor licensing will produce proposals for change as soon as possible, consistent with the thoroughgoing nature of the exercise.
Female Offenders
Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the compliance of the practice of placing women under the age of 18 years in adult jails with the UK's responsibilities under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. [65009]
Mr. George Howarth: The United Kingdom has entered a reservation which allows the right not to apply Article 37 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child where mixing of children and adults in prison is deemed to be mutually beneficial, to allow for closeness to home or regime provision.
Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women aged 15, 16 and 17 years are currently imprisoned in adult women's prisons. [65006]
Mr. George Howarth: The currently available information relates to the population on the last day of November 1998 and is given in the table. Unsentenced 17-year-olds are held in prison accommodation. Those sentenced to detention in a Young Offender Institution are held in designated young offender accommodation within adult prisons.
| Age | Number |
|---|---|
| 15 | 6 |
| 16 | 24 |
| 17 | 64 |
(4) Provisional figures
Crime Reduction Programme
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Government's plans for tackling crime. [65563]
Mr. Straw: The Government are committed to reducing crime, tackling its causes and ensuring proper punishment of those who break the law.
We have already demonstrated our commitment by introducing tough new measures in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to deal with young offenders; drug misusers; sexual, violent and racist offenders; and those whose anti-social behaviour blights the lives of so many of our citizens. As part of our overall strategy, I also announced on 21 July 1998, Official Report, columns 913-16, that the Government were making available through the Comprehensive Spending Review £250m over the next three years for a new crime reduction
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programme. In addition, extra resources were made available to the police, the Prison Service and probation services. The programme is based on concrete evidence of what is effective in reducing crime and tackling its causes.
I have published today a briefing paper entitled "Reducing Crime and Tackling Its Causes" which sets out further details on the crime reduction programme and the range of initiatives which has been developed so far, including important projects on domestic burglary and targeted policing. I have placed copies of the paper in the Library.
Domestic burglary is one of the most common crimes and causes enormous distress to victims. In addition to the measures in the crime reduction programme, therefore, I have decided to bring into force in December the provisions of section 4 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997. This provides for minimum sentences of three years for those convicted for a third time of this offence and will ensure that those who commit this crime repeatedly are severely punished.
Mr. Prior:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the (a) current and (b) future use of special constables by the police force; [64963]
(3) how many special constables are currently employed in (a) England and Wales and (b) Norfolk; what estimate he has made of the future employment levels; and if he will make a statement; [64961]
(4) what estimate his Department has made of expenditure on special constables (a) in 1998-99 and (b) in each year of the planning period in (i) England and Wales and (ii) Norfolk; and if he will make a statement. [64964]
Mr. Boateng:
The information required in respect of Norfolk Special Constabulary is as follows:
Until recently, the number of hours duty performed by special constables and the cost of the special constabularies have not been recorded by the police forces of England and Wales. However, the Special Constabulary Working Group 1995-96 recommended that this information should be identified and all forces should have in place systems to collect this data. Forces will be asked to provide the total number of hours duty performed by their special constables from 1998-99. Most forces expect special constables to perform an average of at least four hours per week. Many special constables do more.
The costs of special constables vary considerably from force to force and it is not possible to estimate the overall expenditure. Special constables are funded from the
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Police Grant and it is a matter for chief officers how they distribute funding to their special constabularies. In the light of the Working Group's recommendation and improved administration of their special constabularies, forces should be developing systems to identify the costs in future.
As at 30 September 1998, there were 17,304 (provisional figure) special constables in England and Wales. The figure has dropped from 19,734 during the previous 18 months. The principle reason for the decline in numbers has been higher recruiting standards to reflect that special constables are being trained and deployed on a wider variety of duties than before including more "front line" duties. As a result, the recruiting criteria is now very similar to that for regular officers and consequently a large number of applicants who would previously have been accepted into the Special Constabulary are being rejected. In addition, forces have weeded out the special constables who wanted only to perform "soft" duties, e.g. fetes, carnivals, etc., and 13 per cent. of special constables who resign to join the regular service.
(2) if he will estimate how many hours special constables, on average, work each week in (a) England and Wales and (b) Norfolk; what estimate he has made of future work loads; and if he will make a statement; [64960]
(a) The average number of hours duty performed per special constable per week is 3.2 excluding time spent training.
(b) Norfolk Constabulary currently has a strength of 342 special constables and the force seeks to sustain this level at least for 1999-2000.
(c) The force estimates its expenditure on special constables in 1998-99 will be £80,200.
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