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Special Advisers
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what dates special advisers from his Department have travelled to the United States of America on official business since 1 May 1997; which of his special advisers took part in these visits; and if he will list the meetings which these special advisers held with members and officials of the US Government during the visits, specifying the dates and locations of each meeting and the names of the US minister and officials at each meeting. [88435]
Mr. Straw: There has only been one such occasion. On 4 February 1998, Lord Warner accompanied me on a visit to Washington. He did not hold any meetings of his own but did attend meetings I had with the National Institute of Justice, the Department of Justice and Attorney-General Janet Reno in Washington. Lord Warner also accompanied me to meetings I had in Baltimore with the Director of International Programmes, Office of Mayor Schmoke, representatives of the Circuit Court of Baltimore and the Baltimore City Police Department.
Racism
Lorna Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to ensure that police data on racial harassment and racially motivated crime are documented on the same basis by all police forces. [88911]
Mr. Boateng: Until recently, all forces recorded racial incidents under the Association of Chief Police Officers' definition of a racial incident:
A breakdown of the number of racist incidents recorded by the police in each police area in 1997-98 is given in the Home Office publication "Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice System 1998", a copy of which is in the Library. The new definition will be incorporated into the Notes for Guidance 1999-2000 to forces on collecting this data.
The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 introduced new offences for racial crime which came into force on 30 September 1998. These correspond to the existing main offences which deal with violence against the person (except those which carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment), criminal damage and offences of harassment. They relate to cases in which there was either racial motivation or any aggravating evidence of racial hostility in connection with the offence and provide the courts with higher maximum penalties to reflect the racial aspect to the crime. These are separate criminal offences in law and will be identified as such at all stages of the criminal justice system.
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The Association of Chief Police Officers issued a good practice guide on the police response to racial incidents in April 1998. The guide sets out clear policy and procedures for dealing with racist incidents. The guide has been reviewed and a new manual will be issued by December 1999.
The Association of Chief Police Officers has recently produced a report on the Reporting and Recording of Racist Incidents which identified the minimum data content that the police should collect on racist incidents, sets out a method for tracking them throughout the criminal justice system, and makes recommendations for future data collection and monitoring systems. This has been adopted by police forces in principle, subject to the Information Technology implications being looked at in further detail.
Lorna Fitzsimons:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has take to ensure that the data gathered by local race relations councils under the Commission for Racial Equality on racial harassment are comparable and gathered in the same way. [88912]
Mr. Boateng:
Local race equality councils are not required to record racist incidents and practice may vary.
The Government have accepted recommendations 15-17 of the Lawrence Inquiry which deal with the reporting of racist incidents by the police, local authorities and other relevant organisations. The Government are taking forward these recommendations through the Racist Incidents Standing Committee (RISC), on which the Commission for Racial Equality is represented.
RISC will develop a code of practice for use by all relevant agencies, including standard reporting and recording arrangements, by April 2000. It will be used to record race equality comments.
Mr. Bill Michie:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact that plea before venue has had on elections for trial. [88927]
Mr. Boateng:
As expected, section 49 of the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 ('plea before venue') had led to a decrease in the number of persons committed to the Crown Court for trial. This decrease has been apparent both in those cases which are directed there by the magistrates, and in those where the defendant elects to be tried in the Crown Court. The proportion of cases reaching the Crown Court by way of election, which fell steadily from 53 per cent. to 28 per cent. in the 10 years 1987-97, remained at 28 per cent. in 1998, the first full year in which plea before venue was in operation.
Mr. Sanders:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 15 June 1999, Official Report, column 101, on the proceedings relating to the dismissal of police officers, if he will publish The Independent Tribunal's reasons and their recommendation. [88940]
Kate Hoey:
We will consider disclosing recommendations made by police discipline appeals tribunals, on request and after the parties have been
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informed. However, to disclose a tribunal's reasons would mean making public details of the case of an individual who has appealed against an internal police personnel discipline decision. Because of the unfairness which could arise from disclosing such details, it is not the practice of the Home Office to publish tribunals' reasons. Copies of tribunal reports to the Home Secretary are sent to appellants and respondents, and it is open to them to consider whether they wish to disclose further details.
Mr. Winnick:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 11 June 1999, Official Report, column 420, when the hon. Member for Walsall, North will receive a substantive reply to his letter of 27 April regarding a constituent. [88814]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
I replied to my hon. Friend's letter on 29 June.
Mrs. Brinton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department first considered the possibility of building a prison in Peterborough constituency; and which Minister evaluated the proposal. [89191]
Mr. Straw:
The suitability of the site of the former Rockwell/APV works in Peterborough was brought to the attention of the Prison Service in October 1996 and was first visited by Prison Service officials in early November 1996. The then Minister of State responsible for prisons and probation, my right hon. Friend the Member for Gateshead, East and Washington, West (Ms Quin) approved the submission of a formal planning proposal in June 1997. Information relating to whether and when Ministers of the previous administration considered any matter is quite properly not available to Ministers of the present government.
Mrs. Brinton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what local consultation took place at the time the building of a prison in the Peterborough constituency was first considered; and what consultation there was with the local Member at the time. [89192]
Mr. Straw:
Prison Service officials' first meeting with Peterborough City Council's planning officers took place on 18 April 1997: a second meeting was held on 8 May 1997. I briefed my hon. Friend in June 1997, following the decision by my right hon. Friend the Member for Gateshead, East and Washington, West (Ms Quin), the then Minister of State responsible for prisons and probation, that the Prison Service should submit a formal planning application.
Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions for the use of bribes to secure foreign contracts have been brought in England and Wales in the last five years. [87913]
Mr. Boateng:
Offences of bribery to secure foreign contracts are either prosecuted under the Prevention of Corruption Acts 1906 and 1916, or under the common law offence of bribery. The table shows the total number of defendants proceeded against in England and Wales for
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offences under this legislation. The Home Office Court Proceedings Database, from which these figures are drawn, does not identify the specific nature of the offence such as bribery to secure foreign contracts.
"Any incident in which it appears to the reporting or investigating officer that the complaint involves an element of racial motivation; or any incident which includes an allegation of racial motivation made by any person".
The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry recommended that these incidents are referred to as "racist incidents" and that a simpler and clearer definition should be used:
"A racist incident is any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person".
This was adopted by all police forces on 28 April 1999.
| Prevention of Corruption Acts 1906 and 1916 | Common Law | |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 19 | -- |
| 1994 | 19 | -- |
| 1995 | 22 | -- |
| 1996 | 25 | -- |
| 1997 | 11 | -- |
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