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Voter Participation
23. Mr. Alan W. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on work planned by his Department to encourage higher voter participation in the (a) local and (b) European elections this year. [64372]
Mr. George Howarth: Local elections are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions.
Several interested organisations are running publicity campaigns for the elections to the European Parliament. In the light of this, we are currently considering how to make the best use of any funds which the Government may be able to provide for voter education purposes.
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25. Mr. John Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress he is making in tackling youth crime; and if he will make a statement. [64374]
Mr. Boateng:
The Crime and Disorder Act, which received Royal Assent in July 1998, included a number of new measures to tackle youth crime; other measures to establish youth offender panels are within the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Bill currently before Parliament.
The Government are currently piloting new measures in the Crime and Disorder Act, including the final warning scheme, new community-based court disposals, and youth offending teams with national implementation planned for around April 2000.
To date the Government have also introduced a range of measures to speed up the youth justice system, and have established the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales which will provide advice on the operation and performance of the youth justice system.
26. Mr. Peter Bradley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the pilot tagging schemes. [64375]
Mr. George Howarth:
Research into the first two years of the pilot schemes of curfew orders enforced by electronic monitoring under the Criminal Justice Act 1991 has been published in Home Office Research Study 163 and 177. Further research into the first two years of the trials is due to be published this year. The other trials of court based electronic monitoring schemes are to be evaluated this year.
27. Mr. Healey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the efficiency with which compensatory payments on now-illegal firearms are being made. [64376]
Mr. Boateng:
Payments are being made as quickly and efficiently as possible, having regard to the range and complexity of the compensation schemes, and the need for proper scrutiny of claims to ensure propriety and prevent fraud.
Dr. Cable:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current estimate for the completion of option C claims under the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997. [65585]
Mr. Boateng:
The aim is to make offers of payment on the remaining Option C claims by the end of March.
I outlined the measures we are taking to speed the processing of these compensation claims in my reply to the hon. Member for Tewksbury (Mr. Robertson) on 28 October 1998, Official Report, columns 179-80.
28. Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received regarding Sunday dancing. [64377]
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Mr. George Howarth:
The British Entertainment and Discotheque Association met me on 16 December 1998 to press the case for relaxing the present restrictions. I also received some letters from members of the public both for and against change. I hope to announce the outcome of my consideration shortly.
29. Mr. Salter:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he plans to reduce the proportion of early retirements from the police. [64378]
Mr. Boateng:
Following our consultation document of last year on police pension arrangements, work is in hand on detailed proposals to improve practice in managing ill-health retirement and to support good management practice with changes to the Police Pensions Regulations where necessary. We plan to publish our proposals in the early part of this year. They will be published in advance of implementation to allow for full consultation with the interested parties.
31. Mr. Ben Chapman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police authority had (a) the highest and (b) the lowest rate of early retirement through sickness in the last year for which figures are available. [64380]
Mr. Boateng:
In 1997-98 Derbyshire Constabulary had the highest rate of ill-health retirement among police forces in England and Wales, at 65% of all retirements. Surrey Police had the lowest, at 14% of all retirements.
32. Siobhain McDonagh:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met local authority representatives to discuss initiatives to reduce offending rates in areas of high crime. [64381]
Mr. Straw:
As a matter of course, Ministers and officials regularly meet representatives from a wide variety of interests, including local government. We have been grateful for the help given, for example, in the production of the guidance for statutory local crime and disorder partnerships, and in respect of anti-social behaviour orders which will come into force on 1 April 1999.
My Department recently commissioned "Reducing Neighbourhood Crime: a manual for action" from Crime Concern. It provides practical advice for local partners, including local authorities, representatives of which made a valuable contribution to its production.
33. Mrs. Humble:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning links between under-age drinking and anti-social behaviour in town centres. [64382]
Mr. Boateng:
The public, police officers and local councillors have all indicated that alcohol-related crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour are a significant problem and do involve under-age drinkers.
We have implemented the Confiscation of Alcohol (Young Persons) Act 1997 and will legislate to clarify the law relating to adults who buy alcohol for children and
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to the use of children in test purchases. The Anti-Social Behaviour Order and other provisions in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 will help with specific local problems.
The police and local authorities will be able to target local problems through the crime reduction strategies required by the Crime and Disorder Act.
34. Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the support provided by his Department for victims of crime. [64383]
Mr. Boateng:
The Home Office provides a grant of £12.7 million to the voluntary organisation, Victim Support, to deliver front line services to victims of crime. In 1997-98 such services were offered to more than 1.1 million victims. In 1998-99, a grant was given for the first time to another voluntary organisation, Support After Murder and Manslaughter, to assist the complementary work it carries out with the relatives and friends of homicide victims. In addition, the Home Office produces and distributes an information pack for the friends and relatives of homicide victims and a number of information leaflets for victims and witnesses.
The Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Bill, which was introduced on 3 December 1998, will provide greater protection for vulnerable or intimidated witnesses, including victims, and assist them to give their best evidence. The measures in the Bill are based on the recommendations in the "Speaking Up for Justice" report which was published last year. The Government have established an inter-departmental group to take forward the implementation of the recommendations in the report, including the measures in the Bill.
Mr. Chope:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deportation orders have been made in the last six months but have not yet been executed. [64353]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Between 1 June and 30 November 1998, 558 deportation orders were made, 431 have yet to be given effect. During the same period 330 people were deported, 203 of them on the strength of deportation orders made before 1 June.
The removal of Immigration Offenders and failed asylum seekers is at record levels, 9 per cent. above 1997, which itself was 22 per cent. higher than 1996.
Dr. George Turner:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he will introduce to protect witnesses and victims from being intimidated against giving evidence. [64367]
Mr. Boateng:
The Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Bill, introduced on 3 December 1998, includes a range of practical measures to protect vulnerable or intimidated witnesses and assist them to give their best evidence. These were recommended in the report of the Working Group on Vulnerable or Intimidated Witnesses which we published for consultation last June. The
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implementation of these measures, together with those recommendations which do not require legislation will be taken forward by an Interdepartmental Steering Group which has already started work.
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