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Departmental Vehicles

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total number of vehicles used by his Department and its agencies fuelled by (a) petrol, (b) diesel and (c) liquid petroleum gas; and what plans he has to increase the rate of conversion of those vehicles to liquid petroleum gas. [98205]

Mr. Straw: The Home Department currently operates a total of 1,171 vehicles. The majority of these, 759, belong to the Prison Service Agency. There are 272 petrol engine vehicles and 899 diesel engine vehicles. There are no liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) powered vehicles in the fleet as yet as there is a logistical difficulty in opting for LPG powered vehicles in view of the limited number of supply points available for a fleet of vehicles spread throughout England and Wales.

However, the Prison Service has adopted a policy that up to 70 per cent. of vehicles replaced in the financial year 2000 will be powered by either dual fuel petrol/LPG engines, or the latest high pressure direct injection diesel engines with particulate filters where available. The Home Office is planning to go out to consultation to adopt a similar policy by the end of the current year.

Deaths in Custody

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has responded to the petition about deaths in custody from families of the deceased; and if he will make a statement. [98150]

Mr. Straw: I met representatives of the United Families and Friends Campaign, the authors of the petition, on 26 April this year and my officials have subsequently been in correspondence with them. I am considering the petition and will respond shortly.

11 Nov 1999 : Column: 794

Dangerous Offenders

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what discussions he and his staff have had with Northumbria Police about present procedures for supervising discharged offenders, following the conviction of Dominic McKilligan; [98132]

Mr. Charles Clarke: Protection of the public is a primary duty of the criminal justice agencies. The Government have put in place arrangements to enable risk assessment to be carried out on an inter-agency basis prior to the release of dangerous offenders, including those convicted of indecency with children. There are strong inter-agency liaison arrangements in Northumbria and throughout the country, in which the police play a major part. This work is overseen by a Steering Group on Dangerous Offenders, which includes representatives from all criminal justice agencies at very senior level. There is a support group within the Home Office, including seconded police and probation staff, which supports the Steering Group and helps local agencies with individual cases.

These Questions all arise out of the case of Dominic McKilligan, currently in custody for the rape and murder of an 11-year-old boy in 1998. A review of the work of all the agencies involved with the care and supervision of Dominic McKilligan is currently being undertaken in line with the Department of Health guidance contained in "Working Together Under the Children Act 1989--A Guide to Arrangements for Inter-Agency Co-operation for the Protection of Children from Abuse". Once it is completed the agencies concerned will consider what lessons can be drawn from this tragedy and what action is required.

The issue of judicial discretion in relation to the registration requirement in the Sex Offenders Act 1997 is one of a number of areas currently being reviewed by the Home Office. Once the review is completed, we shall then need to consider whether, and if so what, changes are necessary to improve the effectiveness of the Act.

Dangerous Cycling

Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many police authority areas have police used spot fines powers to deter dangerous cycling; and if he will make a statement. [98345]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The police do not have the powers to issue fixed penalty notices for the offence of dangerous cycling. In order to assist the police to deal with inconsiderate cycling on the pavement, we

11 Nov 1999 : Column: 795

introduced from 1 August 1999 a fixed penalty for the offence of cycling on the pavement. The fixed penalty is not an on the spot fine: payment is not required on the spot and the person receiving it can challenge its issue in court.

Information about how many police forces have issued fixed penalty notices for cycling on the pavement is not yet available. Each police force has been asked to monitor the fixed penalty provisions which came into force on 1 August 1999, but the details are not likely to be available until early in the new year.

Domestic Violence

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has undertaken into the Canadian police campaign of zero tolerance of domestic violence and its suitability for the United Kingdom. [98288]

Mr. Charles Clarke: Earlier this year, the Home Office published "Domestic Violence Matters: an evaluation of a development project". This reported on a pilot domestic violence project in Islington, adapted from a scheme in London, Ontario. The project sought to establish a civilian crisis intervention service working with the police, promote a law enforcement response, and develop inter-agency links to encourage consistent and co-ordinated action. The report discusses current Canadian law enforcement policy in respect of domestic violence.

The Home Office has also published this year "Arresting Evidence: domestic violence and repeat victimisation" and "Policing Domestic Violence: effective organisational structures". The publications named are all available on the Home Office website www.homeoffice.gov.uk.

As part of the Crime Reduction Programme's component dealing with domestic violence, rape and sexual assault, reviews have been carried out of what is known from relevant research of different aspects of domestic violence and of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different interventions. Policing was amongst the areas covered.

Electoral Register

Mr. Hawkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the Consumers Association concerning the effect on social exclusion of commercial use of the electoral register. [98171]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Consumers Association wrote to my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, on 21 October about the recommendation of the Working Party on Electoral Procedures that electors should be given a choice over whether their personal details should be included in the version of the electoral register which is available for sale.

