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Criminal Records Bureau
Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he received from voluntary organisations requesting exemption from charges to finance the Criminal Records Bureau; and if he will make a statement. [79533]
Mr. Boateng: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Mr. Coaker) on 30 March 1999, Official Report, columns 608-09.
Police Contingency Reserves
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 22 February 1999, Official Report, column 105, if he will list those police forces where contingency reserves are lower than the level recommended by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy; and if he will make a statement. [79425]
Mr. Boateng:
A list of forces with unallocated reserves or balances below the 2.0 per cent. minimum level recommended by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) is set out as listed. Published figures on police authority reserves relate to a specific point in time and may not give any indication about future commitments. The list reflects the position as at 31 March 1998. The CIPFA advice to police authorities on reserves and balances was issued in December 1998.
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Police Forces with general balances below 2.0 per cent. of net revenue expenditure at 31 March 1998:
Avon and Somerset
City of London
Cumbria
Dorset
Dyfed-Powys
Essex
Humberside
Lincolnshire
Metropolitan Police
Northumbria
West Midlands
West Yorkshire
Source:
CIPFA.
Child Curfew
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (a) how many local authorities had applied to introduce a local child curfew and (b) were undertaking local consultation on introducing a local child curfew at the latest date for which the information is available. [79426]
Mr. Boateng: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply given to the right hon. Member for Penrith and The Border (Mr. Maclean) on 16 March 1999, Official Report, column 590.
Medway Secure Training Centre
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) assaults on staff by inmates, including those resulting in staff being referred for medical treatment and those leading to criminal charges, (b) assaults on trainees by other trainees and (c) incidents of concerted indiscipline, there have been by young persons at the Medway Secure Training Centre since his answer of 9 November 1999, Official Report, column 43; and if he will make a statement. [79427]
Mr. Boateng: In the period from 9 November to end February, the contractor has recorded a total of 18 assaults on staff by trainees. All staff involved were seen by medical staff as a matter of course. 17 assaults on trainees by other trainees have been recorded. None of the incidents led to criminal charges. Two incidents of concerted indiscipline have been recorded.
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many trainees there currently are at the Medway Secure Training Centre. [79377]
Mr. Boateng: As of 31 March, there were 30 young people at the Medway Secure Training Centre.
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff have resigned or been dismissed from the Medway Secure Training Centre since his answer of 9 November 1998, Official Report, column 43; and if he will make a statement. [79428]
Mr. Boateng:
There have been 10 resignations since 9 November, two of whom have since successfully applied for reinstatement.
13 Apr 1999 : Column: 9
Mr. Beith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress on implementing at the Medway Secure Training Centre each of the recommendations of the Social Services Inspectorate report. [79376]
Mr. Boateng:
Progress against the agreed action plan is being monitored closely. Measures have already been taken to address the most urgent problems including the introduction of a new staffing structure to strengthen management of the centre, and to improve operational procedures. A programme of refurbishment work is underway, and new staff have been recruited. The Social Services Inspectorate will undertake a further inspection shortly to evaluate progress against the action plan, and the effectiveness of the action already taken.
Mr. Beith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the current number of staff at the Medway Secure Training Centre is the full complement. [79429]
Mr. Boateng:
The current number of staff at Medway is 109.5. The agreed staff complement of 100.5 is subject to further review in the light of the Social Services Inspectorate report.
Mr. Beith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if further contract payments have been reduced since his answer of 9 November 1998, Official Report, column 43, to reflect performance points accumulated in the recent periods at the Medway Secure Training Centre; and if he will make a statement. [79430]
Mr. Boateng:
At the end of the second and third quarters, contract payments were reduced by £14,730 and £22,691 respectively, reflecting performance points accumulated by the contractor in those periods.
Mr. Beith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to transfer to private companies functions currently undertaken by police officers. [79380]
Mr. Boateng:
The Government have no such plans.
