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Departmental Functions (Food)
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if all food served at his Department's official functions meets the standards of production required of domestic producers. [109782]
Mr. Straw [holding answer 11 February 2000]: Food safety and hygiene guidance issued within my Department requires that food provided for official functions is obtained from staff restaurants or other reputable suppliers. These are subject to the Food Safety Act 1990. Any contracts let for food or catering services require providers to comply with all food safety legislation. I have no reason to think that these requirements are not being met.
Emergency Services
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many calls to (a) fire brigades, (b) police forces and (c) ambulance services were (i) false alarms and (ii) malicious calls in each of the past five years; [110315]
- (2) what was the total number of 999 call-outs, for (a) the Fire Service, (b) the Police and (c) ambulances in each of the past five years; [110313]
(3) what was the total cost of (a) false alarms and (b) malicious calls to the emergency services in each of the past five years. [110305]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Figures for 999 calls received by fire brigades in England and Wales are not collected. This is because brigades often receive multiple 999 calls for a single incident. Brigades, therefore, record the number of incidents actually attended. The figures include fires, false alarms and special service incidents for the last five years for which the information is available, were as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 988,914 |
| 1995 | 1,148,812 |
| 1996 | 1,060,845 |
| 1997 | 991,435 |
| 1998 | 900,287 |
The following information on numbers of false alarms and malicious calls, therefore, relates to incidents actually attended.
21 Feb 2000 : Column: 808W
| False alarms | Malicious calls | |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 295,600 | 132,200 |
| 1995 | 345,200 | 102,700 |
| 1996 | 331,600 | 98,400 |
| 1997 | 341,400 | 88,800 |
| 1998 | 323,400 | 74,100 |
The number of 999 calls received by police forces in England and Wales was as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1993-94 | 5,297,040 |
| 1994-95 | 6,088,654 |
| 1995-96 | 6,881,163 |
| 1996-97 | 7,297,219 |
| 1997-98 | 7,670,039 |
No information on false or malicious 999 calls is collected centrally for police forces. Therefore, the information could be made available only at disproportionate cost.
The number of emergency calls received by the ambulance services in England and Wales was as follows:
| Calls | Response | |
|---|---|---|
| 1994-95 | 2,611,300 | 2,609,600 |
| 1995-96 | 3,163,200 | 2,855,700 |
| 1996-97 | 3,337,000 | 2,993,800 |
| 1997-98 | 3,576,200 | 3,160,500 |
| 1998-99 | 3,847,500 | 3,291,000 |
The difference between the number of calls and the number of actual responses is due to: duplicate calls, false alarms and hoaxes. It is not possible to separate these into the different categories.
21 Feb 2000 : Column: 809W
Political Donations
Mrs. Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of EU legislation on the free movement of capital on the provisions of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill relating to donations to political parties for individuals and unincorporated bodies. [110286]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 15 February 2000]: The Government believe that the controls on donations set out in the Bill are compatible with our European Union treaty obligations.
Secure Training Centres
Jackie Ballard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the ratio of staff, excluding administrative staff, to trainees at (a) Medway, (b) Rainsbrook and (c) Hassockfield secure training centres; how many staff have (i) resigned and (ii) had their employment terminated at each facility since opening; and if he will make a statement on current staff shortages at each facility. [110456]
Mr. Boateng: The contracts for the three secure training centres each require the Contractor to maintain minimum staffing levels in relation to the availability of 40 trainee places, regardless of the number of trainees held in the centre. The staff (excluding administrative staff) to trainee ratio underpinning these minimum requirements is as follows:
| Secure Training Centre | Daytime | Evening | Night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medway | 26:40 | 17:40 | 9:40 |
| Rainsbrook | 26:40 | 17:40 | 9:40 |
| Hassockfield | 37:40 | 17:40 | 9:40 |
All three contracts require that, notwithstanding the minimum staffing levels set out in the table, the Contractor will provide a sufficient number of staff with the appropriate skills, qualifications and/or experience at the secure training centre to meet its obligations under, and comply with the provisions of, the contract at any time irrespective of the number of staff required for it to do so. This means that the staff to trainee ratios regularly exceed the minimum contractual requirements. A snapshot of the staff to trainee ratios at each of the three centres, based on the main morning shift on Friday 11 February, is as follows:
- Medway: 48:32
- Rainsbrook: 46:40
- Hassockfield: 37:20.
| Resignations | Terminations | |
|---|---|---|
| Medway | 61 | 3 |
| Rainsbrook | 33 | 5 |
| Hassockfield | 29 | 5 |
All three centres continue to maintain the contractual minimum staffing levels, with the exception that the full complement of Social Workers is not always being met at Medway and Rainsbrook. The Operating Contractors have provisional arrangements in place to cover these shortfalls and are continuing in their efforts to recruit additional Social Workers in the face of a shortage of Social Workers generally in these geographical areas.
