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Special Educational Needs
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he expects to publish the outcome of the current consultation exercise on special educational needs; how many responses he has received to that consultation exercise; and if he will publish those responses. [76764]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Department expects to issue a first draft of a revised Code of Practice on the identification and assessment of special educational needs in the Autumn. There have been over 600 responses to the consultation document issued on 12 January 1999. Under the Code of Practice on Open Government, any responses to the consultation document will be made public on request unless respondents have indicated that they wished their responses to remain confidential.
Environment Taskforce
Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many under-25s have been placed with the environment taskforce since its inception; what work the taskforce has carried out; and if he will make a statement. [76439]
Mr. Andrew Smith: Responsibility for the subject of these questions has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its Chief Executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Richard Foster to Mr. David Maclean, dated 15 March 1999:
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As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State for Education and Employment has asked Leigh Lewis to reply to your question about the number of young people who have participated in the Environment Task Force option of New Deal for 18-24 year olds and what type of work is carried out on it. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to Mr. Lewis as Chief Executive of the Agency. I am replying in his absence.
Up to the end of January, 8,910 young people had started on the Environment Task Force option of the New Deal for 18-24 year olds. This figure is drawn from the latest Government Statistical Service figures to the end of December 1998 and provisional Management Information to the end of January 1999.
Turning to the type of work carried out, there is a wide range of projects which contribute to conserving energy and water and protecting the environment. We have also been keen to offer opportunities that encourage young people to become involved in local community regeneration. Projects have included dealing with housing, forest and park management, and reclamation of derelict or waste land. All projects are assessed against environmental objectives set by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. The key criterion, however, is the extent to which they will develop participants' skills, help them into jobs at the end of their time on the option and increase their long term employability.
I hope this is helpful.
Brit Awards
Mr. Maclean: To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list those Ministers in his Department who were present at the recent Brit awards in an official capacity, indicating the organisation acting as their sponsor or host. [76650]
HOME DEPARTMENT
Race Relations Act 1976
18. Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to implement his proposals to extend the Race Relations Act 1976 to all public services. [74594]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced in his Statement to the House on 24 February 1999, Official Report, columns 389-403, on the report of the inquiry into the death of Stephen Lawrence, that the Government accepted the recommendation in Sir William Macpherson's report that the police service should be brought within the Race Relations Act 1976. My right hon. Friend also announced that we intend going further by extending the Act to cover all the public services and that we are developing proposals to that end.
The intention of the Home Secretary is to do so as quickly as possible. Parliamentary time is, of course, limited and the final decision belongs to the Leader of the House.
Criminal Investigations
19. Mr. Beard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review police methods and practices in gathering and interpreting information in the course of an inquiry. [74595]
Kate Hoey: Work is already underway in the Police Service to establish performance standards for the investigation of crime, to be followed and monitored in all forces. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has developed a manual of standards for murder investigations and their Crime Committee is developing models of good practice for all areas of crime investigation.
Domestic Burglars (Sentences)
21. Ms Christine Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to ensure severe punishments for those domestic burglars who are convicted for a third time. [74597]
Mr. Boateng:
As we announced on 12 January 1999, Official Report, column 159, we intend to bring into force this December section 4 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997. This provides minimum sentences of three years for those convicted for the third time of an offence of domestic burglary.
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22. Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which of his Department's Ministers and officials saw the Macpherson report between 15 and 23 February; for what purpose; and if he will make a statement. [74598]
Mr. Straw:
Details of this kind will need to be established by the independent investigator appointed to investigate the leak of parts of the Macpherson Report. It would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this stage .
28. Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Government's response to the Macpherson inquiry report into the death of Stephen Lawrence. [74604]
Mr. Boateng:
The report into the death of Stephen Lawrence was published on 24 February 1999. The Home Secretary made an oral statement on that day, Official Report, columns 389-403, and said that he will be publishing an action plan detailing how the Government intend to take forward the recommendations and that there will be a full day's debate on this in due course.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is (a) the name of the independent investigator into the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry leak and (b) who is his reporting officer for day-to-day Civil Service work. [76191]
Mr. Straw
[holding answer 12 March 1999]: The investigator is independent; the question of a reporting officer does not, therefore, arise. It is not the practice to give details of investigators.
23. Ms Perham:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on the role of the voluntary sector in tackling social exclusion. [74599]
Mr. Boateng:
The Government fully recognise the essential role that the voluntary and community sector plays in tackling social exclusion. Many organisations from the sector have unique experience and knowledge of areas of need and opportunity. The Policy Action Teams established to take this work forward include representatives from a range of voluntary organisations.
24. Mr. Forth:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the policy on the financing of witness protection; and if he will make a statement. [74600]
Mr. Boateng:
Formal witness protection arrangements are funded from within existing budgets of individual police forces and, as such, are a matter left to the discretion of Chief Police Officers.
I have no plans to review these arrangements.
25. Caroline Flint:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) guidance and (b) training is offered to police forces on the policing of young people. [R] [74601]
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Kate Hoey:
The Home Office has issued guidance, in conjunction with the DfEE, to both police forces and local educational authorities on the application of the truancy provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. The National Operations Faculty at the Police Staff College, Bramshill, provides training for officers who manage the police input to Youth Offending Teams. The Faculty has recently established a database for use by forces on information relating to the policing of young people with a view to disseminating good policing practice. Individual forces may also provide other training to meet local needs.
26. Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on supporting families. [74602]
Mr. Boateng:
The Government's family policy is set out in the consultation document Supporting Families. The consultation period ends today (Monday 15 March). Work to assess the responses to the consultation exercise is already in hand, and the Ministerial Group on the Family will use the responses to inform the development of its strategy to increase the support available to families.
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