Police (London Weighting)

Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the value is of London weighting for (a) police officers and (b) civilian staff in

11 Nov 1999 : Column: 796

the Metropolitan Police; what the rates were in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [98173]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The Receiver for the Metropolitan Police District tells me that London weighting for police and civil staff in the Metropolitan Police over the last five years is as follows:

£ per annum

Civil staff
YearPolice officersInnerIntermediateOuter
19941,3981,7761,015736
19951,4401,7761,015736
19961,4911,7761,015736
19971,5421,7761,015736
19981,6051,7761,015736
19991,6621,8501,056766
(27)1,622(27)828(27)538

(27) With effect from 1 August 1999, as part of the 1999 pay settlement, £228 of London Weighting for Civil Staff has been consolidated into basic pay.


Police Recruitment

Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total numbers of (a) applications and (b) recruits were in each police force in each of the last three years; what the ratio was of applications to recruits per force in each year; and if he will make a statement. [98174]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The following tables show the number of applications to join the police service received by each force in each of the last three years, the numbers of appointments on probation (the most accurate assessment we have of the numbers of new recruits to the police service) for each force in the same periods and the ratio of applications to new appointments on probation.

The figures have been supplied by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary. The numbers of appointments on probation differ from the number of total recruits to police forces in England and Wales which my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary gave the hon. Member on 21 October 1999, Official Report, column 624. This is because the latter include transfers between forces.

1996-97

ForcesPolice formal applicationsPolice appointments on probationRatio applications/ appointment
Avon and Somerset01410
Bedfordshire21122
Cambridgeshire1,0999611
Cheshire8291038
City of London4464211
Cleveland1,3938017
Cumbria1,0537414
Derbyshire8077710
Devon and Cornwall1,0649411
Dorset377606
Durham1,34310613
Dyfed-Powys5734513
Essex1,2411857
Gloucestershire322605
Greater Manchester2,3663457
Gwent9326814
Hampshire1,7972358
Hertfordshire6591265
Humberside194723
Kent1,0162684
Lancashire1,76518210
Leicestershire9621357
Lincolnshire1,23610911
Merseyside41571
Metropolitan Police3,9416706
Norfolk603956
North Wales31600
North Yorkshire434637
Northamptonshire469657
Northumbria1,4861778
Nottinghamshire9278910
South Wales2,20815215
South Yorkshire1,1802006
Staffordshire620996
Suffolk1,57610016
Surrey5435510
Sussex4421583
Thames Valley1,5561839
Warwickshire20100
West Mercia6001105
West Midlands2,2123886
West Yorkshire1,6602676
Wiltshire2642013
England and Wales Total42,7745,6638

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1997-98

ForcesPolice formal applicationsPolice appointments on probationRatio applications/ appointment
Avon and Somerset6211056
Bedfordshire284466
Cambridgeshire473588
Cheshire8298710
City of London6382922
Cleveland0560
Cumbria389468
Derbyshire6126110
Devon and Cornwall1,0001726
Dorset665759
Durham8481058
Dyfed-Powys8613326
Essex3041083
Gloucestershire1,0132738
Greater Manchester2,6144366
Gwent3083110
Hampshire9291825
Hertfordshire314635
Humberside219703
Kent2611182
Lancashire1,30711112
Leicestershire7111156
Lincolnshire1,0773630
Merseyside3,06416019
Metropolitan Police4,6331,1644
Norfolk408557
North Wales6386310
North Yorkshire607659
Northamptonshire432528
Northumbria2,0442279
Nottinghamshire86700
South Wales1,65417010
South Yorkshire7861356
Staffordshire1,2602206
Suffolk8346912
Surrey7311127
Sussex2,10813616
Thames Valley1,8892587
Warwickshire6955413
West Mercia8676214
West Midlands3,2724457
West Yorkshire9751825
Wiltshire293605
England and Wales total44,3345,8598

11 Nov 1999 : Column: 798

1998-99

ForcesPolice formal applicationsPolice appointments on probationRatio applications/ appointment
Avon and Somerset1,3679015
Bedfordshire5033415
Cambridgeshire4213512
Cheshire1,0758912
City of London135159
Cleveland000
Cumbria2802312
Derbyshire5914314
Devon and Cornwall5905411
Dorset300359
Durham775879
Dyfed-Powys1,0853234
Essex687888
Gloucestershire377616
Greater Manchester2,17821710
Gwent6015311
Hampshire7441166
Hertfordshire6536710
Humberside7953622
Kent8292364
Lancashire97642
Leicestershire582857
Lincolnshire060
Merseyside1,40613311
Metropolitan Police6,2221,5864
Norfolk3121916
North Wales543629
North Yorkshire15171
Northamptonshire2592510
Northumbria1,7812348
Nottinghamshire000
South Wales1,90216512
South Yorkshire745849
Staffordshire124177
Suffolk0600
Surrey5941245
Sussex1,0879212
Thames Valley5791444
Warwickshire9173328
West Mercia695838
West Midlands4,0234679
West Yorkshire96147
Wiltshire130364
England and Wales total36,0954,9617


11 Nov 1999 : Column: 799


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