21 Feb 2000 : Column: 810W
Jackie Ballard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what formal (a) inspections and (b) audits have taken place in respect of (i) Medway, (ii) Rainsbrook and (iii) Hassockfield secure training centres since each facility opened; and what their findings were. [110457]
Mr. Boateng: Each secure training centre is subject to inspection by the Social Services Inspectorate. Formal inspections have so far taken place only at Medway. The centres at Rainsbrook and Hassockfield have been open for seven and a half and five months respectively and full inspections are not scheduled to take place until later this year. Three formal inspections have been undertaken at Medway and I am arranging for copies of the two published reports to be sent to the hon. Member. The report on the latest inspection is not yet available.
No audits have taken place or are planned. Home Office Monitors are based at each site and they are responsible for seeing that the terms of the contracts are met on a day to day basis and also that the centres are complying with the Secure Training Centre Rules.
HMP Altcourse
Jackie Ballard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a security audit of HMP Altcourse was carried out; what were the findings of the audit; if he will publish the findings; if the operator is to be penalised for contract failures identified by the audit; what contract failures occurred and what was the amount of the penalties incurred; what remedial action has been (a) recommended and (b) implemented in respect of deficiencies found; and if he will make a statement. [110445]
Mr. Boateng: A security audit of Altcourse prison was carried out between 27 January and 4 February 2000. The report has not yet been issued but I understand the overall rating awarded will be acceptable. The report and findings cannot be made public as the information they contain could compromise the security of the establishment. The report is due to be issued on 3 March and the Director of Altcourse will then produce an action plan addressing any shortcomings identified. When he receives the audit report, the Home Office Controller will consider whether any of its findings should lead to financial penalties against the contractor.
Ashfield Young Offenders Institution
Jackie Ballard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the expected age range of the prisoner population at HMP and Young Offenders Institution Ashfield; what are the expected average numbers for each age group within the prisoner population; what specific training has been given to staff to care for each specific age group; when he expects the establishment to become overcrowded; and if he will make a statement. [110460]
21 Feb 2000 : Column: 811W
Mr. Boateng: Ashfield is certified to hold 400 male offenders between the ages of 15 and 21. It is expected that 300 of these will be aged under 18. Under the terms of its contract, the prison can be asked to hold up to 40 prisoners above its uncrowded capacity. However, the level of overcrowding and when this might occur will be dependent on prison population pressures.
All prison custody officers at Ashfield have received 40 hours of training on working with adolescents in addition to their normal six weeks of general training.
Jackie Ballard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current prisoner population at HMP Young Offenders Institution Ashfield; when it will reach capacity; what incidents have been reported at the establishment since it opened; what is the current staff/prisoner ratio; what is the staff/prisoner ratio at full capacity; of serving prisoner custody officers, how many have experience of working in a young offenders institute run by the Prison Service; what is the ratio of managers to prisoner custody officers; and how many managers have had experience of working in Prison Service establishments. [110454]
Mr. Boateng: As at 16 February 2000, the prisoner population of Ashfield was 264. Under the terms of the contract, Ashfield was required to have 400 places available by 3 January 2000, and this was achieved. The rate of at which Ashfield fills will depend on the numbers of prisoners committed to custody by the courts.
Incidents reported since Ashfield opened are detailed in the table.
Four prison custody officers have previously worked in Prison Service establishments, three of them in Young Offender Institutions. Eleven managers have previously worked in Prison Service establishments. Staff ratios at Ashfield are a matter for the contractor.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Fights | 23 |
| Self harm | 16 |
| Fire (minor) | 4 |
| Key incident | 1 |
| Possession of drugs | 4 |
| Proven adjudications for assaults | 45 |
| Tool loss | 1 |
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