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Child Prostitution
Mrs. Golding:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children under 16 years of age have been charged with prostitution offences broken down by age in each year from 1989. [89582]
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Mr. Boateng:
Detailed information on the number of people charged is not collected centrally. Available information, taken from the Home Office Cautions and Court Proceedings Databases, on the number of persons aged under 16 cautioned or prosecuted for prostitution related offences is given in the table.
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Note:
Years in which no cautions or prosecutions were reported to the Home Office have been excluded
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Mrs. Golding:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were charged with living off the immoral earnings of child prostitutes in each year since 1989; and what was the average sentence for such offenders on conviction. [89583]
Mr. Boateng:
Detailed information on the number of people charged is not collected centrally.
Although the Home Office Cautions and Court Proceedings Databases identify persons cautioned or proceeded against for offences of
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unprocessed passport applications were outstanding at each office of the UK Passport Agency and in total at the end of the week beginning 27 June. [89845]
Mr. Mike O'Brien
[holding answer 5 July 1999]: The information requested on the number of unprocessed passport applications outstanding at the end of the week beginning 27 June is set out in the table.
"living off immoral earnings or exercising control over prostitute"
(S30 and S31 combined of the Sexual Offences Act 1956), they do not hold information on the age of the prostitute.
| No. | |
|---|---|
| London | 11,026 |
| Liverpool | 174,422 |
| Peterborough | 95,852 |
| Newport | 119,544 |
| Glasgow | 124,374 |
| Belfast | 1,803 |
| Total | 527,021 |
Mr. John M. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, during the present difficulties concerning passports, he will reintroduce the practice of making one-year passports available over the counter at post offices. [89461]
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Mr. Mike O'Brien:
No. A review by the Passport Agency in 1994 established that the one year's British Visitors Passport (BVP) was used in the evasion of immigration controls and by criminals, terrorists and football hooligans, and had been a cause of great concern to police and immigration authorities in this country and in Europe for some considerable time. The review also found that the BVP had a poor reputation and with the immigration pressures that other European Union governments were facing, the point had been reached when the BVP's flaws could no longer be tolerated. As a result, the Home Secretary announced on 20 December 1994, Official Report, columns 1214-15, that the BVP would cease to be available after 31 December 1995.
The sound reasons for withdrawing the BVP are such that there is no case for its re-introduction.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the criteria which he applied in awarding the Passport Agency's contract for passport-issuing arrangements to Siemens Business Services. [89974]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The high level criteria applied in awarding the Passport Agency's contract for passport issuing arrangements were:
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Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Since 1 April 1998, meetings with trade union representatives to discuss various issues, which may have included the introduction of new passport issuing arrangements, have been held on the following dates:
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
I have met with the trade unions on four occasions since 1 April 1998 to discuss staffing issues, including the introduction and implementation of new passport issuing arrangements, in order to understand the trade unions' views and, where necessary, bring them to the attention of the Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Passport Agency. In early April 1999, I agreed that 300 extra staff should be recruited.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff at each passport office have transferred to Siemens Business Services. [89976]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
On 5 October 1998, 100 United Kingdom Passport Agency staff at Liverpool Passport Office (82 full time equivalents) transferred to Siemens Business Services.
On 16 November 1998, 96 staff at Newport Passport Office (76 full time equivalents) transferred to Siemens Business Services.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list his original target dates for the introduction of new passport-issuing arrangements at the (a) London, (b) Belfast, (c) Glasgow and (d) Peterborough offices of the Passport Agency and the dates when he decided not to implement those targets. [89975]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
In order of implementation of the new system, the original target dates were:
Security
Continuity of Service
Compatibility
Management Information Systems
Archive System
Commercial and Technical Criteria
Examining Support/Speed/Method/Customer Service
Evergreening
Cultural Compatibility.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the dates, since 1 April 1998 when (a) Ministers and (b) the Chief Executive of the Passport Agency met trade union representatives to discuss the introduction of new passport-issuing arrangements; and if he will make a statement. [89977]
With Ministers, on 19 October 1998, 15 March 1999, 27 May 1999 and 28 June 1999. A further meeting is scheduled for 8 July 1999. With the Chief Executive formally on 13 May 1998, 5 November 1998, 27 May 1999, 23 June 1999 and on an ad hoc basis on other occasions that are not formally recorded.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the Civil Service trade unions since 1 April 1998 about the introduction and implementation of new passport issuing arrangements. [89978]
| Target date | Passport Office |
|---|---|
| 7 December 1998 | Peterborough |
| 18 January 1999 | Glasgow |
| 8 February 1999 | Belfast |
| 22 February 1999 | London |
The decision not to implement the system beyond the multi site pilot at Liverpool and Newport was taken on 18 November 1998.
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the contracts awarded in relation to computerisation of the Passport Agency, indicating in each case to whom it was awarded and on what date. [89882]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Contracts were awarded to Siemens Business Services and The Stationery Office (now Security Printing and Systems Ltd.) on 9 July 1997 and 13 June 1997 respectively.
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