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Racial Harassment (Merseyside)
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints of racial harassment have been received by Merseyside Police Authority since May 1997; and how many complaints have been upheld. [90771]
Mr. Boateng: Information is not available in precisely the form requested. Data are collected centrally on a financial year basis for racial discrimination. In the 12 months from April 1997 to March 1998, 23 complaints of racial discrimination against Merseyside Police were completed. Seven complaints required formal investigation, but none were upheld. Of the remaining 16 completed complaints, three were withdrawn, five informally resolved and eight granted dispensations by the Police Complaints Authority.
Criminal Cases Review Commission
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to improve the efficiency and increase the output of the Criminal Cases Review Commission. [90848]
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Kate Hoey:
The Commission is responsible for making efficient use of the financial provision my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary makes for it, and for performing its functions effectively. In the Business Plan for 1999-2000 that it has submitted to him for agreement, the Commission sets out its plans to meet two key challenges: to minimise the delay in reviewing applications from persons in custody, and to increase the number of cases completed per year. Earlier this year, we allocated substantial additional funding to the Commission to enable it to increase its output, and have agreed to a further review of the Commission's resource requirements at the end of this year.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what performance targets are being proposed by his Department for the Criminal Cases Review Commission. [90849]
Kate Hoey:
In the Business Plan for 1999-2000 that it has submitted to my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary for agreement, the Commission has proposed the goals of completing 1,000 cases this year, having 500 under detailed review, and ensuring that the average time an applicant in custody waits for detailed review of their case to begin is not more than 12 months. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is currently considering the Business Plan.
Mr. Hesford:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the report of his Department's ministerial working party on electoral procedures will be published; and if he will make a statement. [90990]
Mr. George Howarth:
On 13 July, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary placed a summary of the Working Party's final recommendations in the Library. He will publish the full report later this summer.
Dr. Kumar:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 26 April 1999, Official Report, column 77, on Cleveland Police, when he expects the total legal costs to be available; if he will publish them; and if he will make a statement. [91170]
Mr. Boateng:
The total legal costs for this case are still not available.
Negotiations are on-going and the final costs are not expected to be determined until the end of July.
Fiona Mactaggart:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been detained under Immigration Act powers in Wormwood Scrubs Prison since March 1997. [90867]
Mr. George Howarth:
On 31 May 1999, a total of 10 persons were held under the Immigration Act 1971 at Wormwood Scrubs prison. Information on the number of initial receptions of such detainees into Wormwood Scrubs prison during each month since March 1997 is given in the table.
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| Month of initial reception | (13) Number |
|---|---|
| 1997 | |
| March | 4 |
| April | 6 |
| May | 3 |
| June | 6 |
| July | 5 |
| August | 3 |
| September | 5 |
| October | 8 |
| November | 4 |
| December | 5 |
| 1998 | |
| January | 8 |
| February | 4 |
| March | 2 |
| April | 3 |
| May | 7 |
| June | 6 |
| July | 3 |
| August | 4 |
| September | 4 |
| October | 8 |
| November | 4 |
| December | 1 |
| 1999 | |
| January | 4 |
| February | 4 |
| March | 7 |
| April | 3 |
| May | 2 |
(13) Provisional figures
Jill Dando
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time police officers are involved in investigating the murder of Jill Dando; and if he will make a statement. [90743]
Kate Hoey: The investigation of crime within the Metropolitan Police District is an operational matter for the Commissioner. He tells me that as at 13 July, there were 46 police officers and seven civilian support staff employed full-time on the investigation, with none part-time. These figures exclude work by scientific, investigative and logistical support staff on the investigation of the murder.
Firearms
Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total number of cases of compensation for hand guns in Leicestershire; and what is the total cost. [91209]
Mr. Boateng: 3,094 handguns were surrendered in Leicestershire and 691 compensation claims have been received in respect of these handguns and associated ancillary equipment. A total of £1,912,175.68 has been paid.
Prisoners
Mr. Reed:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of those serving a prison sentence who have spent time as children in local authority care. [91208]
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Mr. George Howarth:
The National Prison Survey 1991 (Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, HMSO, 1992) contained the estimate that 26 per cent. of prisoners currently in the prison population had been taken into care before the age of 16.
Mr. Sayeed:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received to date from police authorities in relation to the cost of the Public Safety Radio Communications Project. [91138]
Mr. Boateng:
I have received a letter from the Association of Police Authorities supporting the Public Safety Radio Communications Project, while expressing concerns about affordability. Individual Police Authorities have also written to local Members of Parliament and, to date, I have received letters from Bedfordshire, Derbyshire, Essex, Kent, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Wiltshire.
Mr. Derek Twigg:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answers of 30 June 1999, Official Report, columns 183-85, concerning provisional police manpower figures for March, if he will publish for each police authority in England and Wales (a) validated figures showing the number of officers in each force as at 31 March, (b) the changes since March 1998, (c) the percentage changes in their budget and in the numbers of officers between 1 April 1998 and 31 March 1999 and (d) the overall number of police officers and civilian support staff at the latest available date; and if he will make a statement. [91904]
Mr. Straw:
The information requested is set out in the tables.
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