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Crime and Disorder Partnerships
31. Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment the Government have made of the role of voluntary organisations as partners in combating crime and disorder. [85596]
Mr. Boateng:
Voluntary organisations have an important crime prevention and reduction role. That is why the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 requires a wide range of voluntary bodies to be invited to participate in the work of the crime and disorder reduction partnerships.
14 Jun 1999 : Column: 57
36. Mr. Burgon:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Department for Education and Employment to ensure that schools are fully involved in local partnerships to combat crime and disorder. [85601]
Mr. Boateng:
Following agreement with Ministers in the Department for Education and Employment, we have designated schools as bodies with which local authorities and police forces must co-operate in partnership to develop and implement crime and disorder reduction strategies.
32. Mr. Amess:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met the Association of Police Authorities to discuss police manpower. [85597]
Mr. Straw:
My hon. Friend and I meet the Association of Police Authorities regularly both at the Home Office and at police events when a range of issues are discussed, including police resources.
The Association is fully aware that, under legislation passed by the previous Government, the number of police officers in each force is a matter for local determination.
33. Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in resolving the problems arising from the move of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. [85598]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
We have established a project team, working to tight deadlines, to plan and deliver urgent measures to ensure the Directorate improves its quality of service.
34. Angela Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met members of the Animal Procedures Committee; and what discussions took place on licences. [85599]
Mr. George Howarth:
I last met members of the Committee when I attended its meeting on 9 December 1998. I also met their Chairman, Professor Michael Banner, on 10 November. I had very worthwhile discussions on both occasions, although these did not specifically touch on the issue of licences, or on particular applications for licences, under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
The Government greatly value the Committee's advice. I keep in touch with the Committee on a regular basis and expect to meet members again soon.
35. Siobhain McDonagh:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to enhance the recruitment, retention and promotion of Black and Asian police officers in the Metropolitan police force. [85600]
14 Jun 1999 : Column: 58
Kate Hoey:
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to a Question from the hon. Member for Epping Forest (Mrs. Laing) on 26 April 1999, Official Report, column 69.
37. Mr. Blizzard:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to conclude his review of sex offences. [85602]
Mr. Boateng:
The review of sex offences is aiming to produce recommendations at the end of the year.
38. Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review the law relating to the causing of death by dangerous driving. [85603]
Mr. Boateng:
The Government have no current plans to review the law relating to causing death by dangerous driving. We believe that the courts have adequate powers to punish those who are convicted of this offence.
Mr. Breed:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review his policy on charging individuals for checks made by the Criminal Records Bureau. [85566]
Mr. Boateng:
We have no plans to review the policy. We considered very carefully whether it would be possible for the Criminal Records Bureau to provide free checks for volunteers but concluded that this would be unfair to other deserving groups such as school leavers, the unemployed and disabled people seeking work, for whom the level of fees payable would be increased as a result of the need for the Bureau's income to meet its costs.
Dr. Godman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons awaiting deportation in 1998 were detained in Scottish prisons; and what was the average length of such detentions. [85567]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The average number of people detained at any one time in Scottish prisons solely under Immigration Act powers last year was in the range of 20 to 25. Consolidated records are not kept, neither do our records distinguish between detainees who are liable to deportation and those liable to removal as illegal entrants or having been refused entry at a port. This information, together with the average length of detention, could be established only by reference to each individual case record.
Mr. Beith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if all the persons within Government who had sight of the Macpherson report before its publication were required to account for their movements during the period within which a copy was shown to a journalist and whether any checks were made of their account. [86115]
14 Jun 1999 : Column: 59
Mr. Straw:
The conduct of the inquiry into the leaking of parts of the Macpherson report was a matter for the independent investigator. Establishing who would have been in a position to leak the material is an integral part of investigations of this kind.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answers of 27 April 1999, Official Report, column 110, 18 May 1999, Official Report, column 295 and 26 May 1999, Official Report, column 149, on home detention curfews, what powers he has to revoke the licences of the 14 curfewees who were charged with an offence during the period of curfew and who remained on home detention curfew. [86058]
Mr. George Howarth:
The Secretary of State's powers to revoke the licence of any person subject to home detention curfew are set out in section 38A(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 1991, which provides that:
In addition, on 1 January 1999, the Government implemented section 103 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. This means that a curfewee whose original offence was committed on or after 1 January 1999 and who is charged with a new offence committed during the home detention curfew period will be liable to have his licence revoked by the Secretary of State under section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991.
The 14 curfewees referred to in the question are not liable to have their licences revoked by the Secretary of State under section 39 of the 1991 Act, as their original offences were committed prior to 1 January 1999, and there are no grounds for recall under section 38A(1) of the 1991 Act. However, breaches of licence conditions not covered by these provisions may be dealt with by the courts under section 38 of the 1991 Act and may result in a fine and/or recall to prison.
Jane Griffiths:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the work of the Inside Out charity in prisons. [86203]
Mr. George Howarth:
The Inside Out Trust has been involved in the provision of work to prisons since 1994. All the work is charity based. Activities include Braille transcribing, repair of wheelchairs and artificial limbs, sewing and a wide range of arts and crafts work. The Trust supplies materials and arranges for transport of goods to and from prisons. The Prison Service supplies staff, accommodation and equipment.
The Trust has also set up a Charity link scheme, which has been operating since 1996, which aims to link each prison with organisations which can make the best use of the facilities prisons offer, such as making badges for flag days or re-labelling collection boxes.
14 Jun 1999 : Column: 60
"If it appears to the Secretary of State, as regards a person released on licence under section 34A(3) above--
(a) that he has failed to comply with the curfew condition;
(b) that his whereabouts can no longer be electronically monitored at the place for the time being specified in that condition; or
(c) that it is necessary to do so in order to protect the public from serious harm from him,
the Secretary of State may, if the curfew condition is still in force, revoke the licence and recall the person to prison."
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