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Crime and Disorder Strategies
34. Mr. Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress in establishing local crime and disorder strategies. [80985]
- 35. Mr. Casale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress in establishing local crime and disorder strategies. [80987]
Mr. Boateng: The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 required the local authority and police in every area to formulate, by 1 April 1999, a strategy for the reduction of crime and disorder over the next three years. Therefore, all local crime and disorder reduction partnerships--over 400 of them in England and Wales--should now have strategies in place and be starting to implement them.
Police Funding
36. Mr. Sutcliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with police authorities on the funding of policing in the poorest neighbourhoods. [80988]
Mr. Boateng:
In discussions with Ministers on funding issues, police authorities have recognised that the allocation of resources and the deployment of officers within the force area are matters for determination locally
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within the overall budget. Police authority budgets are set to increase on average by 3.1 per cent. in 1999/2000. In addition, local authorities can make grants to police authorities for additional policing services in particular neighbourhoods.
In addition, we recently announced the shortlist of the first eleven targeted policing projects under the crime reduction programme. These projects are worth about £5 million in total out of the £32 million which will be made available for targeted policing over the next three years as part of the programme. Ministers recognise the importance of ensuring that deprived and disadvantaged neighbourhoods are amongst those who benefit from these and other crime reduction initiatives.
Mr. Todd:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the relationship between funding of police forces, the number of officers directly serving the public and a force's performance. [80984]
Mr. Boateng:
The Annual Audit Commission report on Police Performance, published in January, found that there is no direct link between increased spending and improved performance in police forces. The report also showed that success in detecting crime does not depend solely on the numbers of police officers available.
Partnerships between the police and other agencies, targeted policing, better use of information technology, and the efficient and effective use of available resources all have an important part to play in improving police performance. As part of the drive towards Best Value, we are working with the police service to strengthen the link between increased spending and improved performance.
Mr. Jenkins:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what response he has received from local crime and disorder partnerships to the introduction of anti-social behaviour orders. [80956]
Kate Hoey:
The provisions relating to anti-social behaviour orders came into effect on 1 April 1999. It is therefore too early to know what use local crime and disorder partnerships will make of them. I understand, however, that a number of partnerships are actively considering them as tools in their crime strategies.
Dr. Cable:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding allocation his Department has made for the development of local bail support provision for 1999-2000 and the following two years. [81636]
Mr. George Howarth:
The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales, established under section 41 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, is responsible for administering a fund of £85 million over three years from April 1999 for the development by local authorities and other bodies of good practice in the operation of the youth justice system, the provision of youth justice services and other work to prevent offending by children and young people. It is expected that £35 million of the fund will be used to develop bail support and supervision schemes and other remand-related initiatives.
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Dr. Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the model charter for coroners courts to be made available. [82175]
Mr. George Howarth:
We expect to be in a position to issue the model charter as a framework guide to coroners and their Councils later in the summer.
Dr. Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average age of (a) full-time and (b) part-time coroners. [82177]
Mr. George Howarth:
According to the survey of the coroner service conducted by the Home Office in 1996, the average age of all coroners was then 58. Such information is not collected or updated routinely.
Dr. Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the relevant qualifications held by coroners and their job descriptions. [82176]
Mr. George Howarth:
Coroners must have a five year general qualification within the meaning of section 71 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990, or be a legally qualified practitioner of not less than five years' standing.
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Coroners are appointed by the relevant local Councils. Details of the actual qualifications held by coroners, and their job descriptions, are not recorded centrally.
Dr. Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for (a) compulsory and (b) voluntary training programmes for coroners. [82201]
Mr. George Howarth:
We have no plans to require coroners to undergo training either before or after their appointment. There is an existing programme of training courses organised by the Home Office for coroners. In addition, coroners are encouraged to attend appropriate training events organised by other agencies and professional bodies.
Mr. Beith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total level of funding for each probation service in each of the last three years and the real terms change in funding levels over that period; and what is the planned real terms change in funding for 1999-2000. [81559]
Mr. George Howarth:
The table shows the total revenue cash limit available to each probation area in this and the last three financial years; the real terms value of the last three years' cash limits at 1999-2000 prices using the latest Treasury deflators, and year on year changes.
(9) Figures in brackets at 1997-98 prices
(10) Local Government expenditure (current and capital only) excludes local authority contribution for probation and bail hostels
(11) Current and capital grants and credit approvals to local authorities. Figures from 1995-96 include devolved moneys from supervision and accommodation grants provision
(12) Disaggregated from Central Government support from the start of the new capital financing system
(13) Net Central Government provision. The Home Office pays 100 per cent. grant on hostel capital expenditure and 80 per cent. grant on running costs. The remaining 20 per cent. of running costs is provided by, and 20 per cent. of capital expenditure recouped from, local authorities which make flat payments for each hostel resident.
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Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average time between a request for a curfew home circumstances report being signed by a prison governor and being received by the Probation Service. [81952]
Mr. George Howarth:
The signature or authorisation of a prison governor is not necessary before a request for a contribution to the risk assessment from the Probation Service can be made. Such requests, either on form HDC3 or form PD1, are made following the initial sift of cases
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and are usually sent by fax to ensure that the Probation Service receives them as soon as possible. No central records are kept of the time it takes for the forms to reach the home Probation Service.
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