---

Chinese President (State Visit)

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish the report of the Metropolitan police on the policing of the state visit by the President of China. [113924]

Mr. Charles Clarke: Publication of this report is a matter for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. I understand that it will take place shortly.

DNA Database

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many individuals have their DNA recorded on the DNA national database; [113922]

(2) what reports he has received concerning inaccurate matches involving the national DNA database and DNA samples; and if he will make a statement; [113921]

(3) what recent reports he has received concerning DNA evidence matched using the DNA national database being used to correct miscarriages of justice on appeal; and if he will make a statement concerning the number of such cases, the nature of the use of the DNA national database for this purpose and his future plans for its use. [113920]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The National DNA Database holds the DNA profiles, obtained from samples of those suspected, cautioned or convicted of a recordable offence, for intelligence purposes. The Database also holds profiles obtained from crime stains left at the scenes of crime. It is managed and operated on behalf of the police by the Forensic Science Service. It currently holds over 700,000 profiles of individuals.

The Home Secretary has received no reports concerning inaccurate matches. The DNA Database reports a possible suspect to the Police for further investigation. If as a result, the DNA information is likely to be used as evidence, a further sample is taken from the suspect for analysis and a report on a match by a forensic science reporting officer.

The Home Secretary has received no reports concerning the DNA database and alleged miscarriages of justice. The DNA database would not normally be used for this purpose. If the Criminal Cases Review Commission

10 Mar 2000 : Column: 859W

(CCRC) asked the Forensic Science Service to review DNA evidence in a specific case, the results would be recorded on the individual CCRC case file.

There are no plans to alter the existing role of the National DNA database. Last year, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced an additional investment of £34 million over the next two years to launch a programme to expand the National DNA Database so that it holds profiles of all active criminals, to be matched against samples taken from crime scenes. This will increase the Database's effectiveness as an intelligence tool.

Cleveland Police

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the (a) number (b) name and (c) cost of each inquiry into Cleveland police corruption since 1992; and if he will make a statement on the outcome of these inquiries. [114100]

Mr. Charles Clarke: There have been two major inquiries since 1992 into alleged corruption with Cleveland police, known as Operations Lancet and Teak. The latest available costs of these inquiries are £2.2 million and £314,000 respectively. In Operation Lancet, the final decision as to whether any officer will face prosecution is now a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service. Papers from Operation Teak are currently under consideration by Senior Treasury Counsel.

Asylum Seekers

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many units of housing are currently occupied by asylum seekers; and what is the breakdown between (a) privately-rented homes, (b) charity and housing association properties, (c) local authority housing and (d) property which would not otherwise be available for housing. [113881]

10 Mar 2000 : Column: 860W

Mrs. Roche: This information is not collected centrally.

Ethnic Minority Police Officers

Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many ethnic minority police officers there were in each year since 1980 (a) nationally and (b) in each police force. [113931]

Mr. Charles Clarke: It is not possible to provide information on the number of ethnic minority officers before 1990. Figures for 1990 can be provided only on an aggregate basis, and on a force basis only at disproportionate cost.

The tables set out the number of ethnic officers in total, including officers who are seconded to the National Crime Squad (NCS), the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) and central services and show the number of ethnic minority officers by force for each year since March 1991.

Table 1: Police strength in England and Wales ethnic minority strength

	Ethnic minority strength
March 1990	1,329
March 1991	1,480
March 1992	1,645
March 1993	1,794
March 1994	1,966
March 1995	2,128
March 1996	2,277
March 1997	2,337
March 1998	2,483
March 1999	2,545
September 1999	2,607

Note:

After 1998, ethnic minority officers on secondment to NCS and NCIS are included in table 1, but are not included in force figures at table 2.

