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Staff Bonuses
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, how much his Department, its agencies and associated public bodies spent in total on extra bonuses above usual payments for staff working over the New Year period; what were the (a) maximum and (b) minimum bonuses paid; how many people received the (i) maximum and (ii) minimum payments; and if he will make a statement. [104474]
Jane Kennedy:
Details are given in the table. Bonuses were payable to staff required over the New Year period for testing and reporting on IT, security or facilities systems.
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| How much was spent(3) (£) | The maximum bonus paid (£) | Number of staff claiming the maximum | The minimum bonus paid (£) | Number of staff claiming the minimum | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lord Chancellor's Department(4) | 36,250(5) | 600 | 10 | 50 | 98 |
| Northern Ireland Court Service | 26,150(6) | 550 | 3 | 75 | 15 |
| Land Registry | 32,110(7) | 365 | 1 | 25 | 47 |
| Public Record Office | 4,700 | 250 | 8 | 150 | 11 |
(3) The amounts given do not include ERNIC (employment related National Insurance Contributions)
(4) Including LCD Headquarters and Associated Offices, the Court Service and the Public Trust Office.
(5) Based on bonus claims received up to and including 12 January 2000.
(6) Based on bonus claims received up to and including 13 January 2000.
(7) Based on bonus claims received up to and including 13 January 2000.
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HOME DEPARTMENT
Passport Office
17. Sir Sydney Chapman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the extra cost incurred by the Passport Office as a result of the backlog of applications for passports. [103977]
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Mrs. Roche:
We estimate the costs at £12.6 million.
18. Mr. Heald:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is taking to increase the total number of police officers in England and Wales over the next three years. [103979]
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Mr. Straw:
Under the Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994, chief officers of police determine staffing requirements within the overall resources available to them.
Over this and the next two years, we have increased the resources available from central Government by £1.24 billion. In addition, the Crime Fighting Fund will be used to recruit 5,000 new police officers over and above the number which forces would otherwise have recruited over the next three years commencing in April 2000. £35 million will be allocated in the first year of the fund to kick start the scheme. Additional money will be provided in years two and three.
19. Mrs. Gilroy:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with organisations representing the victims of crime about improving information to victims about appeals. [103980]
Mr. Boateng:
Home Office Ministers and officials have frequent contact, both formal and informal, with Victim Support and other organisations representing victims of crime, including the criminal justice agencies and services. There have been no formal discussions in recent months about information to victims about appeals.
20. Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of consultations on the Jenkins Commission's proposals for reform of the voting system. [103981]
Mr. Straw:
We have said that we wish to see a debate in the country about the merits of the Jenkins proposals. That is continuing. The final decision as to whether to adopt the Jenkins proposals will be taken by the people of this country in a referendum.
21. Mr. Robathan:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis on the payment of compensation to Winston Silcott. [103982]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, was informed by the Metropolitan Police Solicitor of the reasons for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis seeking to settle the civil action for malicious prosecution brought against the Commissioner by Mr. Silcott. The settlement was made without an admission of guilt and my right hon. Friend does not intend to call for a report from the Commissioner.
22. Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to which funds the Chief Constable of Lancashire can apply to bid for additional funding for more police officers for 2000-01. [103983]
Mr. Straw:
As I informed the House on 2 December 1999, Official Report, columns 194-97W, Chief Constables and police authorities in England and Wales
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were invited on 2 December to submit bids by 10 January for a share of the Crime Fighting Fund. I placed a copy of the bidding guidelines in the Library of the House.
The fund will be used to recruit 5,000 police officers over and above the number forces would otherwise have recruited over the next three years commencing in April 2000. £35 million will be allocated in the first year of the fund to kick start the scheme. Additional money will be provided in years two and three.
23. Mr. White:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to enable new technology to be used in national and local elections. [103984]
29. Mr. Wyatt:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is taking to promote the use of modern technology in electoral procedures. [103990]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The Representation of the People Bill, which has just completed its Committee stage, includes provisions to allow local authorities to pilot innovative electoral procedures, such as electronic voting and electronic counting.
24. Fiona Mactaggart:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the penalties available to ensure road hauliers do not bring illegal immigrants into the United Kingdom. [103985]
Mrs. Roche:
Under Section 25 of the Immigration Act 1971, it is a criminal offence to facilitate the entry to the United Kingdom of an illegal entrant, or asylum claimant. The penalty, on summary conviction, is a fine of not more than £5,000 or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both; conviction on indictment is punishable by a fine or imprisonment for not more than seven years, or both. That period is increased under Section 29 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to ten years.
Section 32-37 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 make provision for a civil penalty to be imposed for the carriage of a clandestine entrant to the United Kingdom. Subject to the laying of enabling regulations before Parliament in the near future, it is envisaged that the penalty will be the sum of £2,000 for each clandestine entrant.
25. Mr. Bill O'Brien:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications he has received for portable CCTV units in the past year; what proposals he has to provide resources for portable systems of CCTV; and if he will make a statement. [103986]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Forty five applications under the first round of the Crime Reduction Programme Closed Circuit Television Initiative were solely for portable or mobile CCTV schemes, while many of the remaining 705 applications contained a mobile element.
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Today's announcement of CCTV awards includes four bids for mobile systems, totalling £256,020. This is on top of £32,056 awarded last month to a mobile scheme. 18 proposals for mobile schemes to a potential value of £2.7 million have been deferred for further consideration.
Further bids for mobile CCTV systems can be submitted under the next phase of funding, details of which will be announced shortly.
26. Mr. Blizzard:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many homes will be covered by his Department's Crime Reduction Programme Initiative to reduce burglaries. [103987]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
The Reducing Burglary Initiative is expected to cover a total of approximately two million households.
In addition, the initiative to provide security improvements for the homes of pensioners on low incomes in areas with high burglary rates, which we announced in September, is expected to provide enhanced security in up to 150,000 homes.
34. Mr. Bradshaw:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many low-income pensioner households will receive help from the Crime Reduction Programme in respect of burglary in the current financial year. [103995]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
The £11 million initiative to provide security improvements for the homes of pensioners on low incomes in areas with high burglary rates, which we announced in September, will not start until June 2000 but is expected to provide enhanced security for up to 150,000 homes over two years.
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