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Sinn Fein

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that Sinn Fein complies with rules relating to the funding of political parties from overseas sources; and if he will make a statement. [105360]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: In its report on the Funding of Political Parties, the Neill Committee recommended some adjustment for Northern Ireland parties, on a temporary basis, from the provisions on party funding which it recommended should be put in place. The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill, which is designed to implement the Neill Committee's report, would accordingly allow my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary to make such provision by Order. Consideration is being given to precisely what form the adjustment would take.

Firearms

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many firearms certificates were revoked in each of the last five years and in the current year in each police force area; and of these how many were revoked on the grounds of no good reason to possess the firearms in question. [105818]

Mr. Charles Clarke: Firearms licensing statistics for England and Wales are published annually in Home Office statistical bulletins, copies of which are placed in the Library of the House. The most recent bulletin (Issue 22-99) relates to the year 1998 and was published on 26 November 1999.

Although the statistics give details of the number of revocations in each force, no information is collected centrally about the grounds for this action.

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on the requirement for a national database under Section 39 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997; and who is responsible for the implementation of that Section of the Act. [105817]

18 Jan 2000 : Column: 369W

Mr. Charles Clarke: The Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 does not specify the person or organisation which is to provide the central register referred to in section 39. It is being developed as part of the PHOENIX database of the Police National Computer, which is maintained by the Police Information Technology Organisation. As a next step a detailed impact assessment is to be carried out of the work which needs to be done to link the Police National Computer to existing firearms systems in forces. This is expected to be completed in April.

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for each police force in England and Wales, if he will list the systems used to hold the register of privately held firearms and persons holding firearms certificates, naming each electronic system concerned; and if he will place a copy of the functional specification and user guide of each such electronic system in the Library. [105824]

Mr. Charles Clarke: I understand that most forces use or have purchased either the ORBIS system or the SHOGUN system, as set out:








































18 Jan 2000 : Column: 370W


    Forces using other systems


    City of London


    Cumbria


    Dorset


    Humberside


    Norfolk


    West Mercia.

The functional specifications and user guides are not held centrally.

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons held (a) certificates relating to the holding of (i) firearms, (ii) shotguns and (iii) explosives and (b) dealer certificates at the latest date for which figures are available. [105821]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The most recent year for which firearm certificate statistics for England and Wales are available is 1998. At the end of that year, 131,900 firearm certificates and 627,000 shotgun certificates were on issue, and 2,180 persons were registered as firearms dealers.

The most recent figures for explosive certificates for England and Wales relate to 1997. At the end of that year, a total of 6,794 certificates relating to the acquisition and keeping of explosives, and a further 2,432 relating to their acquisition only, were in force.

Local Crime Partnerships

Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of local crime partnerships in England and Wales. [105705]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The crime and disorder reduction partnerships brought into being by the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act published their strategies on 1 April 1999 and are currently implementing them. We recently published a national crime reduction strategy which includes measures to support partnerships and develop their effectiveness so that they can fulfil their potential.

Closed Circuit Television

Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent from public funds on CCTV in each of the past 10 years; and what plans he has for spending on CCTV in each of the next three years. [105707]

Mr. Charles Clarke: Under the Crime Reduction Programme Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Initiative, the Government are investing £153 million over three years on public area CCTV systems in England and Wales. We have already allocated nearly £40 million for 218 schemes and anticipate that expenditure under the first round could reach £64 million. The balance of the available £153 million will be allocated in years two and three of the Initiative.

18 Jan 2000 : Column: 371W

From 1994 to 1999, a total of £38.5 million was spent under the Home Office CCTV Challenge Competition, as follows:

Year£ million
Round 11994-955
Round 21996-9717
Round 31997-9815
Round 41998-991.5

Crime prevention measures funded under the earlier Safe Cities Programme and the Single Regeneration Budget may have included elements of CCTV, but these are not separately identifiable.

Victim Support

Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the funding for Victim Support in each of the last 10 years; and what plans he has for its funding in each of the next three years. [105709]

Mr. Charles Clarke: Home Office grant to Victim Support for the last ten years is as follows:

£ million

Financial yearGrant
1990-914.7
1991-925.7
1992-937.3
1993-948.4
1994-9510.0
1995-9610.8
1996-9711.7
1997-9812.7
1998-9912.7
1999-200017.3

Following the last Comprehensive Spending Review grant for 2000-01 was set at £18.3 million and for 2001-02 at £19.0 million. Grant for 2001-02 and beyond is currently being reviewed in the current spending review.

Electronic Tagging

Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many criminals have been electronically tagged in each year since the introduction of tagging; and if he will make a statement. [105710]

Mr. Boateng: In 1999, a total of 18,049 persons were subject to electronic monitoring. The great majority of these (15,320) were prisoners released on Home Detention Curfew under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

Information is not available in the form requested in earlier years. The available information for the period from July 1995, when trials of curfew orders under the Criminal Justice Act 1991 began, to the end of 1998 is set out in the table.

18 Jan 2000 : Column: 372W

Description/periodNumber monitored
Curfew order under the Criminal Justice Act 1991
July 1995-June 199683
July 1996-June 1997375
July 1997-December 1998(4)--
Curfew order under the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997
1998232
Bail cases
199872

(4) Not available


Violent Crime

Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many violent crimes were reported and how many convictions there were for violent crime in each of the past 10 years. [105701]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The figures available cover the ten years to 1998 and relate to violent notifiable offences recorded by the police, and to persons convicted of violent indictable offences, and are as follows:

England and Wales

Notifiable violent offences recorded by the police (5) Persons convicted of violent offences (6)
1989239,85867,475
1990249,90463,909
1991265,08557,517
1992284,19953,601
1993294,23148,298
1994310,33247,009
1995310,93638,977
1996344,76840,345
1997347,06444,674
1998(7)331,84347,159

(5) Violent crime comprises the offence groups of violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery. Figures for persons convicted are not directly comparable with recorded crime figures, as they relate to individuals found guilty, rather than offences.

(6) Covers offences within the indictable offence groups of violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery.

3 Estimate of the total for the year ending March 1999 using the coverage and the counting rules used up to March 1998. New counting rules were introduced on 1 April 1998.

Source:

Home Office Court Proceedings Database


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