Mr. Beith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action his Department will take if police forces fail to make the target 2 per cent. year on year efficiency gains; and if he will make a statement. [79375]
Mr. Boateng:
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced on 21 July 1998, Official Report, column 915, that the police would receive an extra £1.24 billion over the next three years. Part of the additional funding for the second and third years will be dependent on forces achieving the target of 2 per cent. efficiency improvements a year set by the Comprehensive Spending Review. The arrangements we have put in place for the Home Office to monitor and review police efficiency plans jointly with Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Audit Commission will give forces every opportunity to demonstrate that they are meeting this target, and that the resources released have been reinvested to improve delivery of frontline national and local policing priorities.
13 Apr 1999 : Column: 10
Mr. Beith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the deadline for each local crime and disorder audit to be submitted to his Department; if he will list those authorities which have submitted an audit; how many audits have been referred back to local authorities by his Department for further work; what representations he has received concerning the audits; and if he will make a statement. [79378]
Mr. Boateng:
There is no provision in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 requiring the local crime and disorder reduction partnerships to submit their audits and strategies to my Department for approval. The Act requires that strategies be formulated by 1 April 1999 and published locally. My Department will continue to work with the Audit Commission, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and other key partners to support the local partnerships in their work and to monitor their effectiveness. I am impressed by what I have seen of their determination to carry out their tasks in an effective and timely manner, but, if there are indications that particular partnerships are failing to exercise their functions under the Act, the Home Secretary is empowered to ask them for a report on their progress.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of (a) immigration officers and (b) other immigration staff who will be employed in dealing with leave to enter in each of the next five years. [78648]
Mr. Mike O'Brien
[holding answer 29 March 1999]: None. The number of staff likely to be dealing with leave to enter over the next five years will depend upon a variety of factors, such as the extent of any growth in international passenger traffic as well as the impact of the measures set out in the White Paper 'Fairer, Faster And Firmer--A Modern Approach To Immigration And Asylum' designed to improve the operation of the on-entry control.
Dr. Kumar:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what charges have been made by the Lancet inquiry against the officer whose name has been sent to him; and if he will make a statement. [79412]
Mr. Boateng:
I have not been sent any names of officers by the Operation Lancet inquiry. No police officers have been charged with offences as a result of Operation Lancet Inquiry to date, but the inquiry is continuing and I understand that a number of possible criminal and disciplinary matters are still under investigation.
Dr. Kumar:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the serving CID officers in Cleveland Police Force are under investigation in the Lancet inquiry; and if he will make a statement. [79409]
Mr. Boateng:
31 Cleveland CID Officers are under investigation in Operation Lancet. Of these, 8 are suspended, which equates to 4 per cent. of the Force CID strength. The other 23 CID officers have not been suspended and continue to perform their daily duties. The
13 Apr 1999 : Column: 11
duties of the suspended officers are being undertaken by other officers to ensure that the operational effectiveness of the CID is maintained.
Dr. Kumar:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the number of person hours devoted to date to the Lancet inquiry regarding alleged police corruption in Cleveland; and if he will make a statement. [79410]
Mr. Boateng:
The information requested on the number of person hours devoted to the Operation Lancet Inquiry is not readily available.
Dr. Kumar:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 23 March 1999, Official Report, column 173, on the Lancet inquiry, if he will provide a breakdown of the costs of the inquiry; and if he will make a statement. [79588]
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| Cost of Cleveland Officers (salaries, etc) | 692 |
| Cost of Northamptonshire Officers (salaries, accommodation and subsistence) | 426 |
| Other expenditure (overtime, consumable stores, etc) | 129 |
| Total | 1,247 |
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of that part of the Lancet inquiry known as the Redwood inquiry in terms of costs and number of police officers involved; and if he will make a statement. [79590]
Mr. Boateng: The "Redwood" inquiry is an on-going investigation and, for operational reasons, it would not be appropriate at this stage to make any further comment.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the special inquiry taking place in the Cleveland police force. [79589]
Mr. Boateng: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave him on 23 March 1999, Official Report, column 173.
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