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Judicial and Police Co-operation
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 8 June 1999, Official Report, column 264 on judicial and police co-operation, if he will list those measures in respect of the Treaty of the European Community which the Government intend (a) to adopt and (b) not to adopt; if they participate in consideration of measures which they do not intend to adopt; and in respect of each measure if
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he will include its official reference, where and when it was discussed, and the current stage of parliamentary scrutiny to which it is subject. [96568]
Mr. Straw:
Title VI of the Treaty on European Union contains provisions on police and judicial co-operation in criminal matters in which member states participate as of right. The question of adopting or not adopting individual measures does not, therefore, arise. Each measure is subject to unanimity. All Third Pillar matters which meet the criteria for scrutiny are submitted to Parliament in the usual way. The following issues are under consideration:
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Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to his answer of 8 June 1999, Official Report, column 259, on the K4 Committee, if he will list the bodies involved in such consultation and publish their responses; what further consultations and discussions have (a) taken place and (b) are planned within the European Union on this matter; what measures he expects to be necessary to implement such a proposal; and on what treaty articles they would be based. [96504]
Mrs. Roche:
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary gave evidence about the United Kingdom initiative on mutual recognition of judicial decisions in criminal matters to the House of Lords' European Communities Committee before the Tampere European Council. No detailed legislative proposals concerning mutual recognition have yet been tabled in the European Union. The European Council has, however, asked the Council and the Commission to adopt, by December 2000, a programme of measures to implement the principle of mutual recognition. Any proposals for legal instruments will be submitted to Parliament in accordance with normal procedures, and I will also ensure that United Kingdom bodies concerned in implementing the proposals are consulted. It is likely that primary legislation would be needed to implement these proposals. It is expected that the proposals would be based on Article 34 of the Treaty on European Union.
Mr. Alan Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, by police authority area, the number of women medical examiners available for examinations involving child victims of sex attacks; and if in all areas child victims or their families are able to choose to be examined by a female doctor. [96398]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Comprehensive information about numbers of female medical examiners is not held centrally. It is accepted as good practice that child victims of sexual assaults, or their families on their behalf, should be given the choice of being examined by a female doctor. Unfortunately, this cannot always be guaranteed as there are some police forces which do not have female medical examiners.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 25 October 1999, Official Report, column 685, on the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, if he will list the areas in which (a) reparation orders, (b) parenting orders, (c) child safety orders and (d) action plan orders are being piloted; and if he will give the number of such orders which have been issued in each respective pilot area. [96473]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
The information requested is set out in the table. It indicates the number of orders made in the pilot areas by 30 September 1999, the latest date for which this information is readily available.
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Draft Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters
Official reference 9636/99 (COPEN 11).
Last discussed by the Article 36 Committee on 22 October.
Deposited for Parliamentary scrutiny on 23 July. Not yet cleared.
Draft Framework Decision on counterfeiting of the euro
Official reference 9966/99 (DROIPEN 4).
Last discussed in the Working Group on Substantive Criminal Law on 19 October.
Deposited for Parliamentary scrutiny on 20 July. Not yet cleared.
Draft joint action on combating serious environmental crime
Official reference 5579/99 (CK4 10).
Last discussed in the Working Group on Substantive Criminal Law on 16 September.
Deposited for Parliamentary scrutiny on 29 January.
Cleared by the House of Lords on 3 March and by the House of Commons on 16 June.
Draft Framework Decision on combating fraud and counterfeiting of non-cash means of payment
Official reference 11217/99 (CRIMORG 135).
Not yet discussed.
Deposited for Parliamentary scrutiny on 13 October. Not yet cleared.
Draft joint action on criminal law protection against fraudulent or unfair anti-competitive conduct in the award of public contracts in the common market
Official reference 6946/99 (JUSTPEN 16).
Last discussed in the Working Group on Criminal Law/Community Law on 7 April.
Deposited for Parliamentary scrutiny on 6 April and cleared on 28 April.
Draft Decision on the Exchange of Information between Financial Intelligence Units
Official reference 9961/99 (CRIMORG 101).
Discussed by the Multi-Disciplinary Group on Organised Crime on 26 and 27 July.
Deposited for Parliamentary scrutiny on 6 August. Not yet cleared.
Draft Joint Action on Asset Sharing
Official reference 13007/98 (CRIMORG 178).
Discussed at the K4 Committee on 23 and 24 January.
Deposited for Parliamentary scrutiny on 4 March. Not yet cleared.
Council Decision authorising the Director of Europol to enter into negotiations on agreements with third states and non-European Union related bodies
Official reference 11854/2/99 (EUROPOL 43).
Discussed at the Justice and Home Affairs Council Meeting on 29 October.
Deposited for Parliamentary scrutiny on 20 October.
Cleared by the House of Lords on 26 October and by the House of Commons on 27 October.
| Pilot area/order | Reparation order | Parenting order | Action plan order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster | 13 | 2 | 24 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 13 | 0 | 20 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 16 | 0 | 40 |
| Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight | 471 | 3 | 261 |
| Wolverhampton | 122 | 14 | 88 |
| Sheffield | 179 | 0 | 57 |
| Lewisham | (5)-- | 7 | (5)-- |
| Devon | (5)-- | 5 | (5)-- |
| Bedfordshire | (5)-- | 25 | (5)-- |
| Luton | (5)-- | 10 | (5)-- |
| St. Helens | (5)-- | 21 | (5)-- |
| Sunderland | (5)-- | 35 | (5)-- |
| Blackburn | 15 | (5)-- | (5)-- |
| Total | 829 | 122 | 490 |
(5) Indicates that the provision is not being piloted, or was not available, in that area
In addition, one child safety order was made in the Sunderland pilot area.
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his reply of 25 October 1999, Official Report, column 689 on asylum seekers, if asylum seekers will be deemed to be statutorily homeless. [96543]
Mrs. Roche: Asylum seekers who are destitute will be able to apply for accommodation and other essential living needs under the arrangements made under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Bill. Once those arrangements are in place, only those asylum seekers who are entitled to social security benefits will be entitled to assistance under the homelessness legislation.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on plans for standardisation of the appeal system for asylum seekers whose asylum request has been rejected, following Tampere. [96572]
Mrs. Roche: I am aware of no such plans, although consideration of appeal procedures may in due course feature in work on minimum standards for the qualification of nationals of third countries as refugees in accordance with article 63 of the Treaty of Amsterdam. The United Kingdom has the choice of opting into these measures.
Schengen Agreement
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those organisations he has consulted in deciding whether to join elements of the Schengen Agreement. [96550]
Mrs. Roche:
In deciding which parts of the Schengen acquis to participate in and in preparing the United Kingdom's formal application for participation, the Home Office consulted colleagues within Government with relevant policy interests. We also consulted the Governments of Gibraltar, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, the police service and the Data Protection Registrar. In addition, we took note of the reports of the House of Lords European Communities Committee, including comments from a range of organisations and interests.
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