10 Mar 2000 : Column: 859W

Table 2: Police strength in England and Wales 1991-99--ethnic minority police numbers

Police force	31 March 1991	31 March 1992	31 March 1993	31 March 1994	31 March 1995	31 March 1996	31 March 1997	31 March 1998	31 March 1999	30 September 1999
Avon and Somerset	23	23	23	25	27	30	30	34	33	33
Bedfordshire	40	41	30	33	32	34	12	37	36	37
Cambridgeshire	23	26	26	28	28	26	28	31	28	28
Cheshire	5	2	2	2	3	4	5	6	8	8
City of London	7	8	9	13	15	17	19	20	17	17
Cleveland	9	12	14	14	16	17	17	18	9	15
Cumbria	2	2	3	3	3	3	2	2	2	3
Derbyshire	23	27	32	32	34	32	37	37	35	37
Devon and Cornwall	2	2	3	4	4	4	4	5	6	7
Dorset	3	3	3	5	5	5	5	5	6	6
Durham	3	4	5	7	8	9	8	7	10	10
Dyfed Powys	0	0	0	0	2	2	2	1	2	3
Essex	18	22	26	27	28	28	31	36	32	36
Gloucestershire	12	12	12	14	15	13	12	12	12	12
Greater Manchester	118	126	129	130	139	154	161	164	166	167
Gwent	8	7	9	9	9	12	14	13	14	14
Hampshire	10	15	22	25	27	32	31	27	27	29
Hertfordshire	16	18	18	20	17	18	19	20	18	22
Humberside	3	6	9	12	16	15	11	13	11	13
Kent	9	11	11	12	21	19	18	34	37	33
Lancashire	27	30	30	32	39	37	33	39	39	41
Leicestershire	49	54	60	65	66	74	77	89	89	89
Lincolnshire	1	3	5	6	6	6	5	6	7	7
Merseyside	52	57	68	75	83	74	76	72	76	73
Metropolitan Police	500	563	614	671	730	801	825	861	884	907
Norfolk	0	0	0	0	0	4	8	9	12	11
North Wales	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	3	5
North Yorkshire	2	4	5	6	7	8	8	7	4	5
Northamptonshire	18	19	21	22	22	25	30	31	32	34
Northumbria	12	13	17	20	22	24	26	33	32	31
Nottinghamshire	51	51	57	56	59	61	61	61	60	62
South Wales	18	21	22	25	25	25	25	29	32	33
South Yorkshire	20	28	31	45	59	68	69	70	68	70
Staffordshire	18	19	25	29	28	27	27	33	32	33
Suffolk	6	6	7	8	9	8	12	13	15	14
Surrey	9	15	17	20	20	20	20	20	21	21
Sussex	10	16	15	19	16	21	22	23	23	22
Thames Valley	51	57	61	63	68	69	73	78	81	80
Warwickshire	9	9	15	19	20	20	20	23	22	18
West Mercia	17	18	22	23	24	25	26	26	25	24
West Midlands	176	192	207	232	260	279	283	294	313	318
West Yorkshire	89	89	96	102	103	115	130	133	131	128
Wiltshire	10	13	12	12	12	11	13	10	10	11
Total all forces	1,480	1,645	1,794	1,966	2,128	2,277	2,337	2,483	2,520	2,567

10 Mar 2000 : Column: 861W

10 Mar 2000 : Column: 861W

Racially Aggravated Assault

Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been for racially aggravated assault under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. [113868]

Mr. Charles Clarke: Provisional information available centrally indicates that there were 247 prosecutions for assault (as defined under section 29 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998) in magistrates courts from 30 October 1998 to 30 June 1999.

City Status Conferral

Mr. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when it was decided that towns competing for city status for the third millennium needed a population in excess of 200,000 to qualify. [113848]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: No such decision has been made. Although population size is taken into account by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary in submitting a recommendation to Her Majesty the Queen, the grant of city status is not a right that can be claimed by a town fulfilling certain criteria, but an honour conferred by the Sovereign by Letters Patent.

Mr. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the name of the town to be awarded city status for the third millennium will be announced. [113847]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Thirty-nine applications have been received for the Millennium grant of city status from towns in the United Kingdom; each application is being considered on its individual merits. No date has been set for the announcement of the new city.

---