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HOME DEPARTMENT
Car Crime
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to reduce car crime; and if he will make a statement. [82649]
Mr. Boateng: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Halesowen and Rowley Regis (Mrs. Heal) on 15 December 1998, Official Report, column 467. Since then, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced to the House on 16 March 1999, Official Report, columns 902-04, that an additional £150 million is being allocated over three years to boost crime prevention in areas to which the public have access and where crime is highest. This will be used for closed circuit television systems and the infrastructure necessary to make them operate most effectively and a significant proportion will be used to improve car park security.
Remand Prisoners
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 19 April 1999, Official Report, columns 419-20, on remand prisoners, how many (i) untried and (ii) convicted remand prisoners spent (a) 0-10 days, (b) 11-20 days, (c) 21-30 days, (d) 31 to 50 days, (e) 51 to 100 days, (f) 101 to 150 days, (g) 151 to 250 days and (h) over 250 days in custody in 1998; and what percentage each category represented of the total prison population. [82488]
Mr. George Howarth: The available information relates to the length of time since first remanded into prison and is given in the tables.
| Length of time since first remand into a Prison Service establishment | Number | Percentage of all untried prisoners | Percentage of all prisoners |
|---|---|---|---|
| All lengths | 8,358 | 100 | 12.7 |
| Up to and including 10 days | 1,056 | 13 | 1.6 |
| 11 to 20 days | 950 | 12 | 1.4 |
| 21 to 30 days | 786 | 9 | 1.2 |
| 31 to 50 days | 1,198 | 14 | 1.8 |
| 51 to 100 days | 1,778 | 21 | 2.7 |
| 101 to 150 days | 939 | 11 | 1.4 |
| 151 to 250 days | 939 | 11 | 1.4 |
| Over 250 days | 712 | 9 | 1.1 |
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| Length of time since first remand into a Prison Service establishment | Number | Percentage of all convicted unsentenced prisoners | Percentage of all prisoners |
|---|---|---|---|
| All lengths | 4,545 | 100 | 6.9 |
| Up to and including 10 days | 560 | 12 | 0.9 |
| 11 to 20 days | 639 | 14 | 1.0 |
| 21 to 30 days | 395 | 8 | 0.6 |
| 31 to 50 days | 521 | 12 | 0.8 |
| 51 to 100 days | 817 | 18 | 1.2 |
| 101 to 150 days | 568 | 13 | 0.9 |
| 151 to 250 days | 596 | 13 | 0.9 |
| Over 250 days | 449 | 10 | 0.7 |
(1) Time since first reception on remand into a Prison Service establishment. This includes any intervening time spent on bail, but excludes time spent in police cells beforehand.
(2) Provisional figures
Kosovar Asylum Seekers
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that family members of Kosovar asylum seekers already in the United Kingdom will be granted family reunion; [81999]
- (2) what steps he is taking to accelerate the processing of asylum applications from Kosovars who are already in the UK and have made such applications. [81997]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: We remain committed to the policy of providing support for Kosovar refugees within the region. However, a special unit has been established in Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) to enable a flexible response to any requests from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) to provide temporary refuge to evacuees from the Kosovo region. Kosovars recognised as refugees in the United Kingdom are entitled to be joined by their pre-existing spouse and minor dependant children under the terms of the family reunion concession. In compelling compassionate circumstances, the concession might be extended to other family members who formed part of the refugee's family unit before he fled to seek asylum. Arrangements are being made to deal with outstanding asylum applications, and to give particular priority to those where there are compelling compassionate circumstances, thus enabling families to be reunited under the terms of the concession.
Asylum Seekers
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applicants from Pakistan have claimed membership of the MQM Party in each of the last two years. [82875]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: We regret that the information is not available.
TREASURY
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the expenditure incurred by his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies on (a) the setting up and (b) the operation of web sites,
30 Apr 1999 : Column: 292
indicating the cases in which the expenditure has been above that budgeted; and if he will list for each web site (i) the topics covered, (ii) the current average number of hits per month and (iii) the estimated expenditure on each web site for each of the next three years. [70963]
Ms Hewitt
[holding answer 15 February 1999]: HM Treasury currently operates two websites, HM Treasury (www.hm-treasury.gov.uk), and The Euro (www.euro.gov.uk). The UK Debt Management Office, an executive agency of HM Treasury operates the DMO site (www.dmo.gov.uk). All three sites are run from the HM Treasury server and share running costs. There are currently no non-departmental public body websites.
HM Treasury's website cost approximately £20,000 to set up in September 1994. Operation costs initially were £8,000 a year for a leased line, and one full-time Range C post (Internet Editor). The Euro site was set up in May 1998 at a cost of £7,000. Current operating costs for both sites are around £60,000.
Topics covered on the HM Treasury site include News Releases, Budget information, economic information, speeches, savings, guidance. The current average number of hits per month is 832,829.
The euro site provides information on business preparation for the euro. The average number of hits per month is currently 191,366.
The expenditure for each of the next three years is difficult to estimate, but server and personnel costs are likely to be around the current level.
The United Kingdom Debt Management Office website was set up in January 1999 at no additional cost. The website operates on the Treasury server with additional running costs of £50 per annum for domain name registration. The site is edited by DMO staff, with no additional staff costs.
Topics covered are news releases, publications and background information on the DMO. It is too early to establish hits per month, but the site has received 76,254 hits to date. Estimated costs for the next three years are nil.
Ms Lawrence:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the results of last year's consultation on the potential aggregates tax will be made available. [83278]
Ms Hewitt:
HM Customs and Excise are issuing a summary of the results of the consultation today. At the same time, draft legislation for a possible aggregates tax, covering crushed rock, sand and gravel, is being made available for comment.
Mr. Gibb:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many productivity road shows have been held to date; how many people attended; what was the cost of the road shows; and how many people contributed to the productivity debate. [80821]
Mrs. Roche:
The productivity debate has been taken forward by the Chancellor and other Treasury Ministers' participation in a number of productivity focused events.
30 Apr 1999 : Column: 293
These included a series of ten productivity road shows held throughout the UK, at a cost of £95,000. These were attended by over 600 representatives of business, education and training providers. The debate has generated a widespread response from all these sectors and the public.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 14 April 1999, Official Report, column 247, on the National Changeover Plan, what types of non-IT expenditure he expects in the National Changeover Plan prior to any parliamentary decision to hold a referendum; and at what estimated levels of cost. [81747]
Ms Hewitt:
It is for each organisation to decide for itself what resources to commit to preparations. The National Changeover plan provides an overall framework to help planning and encourage cooperation and consultation.
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