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Peacekeeping
Mr. Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions his Department has had concerning the implications for future British involvement in peacekeeping operations of ratification of the International Criminal Court. [97517]
Mrs. Roche: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the hon. Member for Neath (Mr. Hain) on 8 November 1999, Official Report, column 409.
Police Manpower
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were (a) the total police strength, (b) the total number of officers available for ordinary duty and (c) the total number of constables for (i) each of the police forces in England and Wales and (ii) England and Wales as a whole on 31 March 1979 and on 31 March in each subsequent year to date. [97231]
Mr. Charles Clarke [holding answer 4 November 1999]: Information in the form requested is readily available only for the years 1991 to 1999. Tables containing this information have been placed in the Library. The figures in the tables exclude all secondments (including National Criminal Intelligence Service, National Crime Squad, Central Services and Inter-Force units).
I will write to the hon. Member with information for the earlier years as soon as it is available.
Vulnerable Witnesses
Ms Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued in respect of evidence in criminal trials from vulnerable witnesses in accordance with the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999. [97374]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Explanatory notes were published to accompany the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999. The Government intend to issue comprehensive guidance for the purpose of implementing
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all the recommendations relating to vulnerable witnesses in the "Speaking up for Justice" report, including the measures in Part II of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999. The Government's implementation programme for all these measures will be published shortly.
Ms Moran:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to implement sections 40 and 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999. [97371]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Lancaster and Wyre (Mr. Dawson) on 8 November 1999, Official Report, column 421.
Mr. Willis:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has, at what cost, to upgrade the software used by the Probation Service; and if he will publish a detailed list of errors in and omissions from the specifications of the original software. [97549]
Mr. Boateng:
The Probation Service uses a variety of software packages including e-mail, word processing, other office automation products and a national case management system. Because of plans to modernise both the Probation Service's structure and ways of working, and as new possibilities have arisen from recent technology, we have also decided to re-develop the national case management system. This work is in its planning stages and work to estimate likely costs has not been completed.
The software has been subject to change and enhancements over the past few years. The rollout of the current version of the Case Management System is nearing completion. Bespoke software of any degree of complexity often contains some bugs, even after thorough testing. The list of outstanding faults on the Case Management System changes rapidly as the Home Office, Probation Services and the Contractor work together to reduce the number of errors. The error list falls under the definition of Confidential Information in the contract with our suppliers and, therefore, cannot be published.
Sir Richard Body:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) of 26 October 1999, Official Report, column 802, for what reason the information sought is not available. [97566]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Following the reply to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 26 October 1999, Official Report, column 802, it has come to my attention that Mireille Delmas-Marty, one of the authors of the corpus juris report, is chair of the Comite de Surveillance of OLAF (Office pour la Lutte Anti-Fraude).
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However, in order to obtain further information about official European Community positions held, if any, it would be necessary to make inquiries of the European Commission, or of the individuals themselves. We have seen no need to make such inquiries, but it is of course open to the hon. Member to do so.
Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to require that (a) local authority social services and (b) local police are informed when prisoners with a record of convictions involving the sexual abuse of minors are released. [97969]
Mr. Boateng:
Under existing arrangements, prison governors are required to inform local social services departments and the probation service in advance of the release of any prisoner who has been convicted of, or has been previously convicted of, any sexual or violent offence against children or young persons under the age of 18 years listed in Schedule One of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933.
On the release of a prisoner who is required to register with the police under the Sex Offenders Act 1997, the prison informs the police for the area to which the prisoner is to be discharged, or, if this is uncertain, the police for the area of the prison establishment.
The Prison Service will be undertaking shortly a comprehensive review of its current procedures for informing other agencies of the release of prisoners, to ensure that it is able to fully support other agencies in their responsibilities for managing the risk that certain prisoners may pose to the public on release from prison.
Mr. Dafis:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken to implement Recommendation 63, regarding stop and search provisions, in the Macpherson report. [97810]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary published his Action Plan in March as the Government's response to the Macpherson Report. On the report's recommendations on stop and search, the Action Plan said that pilot projects would be established to test the practical implications of Recommendation 61 of the report (that all "stops" and "stops and searches" should be recorded and a copy of the record given to the person stopped). The Action Plan said that Recommendation 63 (that Police Authorities be given the duty to undertake publicity campaigns to ensure that the public is aware of "stop and search" provisions) would need to be considered further in the light of the pilot projects.
The Steering Group which my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary chairs to oversee and audit the implementation of the Action Plan has approved proposals for the pilots (to be run in Hounslow and Greenwich in the Metropolitan Police Service, and in Leicestershire, West Yorkshire and Suffolk). Piloting will have begun on all sites by later this month and will run until the end of March 2000. Decisions will be taken on any new recording requirements and further consideration given to Recommendation 63 in the light of the evaluation of the pilot projects.
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Mr. Sayeed:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to ensure that illegal immigrants and bogus asylum seekers do not remain in the UK. [97891]
Mrs. Roche:
The Government have made clear their commitment to remove from the United Kingdom those persons who have entered illegally and those whose asylum claims have been refused and who do not otherwise qualify to remain.
The Immigration Service has instituted a range of measures to achieve our commitment including the establishment of a specialist documentation unit to liaise with issuing authorities and the deployment of a dedicated absconder tracing team.
The Immigration and Asylum Bill currently before Parliament contains further measures aimed at ensuring that those who have no lawful basis to remain here do not do so.
Mr. Sayeed:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total cost in each of the last 10 years of (a) welfare benefits, (b) medical and (c) education for illegal immigrants and asylum seekers in the UK. [97890]
Mrs. Roche:
This information is not available. For information about the amount paid in social security benefits to asylum seekers in the last six years, I refer to the reply given by the Under-Secretary of State for Social Security, my hon. Friend the Member for City of York (Mr. Bayley) to the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Liddington) on 2 November 1999, Official Report, columns 154-55.
Mr. Sayeed:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has for the speedy clearing of the backlog of asylum applications. [97888]
Mrs. Roche:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Woking (Mr. Malins) on 1 November 1999, Official Report, column 58.
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