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Prisons (Drugs)
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those prisons which he has assessed as being free from the use of illegal drugs. [115944]
Mr. Boateng: Figures from the random mandatory drug testing programme provide the best available measure of the levels of drug misuse across establishments, and over time. The table lists the establishments which have consistently produced rates of positive random drug tests of less than 5 per cent. during the last two years:
- Prisons producing rates of positive random drug tests of less than 5 per cent. during the last two years
Establishments:
- Albany
- Blantyre House
- Downview
- East Sutton Park
- Haslar
- Parkhurst
- Rochester
- Wakefield
- Werrington
- Whatton
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have been identified as heroin users as a result of random drug testing in each of the last five years. [115947]
Mr. Boateng: The table shows the number of samples which have tested positive for opiates under the random mandatory drug testing programme in each of the last four years during which the programme has been running nationally.
| Year | Number of samples testing positive for opiates |
|---|---|
| 1996-97 | 3,096 |
| 1997-98 | 2,720 |
| 1998-99 | 2,860 |
| 1999-2000(7) | 1,831 |
(7) Year to date figure for April--December 1999
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which retailers have agreed to take part in the asylum seeker support voucher scheme administered by Sodexho Pass. [116590]
Mrs. Roche:
A number of the large retail chains have agreed to take part in the asylum seeker support voucher scheme. A considerable number of smaller retailers have
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also agreed to take part in the scheme. As of 27 March, 4,411 retailers incorporating 10,789 outlets have been signed up to the Sodexho Voucher Scheme.
Contractual negotiations are continuing with other retail chains and it would be inappropriate to release any of the names of the chains involved.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what adjustments he plans to make to his forecast of income and expenditure of the Commission for Racial Equality, published on page 113 of the Executive NDPBs 1999 report (Cm. 4657) to take account of the losses incurred following the collapse of the Global Cultural Diversity Congress. [116526]
The forecast of income and expenditure published on page 113 of the Executive Non-Departmental Public Bodies 1999 Report was made by the Commission for Racial Equality.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the total cost to public funds of the Global Cultural Diversity Congress. [116585]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
None. Until we have the report of the findings of the liquidator it is not possible to make any meaningful estimate of total costs.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to visitors from which countries he intends to apply his proposed pilot scheme for bonds. [116524]
Mrs. Roche:
No decision has been made yet on where to run the pilot scheme. However, as the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the hon. Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz), announced on 20 March 2000, Official Report, columns 833-36, it will not operate in any of the countries in the Indian Subcontinent.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review
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the arrangements for the financial accountability of non-departmental public bodies linked to his Department. [116529]
Mr. Straw:
I have no plans for such a review. Responsibility for reviewing the arrangements for the financial accountability of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) lies with Her Majesty's Treasury and the Cabinet Office. Each Home Office NDPB has an Accounting Officer who is responsible to the Home Office Departmental Accounting Officer, and operates in accordance with a financial memorandum agreed by the Department.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sex offender orders under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 have been made. [116525]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Information on the number of Sex Offender Orders made is currently not held centrally, although we are working on a system to ensure that we receive this information on a regular basis.
We are aware of at least 20 sex offender orders having been granted.
Mr. Welsh:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the current average processing time is for immigration applications requesting leave to remain indefinitely. [116580]
Mrs. Roche:
The time taken to process an application for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom is affected by a number of factors, including the complexity of individual cases. Over 70 per cent. of all after-entry casework, which includes applications for indefinite leave to remain, is now completed within two weeks of receipt. Applications where further inquiries are needed may take considerably longer. However, streamlined procedures have been introduced throughout the Integrated Casework Directorate to speed up the consideration of all applications, and these processes are regularly reviewed.
Miss Widdecombe:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the police officers available for ordinary duty on 30 September 1999, broken down by rank, for each police force in England and Wales. [116530]
Mr. Straw:
The information requested is set out in the table.
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(8) Full-time equivalents
Note:
In addition 2,414 officers were on secondment to NCS, NCIS and central services, making 125,464 as the total officer strength at 30 September 1999
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