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Walton Prison
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what remedial assistance people who are convicted and imprisoned of a drug-related crime obtain in Walton Prison. [94518]
Mr. Boateng: All prisoners received into Liverpool prison, known locally as Walton, are screened in relation to drug abuse, regardless of the nature of their offences. Those in need of detoxification are prescribed medication appropriate to their clinical needs, and if necessary located in the health care centre. They are referred to the prison drug clinic the day following reception.
The prison has a designated wing which offers a 12-week programme of education, physical education and group work for prisoners with a substance abuse problem. Prisoners must remain drug free to participate in the programme. Individual counselling is also available.
Each residential wing has a drug liaison officer who works with specialist support providers to offer counselling, advice and support to enable prisoners to remain drug free.
The establishment has a throughcare team, seconded from a local drug agency, to offer support and advice and to help place prisoners with drug support agencies on release.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress made towards agreeing a Council of Europe Convention on Cyber Crime. [94129]
Mr. Boateng:
Proposals for a Convention have been prepared by a Committee of Experts drawn from 16 member states of the Council of Europe. Experts from a number of other states, including the United Kingdom, attend as observers and in practice participate fully in the discussions.
The Committee, which began its work in September 1997, was due to conclude at the end of this year but, due to the complexity of the issues, its remit has been extended until December 2000. The Committee's proposals, when completed, will be referred for consideration to the European Committee on Crime Problems, on which all member states at the Council of Europe are represented. The Convention will ultimately be referred for adoption to the Committee of Ministers.
The Committee of Experts is examining draft provisions which would:
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The Government have been taking advice on a number of the issues from the Forum established by the Association of Chief Police Officers with representatives of internet service providers (known as the ACPO/ Government/ISP Forum).
Mr. Llwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were prosecuted for harassment between September 1998 and May 1999; and if he will make a statement on the working of the Protection from Harassment Act 1996. [94389]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
The available data from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database, covering the period from September 1998 to March 1999 inclusive, are given in the table. Provisional data for the second quarter of this year will not be available until December.
require state parties to ensure that their criminal law includes offences against the integrity, confidentiality and availability of computer data; copyright and related offences; and content related offences such as the possession and distribution via the internet of child pornography;
minimise the problem of negative jurisdiction conflicts, where perpetrators of computer crime escape prosecution because the conduct and the mischief it causes occur in different jurisdictions;
put in place arrangements for expedited mutual legal assistance between state parties, where delay risks the loss of vulnerable data required as evidence of computer crime. This includes a proposal that state parties should be able to request or require
data holders to preserve for a short period information required as evidence for a domestic or foreign criminal proceeding, while a production order is obtained from a judicial authority;
and provide for extradition of persons accused of computer and internet related offences.
The committee is also discussing whether to propose the inclusion of measures to facilitate co-operation between state parties on the tracing, interception or decryption of internet-related communications relating to criminal activity on the internet.
| Offence | September 1998 to March 1999 |
|---|---|
| Section 2--Offence of harassment (summary) | 2,918 |
| Section 4--Putting people in fear of violence | 888 |
(1) All data are provisional
Oral Statements
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list (a) the reports published by his Department and its associated bodies, (b) the reports received from bodies set up by his Department, (c) the decisions his Department has taken and (d) events in the UK and elsewhere, since 27 July, which satisfied the criteria he uses for deciding whether to apply to make oral statements to the House when the House is sitting. [93969]
Mr. Straw: I refer to the reply given to the hon. Member by my right hon. Friend, the President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons on 19 October 1999, Official Report, columns 429-30.
Departmental Publications
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the titles of the in-house publications and newsletters which were produced for the staff of his Department, excluding non-departmental public bodies and agencies, in the last
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five years, specifying the dates on which each title was first produced, the frequency with which each title is produced and the current secrecy classification of each title. [93845]
Mr. Straw:
The Home Office produces a range of in-house publications and newsletters for its staff, falling into the broad categories shown. All of the items in this list are, or were, made available to all or most Home Office staff. Not included in the list are items with a limited distribution or covering specialist areas.
None of these publications had, or has, a secrecy classification.
| Title | Date first produced | Frequency of issue |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Track | October 1995 | 10 issues a year |
| HO.tline | July 1998 | fortnightly |
| In Touch | July 1998 | ad hoc |
| Home Office Review(2) | July 1995 | 13 issues to August 1996 |
| Home Office Bulletin(2) | March 1991 to July 1995 | monthly |
| Personnel News(2) | January 1995 | ad hoc |
| IT@Home Office(2) | January 1996 | quarterly |
| POISE newsletter(2) | March 1994 | monthly |
(2) These items have ceased publication
In addition, the Home Office produces a wide range of office notices and guidance for staff, which is updated as necessary.
Many people now receive their Home Office notices and some other professional guidance electronically through HORIZON, the Home Office intranet, or through disks copied onto their own networks. Only people who do not have access to a network will receive hard copies, which saves on printing costs.
Over 3,500 staff in the Home Office's central estate, at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in Croydon, and at some outstations now have access to HORIZON.
Guidance on the Code of Practice on Access to Official Information has been made available to all staff in the Home Office notice on Open Government featured in the list, and further information is available on HORIZON and on the internet.
Mr. Woolas:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans he has to review the classification of benzodiazepine drugs; [93721]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
The benzodiazepine drugs are controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 as Class C drugs. They have licit uses as medicines and are subject to controls on their production and supply. They are currently exempted, however, from controls on their import, export and on their possession unless in base form.
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) which advises the Government on drug misuse issues reviewed the controls on, and misuse of, these drugs last year. It recommended that additional controls
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should be introduced on their import, export and possession. The Government are actively considering the Advisory Council's recommendations.
Mr. Derek Twigg:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on abolishing the LD50 test. [95670]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
We will vary, or revoke, any licence which authorises the use of the LD50 test (as defined by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development guideline 401) and which was issued since 5 September 1998. On this date, amendments to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 came into effect.
(2) what action he is taking to prevent the illegal trade of benzodiazepine drugs. [93720]
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