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HOME DEPARTMENT

Young Offenders

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the full complement of health care offenders and nurses at (a) Feltham Young Offenders Unit and (b) other young offender units. [84846]

Mr. George Howarth: The figures requested are given in the table.

25 May 1999 : Column: 69

Complements of healthcare staff at young offender institutions

LocationPrincipal officers (healthcare)Senior lofficers (healthcare)Prison officers (healthcare)Nurses--all gradesTotal
Feltham2381730
Aylesbury112610
Brinsford1002021
Castington0101011
Hollesley Bay01236
Huntercombe01124
Lancaster Farms0002222
Onley00178
Portland01315
Stoke Heath0001212
Thorn Cross00202
Werrington01113
Wetherby01034

25 May 1999 : Column: 71

25 May 1999 : Column: 71

Macpherson Report

Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on police (a) progress in implementing and (b) plans to implement recommendations of the Macpherson report. [85063]

Mr. Straw: On 24 March I published, an Action Plan which sets out how the report's recommendations will be taken forward. Progress has been made on implementing the recommendations in line with the published plan. Specifically in April:



    Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary inspection of the Metropolitan Police is under way.


    Targets for the recruitment, retention and career progression of minority ethnic officers were set and published.


    New guidance to the police on pre-inquest disclosure in relation to deaths in police custody was issued.


    I wrote to all local crime and disorder reduction partnerships about tackling racist crime.


    A new internal inspection and review framework was introduced within the Metropolitan Police.


    A draft manual of police operations in relation to race and hate crime was issued for consultation.

The Steering Group, chaired by me, which has responsibility for overseeing implementation of the report, met for the first time on 18 May.

Community Supervision

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unacceptable absences are allowed before an offender on community supervision becomes the subject of breach proceedings. [84889]

Mr. George Howarth: The current National Standards for the Supervision of Offenders in the Community require breach proceedings to be taken on, or before, a third unacceptable absence. The Government are keen to improve the enforcement of community penalties and are at present reviewing the National Standards with a view to introducing revised Standards next April.

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were on the Probation Service's community supervision case load for (i) 1996, (ii) 1997 and (iii) 1998; and what the probation budget was for England and Wales for each of those years. [84888]

Mr. George Howarth: The case load figures are given in the table. The budget figures are shown in the Government's Expenditure Plans 1999-2000 to 2001-02 for the Home Office and Charity Commission (Volume Two).

25 May 1999 : Column: 72

Persons supervised by the probation service England and Wales 31 December
Number of persons (thousand)

All persons supervised (19)
1996171
1997185
1998(20)191

(19) Includes those supervised under criminal court orders, those supervised pre and post-release from custody, and those under Family Court supervision.

(20) Estimated figure at 30 September 1998.


Probation Orders

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders were made subject to (i) a Probation Order and (ii) a Combination Order in (a) 1997 and (b) 1998; and how many in each case have been breached for failure to comply with the terms of the order. [84890]

Mr. George Howarth: The available figures are given in the tables.

Persons starting supervision by the probation service England and Wales 31 December
Number of persons (thousand)

Probation OrderCombination Order
199750.918.9
1997 (first 9 months)38.214.3
1998 (first 9 months)(21)40.615.2

(21) Estimated


Termination of orders supervised by the probation service England and Wales 1997
Number of persons (thousand)

All terminationsFailed to comply with the terms of the order (22)
Probation order51.42.3
Combination order16.81.5

(22) Does not include terminated early for conviction of an offence.


Asylum Seekers

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people applied for asylum in the UK during 1998; how many of these applied (i) at a port of entry and (ii) within the country; how many decisions were made; and of those how many were (a) recognition as a refugee, (b) exceptional leave to enter or remain and (c) refusal of asylum; and of the refusals, how many were (x) on safe third country grounds, (y) on non-compliance grounds and (z) refused after full consideration of the case; how many applications were withdrawn; and how many asylum applications were outstanding at the end of the year. [85045]

25 May 1999 : Column: 73

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information requested will be published on 27 May in the annual Home Office Statistical Bulletin, "Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 1998", a copy of which will be placed in the Library of the House on that day.

