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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]

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

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(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]

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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 19901,329
March 19911,480
March 19921,645
March 19931,794
March 19941,966
March 19952,128
March 19962,277
March 19972,337
March 19982,483
March 19992,545
September 19992,607

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.


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

Police force31 March 199131 March 199231 March 199331 March 199431 March 199531 March 199631 March 199731 March 199831 March 199930 September 1999
Avon and Somerset23232325273030343333
Bedfordshire40413033323412373637
Cambridgeshire23262628282628312828
Cheshire5222345688
City of London78913151719201717
Cleveland912141416171718915
Cumbria2233332223
Derbyshire23273232343237373537
Devon and Cornwall2234444567
Dorset3335555566
Durham345789871010
Dyfed Powys 0000222123
Essex18222627282831363236
Gloucestershire12121214151312121212
Greater Manchester118126129130139154161164166167
Gwent879991214131414
Hampshire10152225273231272729
Hertfordshire16181820171819201822
Humberside36912161511131113
Kent9111112211918343733
Lancashire27303032393733393941
Leicestershire49546065667477898989
Lincolnshire1356665677
Merseyside52576875837476727673
Metropolitan Police500563614671730801825861884907
Norfolk000004891211
North Wales1111112135
North Yorkshire2456788745
Northamptonshire18192122222530313234
Northumbria12131720222426333231
Nottinghamshire51515756596161616062
South Wales18212225252525293233
South Yorkshire20283145596869706870
Staffordshire18192529282727333233
Suffolk66789812131514
Surrey9151720202020202121
Sussex10161519162122232322
Thames Valley51576163686973788180
Warwickshire991519202020232218
West Mercia17182223242526262524
West Midlands176192207232260279283294313318
West Yorkshire898996102103115130133131128
Wiltshire10131212121113101011
Total all forces1,4801,6451,7941,9662,1282,2772,3372,4832,5202,567

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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.


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