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Crime (European Union)
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has undertaken on the relative levels of crime in European Union countries; and if he will make a statement. [70322]
Mr. Boateng: Information is published annually in Criminal statistics, England and Wales on the levels of crime recorded by the police in most European Union countries. In addition, we have participated in all three sweeps of the International Crime Victimisation Survey, which provided comparative data on crime levels for most European Union countries. The latest results relating to victim's experience of crime in 1995 were published in Home Office Research Findings No 57.
Copies of both publications are in the Library.
General Pinochet
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the total cost of (a) issuing and (b) serving the arrest warrant for General Pinochet; and what was the breakdown of costs; [70251]
10 Feb 1999 : Column: 260
Mr. Straw
[holding answer 9 February 1999]: The costs incurred in police operations are a matter for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what contacts his Department had with journalists concerning the incorrect reports of General Pinochet's death in October 1998 (a) before and (b) after the story was published. [70253]
Mr. Straw
[holding answer 9 February 1999]: My Department has no knowledge of any contacts with the media about this matter.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects that the Working Party on Town Centres will report. [70404]
Mr. Boateng:
A small working group is being established by the Association of Town Centre Managers to look into the development of "Speakers Corners" in town centre areas. The Home Office and other departments will contribute to this work. I understand that the first meeting will be held around the end of February and the group hopes to report in the summer.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women prisoners have been held in prison in England and Wales and had a child or children with them in each of the last 10 years. [69175]
Mr. George Howarth:
Information on the average female prison population in England and Wales over the last 10 years is given in the table. This information is also published (up to 1997) in "Prison Statistics England and Wales" (table 1.4 of the 1997 edition), a copy of which is in the Library.
(2) what out-of-hours costs were involved in the issuing and execution of the arrest warrant for General Pinochet. [70252]
| Year | Average population |
|---|---|
| 1989 | 1,767 |
| 1990 | 1,597 |
| 1991 | 1,561 |
| 1992 | 1,577 |
| 1993 | 1,561 |
| 1994 | 1,811 |
| 1995 | 1,979 |
| 1996 | 2,262 |
| 1997 | 2,675 |
| 1998 | 3,105 |
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English Hooligans
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on action taken against English hooligans attending the World Cup. [70264]
Mr. Boateng: The French authorities have provided the National Criminal Intelligence Service with information about all those arrested or deported from France. For those convicted of criminal offences in France, the French authorities have provided the Home Office with the court judgments in accordance with the bilateral agreement reached with France before the World Cup. We have requested further details in a number of cases with a view to determining whether there are sufficient grounds to apply to the domestic courts for the issue of a restriction order to prevent the offenders travelling to future matches abroad.
Police (Hampshire)
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the adequacy of police numbers in Hampshire. [70065]
Mr. Boateng: My right hon. Friend has made no assessment of police numbers in the Hampshire Constabulary. Under legislation passed by the previous Government in 1994, it is for the chief constable to determine the number of police officers in the force, within the resources available to him or her.
In its latest annual report on police performance, published on 28 January, the Audit Commission concluded that success in solving crime does not depend solely on numbers of police officers available.
Police (Avon and Somerset)
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) police civilian employees there were in the Avon and Somerset Constabulary on (a) 1 May 1997 and (b) the most recent date for which figures are available. [70170]
Mr. Boateng: Information on police numbers is collected at the end of March and September of each year. The statistics for the period requested are set out in the table.
| Date | Police Officers | Civilian support staff | Traffic wardens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 March 1997 | 2,989 | 1,439 | 108 |
| 30 September 1998 | 2,966 | 1,435 | 101 |
Brian Parsons
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 25 January 1999, Official Report, column 70, on Brian Parsons, what are the salary costs of the officers on the inquiry; and if they will be charged to the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary. [70109]
Mr. Boateng: I understand that the overall cost to date of the investigation and associated work by Hampshire Constabulary on this case is £430,000, of which salary costs account for £320,000. The salary costs are not being charged to the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary.
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
Public Consultations
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will publish his Department's collation and assessment of responses to each of the Government's public consultations. [69776]
Mr. Mudie: The Department follows the Cabinet Office best practice guidance on consultations including publicising and making available the results of consultation exercises wherever practicable. For individual consultations this can take the form of a press notice or ministerial statement, and the detailed results are made available on request.
Medical Students
Mr. Prior: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment over the last five years, how many medical students completed their academic studies; and how many, having completed their studies, did not become practising doctors. [70087]
Mr. Mudie: The available data are shown in the following table:
| Medical students | 1993-94 (3) | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of graduates | 4,600 | 5,700 | 5,700 | 6,000 | 5,900 |
| of which, those with known destinations(4) | 4,400 | 3,900 | 4,400 | 4,300 | n/a |
| of which, those entering full-time permanent employment in the UK | 4,200 | 3,700 | 3,900 | 3,800 | n/a |
| of which, those entering medical occupations(5) | n/a | 3,500 | 3,700 | 3,600 | n/a |
(3) Figures for 1993-94 are not directly comparable to those for later years because of a change in the data collection process
(4) Destination six months after graduation.
(5) "Medical occupations" covers general practitioners and doctors, and hospital house officers.
10 Feb 1999 : Column: 261
Mr. Prior: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of first-year medical students failed to become a fully qualified doctor in the five most recent years for which figures are available. [70086]
Mr. Mudie:
Information on non-completion rates analysed by subject of study is not compiled centrally.
10 Feb 1999 : Column: 262
Kali Mountford:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the outcome of the second round of bidding to the Adult and Community Learning Fund. [71001]
10 Feb 1999 : Column: 263
Mr. Mudie:
Nearly 500 applications were received in the second round of bidding to the Adult and Community Learning Fund which closed on 30 November 1998. Following consideration by the Department's independent Advisory Panel we are today announcing funding of £3.5 million for 96 projects covering a wide range of local activities to involve more people in learning relevant to their lives. A list of the successful projects has been placed in the Library.
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