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people applied for asylum in the UK in (a) March and (b) April; how many people were (i) recognised as refugees, (ii) granted exceptional leave and (iii) refused asylum in each of those months; and how many decisions on the asylum backlog were taken in each of those months. [85043]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information requested will be made available on the Home Office Internet site at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/index.htm, as part of the monthly reporting of asylum figures, on 25 May 1999.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the pilot of the Casework Programme in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate to begin. [84975]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Piloting involves using the system on real cases for the first time and will not begin until the system has been thoroughly tested by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. It is not possible at this stage to give a firm date, since testing has not yet begun.

Prisoners (Voting Rights)

Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many working days elapsed between the issuing of guidance to prisons in regard to arrangements for unconvicted prisoners wishing to take part in the local government elections and elections for the Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament and the date by which applications to vote by post or proxy had to be received by electoral registration officers. [84949]

Mr. George Howarth: Five working days elapsed between the date that guidance was issued to prisons by electronic mail, and the closing date for receipt by electoral registration officers for applications to vote by post or proxy.

Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme

Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, by prison, the number of prisoners on each level of the Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme. [84948]

Mr. George Howarth: The provisional figures for 30 April 1999, which are subject to final validation, are given in the table.

Prisoners on basic, standard and enhanced regimes

Prison nameBasicStandardEnhanced
Acklington13240375
Albany791335
Aldington16763
Altcourse19481229
Ashwell40243202
Askham Grange03670
Aylesbury028876
Bedford331457
Belmarsh6607102
Birmingham1895494
Blakenhurst19158653
Blantyre House361761
Blundeston1227272
Brinsford120251118
Bristol8447100
Brixton1409299
Brockhill1710021
Buckley Hall9197175
Bullingdon18719106
Bullwood Hall77650
Camp Hill1536081
Canterbury42752
Cardiff24417217
Castington1931541
Channings Wood8277174
Chelmsford335828
Coldingley1018490
Cookham Wood08267
Dartmoor1555663
Deerbolt2830590
Doncaster21873168
Dorchester016619
Dover1121821
Downview1102236
Drake Hall214068
Durham12196674
East Sutton Park06426
Eastwood Park118655
Elmley10645228
Erlestoke1132157
Everthorpe9318130
Exeter333798
Featherstone1553545
Feltham37672131
Ford0136195
Foston Hall59061
Frankland 000
Full Sutton16214254
Garth9500132
Gartree264296
Glen Parva65554218
Gloucester1422048
Grendon4482
Guys Marsh21345129
Haslar012226
Hatfield311214
Haverigg4162181
Hewell Grange010563
Highdown660065
Highpoint27410243
Hindley1038574
Hollesley Bay2121197
Holloway2139393
Holme House18825105
Hull14328150
Huntercombe8142128
Kingston11174
Kirkham15298101
Kirklevington049131
Lancaster318824
Lancaster Farms45272140
Latchmere House08293
Leeds30919218
Leicester1130036
Lewes539249
Leyhill7148228
Lincoln1313133
Lindholme2055888
Littlehey17491122
Liverpool111,015290
Long Lartin40131170
Low Newton16237
Lowdham Grange1258414
Maidstone11256263
Manchester35274808
Moorland28581160
Morton Hall86784
Mount0472147
New Hall424967
North Sea Camp011159
Northallerton62804
Norwich6539127
Nottingham4295123
Onley5146275
Parc28534190
Parkhurst26226211
Pentonville8833270
Portland540698
Preston857881
Ranby49562118
Reading298101
Risley10403261
Rochester532627
Send01756
Shepton Mallet716924
Shrewsbury3220079
Stafford33469110
Standford Hill0114 127
Stocken5466102
Stoke Heath133366116
Styal0343107
Sudbury0232259
Swaleside4308290
Swansea125471
Swinfen Hall18114141
Thorn Cross118989
Usk5589
Verne5293270
Wakefield35475382
Wandsworth81930210
Wayland3389236
Wealstun33275
Weare222272
Wellingborough725460
Werrington293639
Wetherby17177122
Whatton0110160
Whitemoor35213201
Winchester4351140
Wolds21191183
Woodhill1862340
Wormwood Scrubs1474315
Wymott3556224

25 May 1999 : Column: 75


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