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Public Safety Radio Communications Project
Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of funding for the Public Safety Radio Communications Project will be provided by a deduction from the police grant provision over each year of the project; what assessment he has made of the impact on police forces' budgets and on frontline service provision; what representations he has received on the matter; and if he will make a statement. [117989]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
The cost of the core service for the Public Safety Radio Communications Project (PSRCP) represents approximately 80 per cent. of the total service charges for police forces in England and
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Wales. This is to be funded centrally by means of deduction from total police grant provision. The forecast core service charges for the period 2000-01 are estimated at £4.4 million. This estimate is currently under review in the light of current plans for the roll-out to forces. Other estimates were provided in the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington) on 13 March 2000, Official Report, columns 87-92W.
The impact on police forces' budgets and on frontline service provision will depend on the outcome of Spending Review 2000.
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and I have frequent discussions with police authority representatives and chief constables about police resources, including funding for PSRCP. In addition, my officials and I have had discussions with the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Police Authorities about the funding of PSRCP.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many animal (scientific procedures) inspectors appointed under section 18 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 are in post; how many of them are former licence-holders under the Act; how many establishments under sections 6 and 7 they cover; and how many regulated procedures were carried out for the last year for which figures are available. [117802]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectors are full-time civil servants. No inspector holds a licence. None has involvement in animal research. None has conflicts of interest linking him to places or persons regulated under the Act or his programmes of work. Twenty-one Inspectors are currently in post, 17 of whom have been previously licensed under the 1986 Act.
Annexe B of the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 1998 confirms that of the 286 certificates of designation active on 31 December 1998, 284 were registered as user establishments, 170 as breeding establishments and 75 as supplying establishments. There is a disparity in these figures because a single establishment may hold its certificate of designation in more than one category. The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate monitors all of these establishments.
Table 1 of the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 1998 shows that 2,659,662 scientific procedures were carried out on animals during that year.
Figures for 1999 are currently being compiled and will be published in July.
Dr. Harris:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimates he has made of the cost of (a) staff, (b) premises and (c) detection equipment for the Immigration Service for immigration control in each of the last three years. [117047]
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Mrs. Roche:
The information on staff and premises costs for the operation of the on-entry immigration control is given in the table.
| Financial Year | Staff | Premises |
|---|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 76.11 | 7.58 |
| 1998-99 | 77.28 | 8.43 |
| 1999-2000 | (32)80.25 | (32)8.71 |
(32) Forecast
Over the last three years, the Immigration Service has spent over £300,000 on forgery detection equipment, over £110,000 on body detection dogs and associated equipment and, in the last year, £6,000 on CO 2 detectors.
Dr. Harris:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimates he has made of the cost of immigration detention centres and prison places for immigration detainees in each of the last three years. [117050]
Mrs. Roche:
The cost of operating the dedicated immigration detention centres is estimated to be in the region of £11.4 million in the current financial year. Previous years' figures are not available as the costs had not been recorded separately. The Prison Service Statistics (England and Wales) show the number of detainees held in prisons under the 1971 Immigration Act as at 30 June of each year. Figures for the last three years are: 30 June 1997--476; 30 June 1998--477; and 30 June 1999--490. The average total cost per prison place in each of these years was: 1997-98: £23,940; 1998-99: £25,096; 1999-2000: £25,567.
Mr. Townend:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deportation orders were made in 1999; and how many have been carried out. [117218]
Mrs. Roche:
Provisional data indicate that 610 deportation orders were signed and 510 were enforced during 1999. It should be noted that a deportation order enforced in one year may have been signed in an earlier year. Deportation orders may not be immediately enforceable for legal reasons or because of other barriers to removal such as inadequate documentation. There are also cases where a deportation order has been signed but it is later decided that deportation is no longer appropriate.
Miss Widdecombe:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners subject to the provisions of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 have been released on the Home Detention Curfew Scheme to date; what offences they committed; what was the sentence (a) received and (b) served in each case; and if he will make a statement. [117718]
Mr. Straw
[holding answer 5 April 2000]: As of 3 April, one prisoner subject to the provisions of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 has been released on the Home Detention Curfew scheme. The original offence of which the prisoner was convicted was unlawful sexual intercourse with a female aged 15. The prisoner received a sentence of six months and served a sentence of 35 days.
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Sex offenders subject to the 1997 Act may be released on Home Detention Curfew only in exceptional circumstances and in all such cases only with the consent of the Director General. In this case, the requirement was not followed by the prison establishment concerned and the eligibility date was calculated wrongly; the prisoner was released after 35 days instead of the 46 days that should have been served.
I have asked the Director General for a report. He has advised me that, wholly contrary to the procedure put in place by Ministers, his approval was not sought in this case. Furthermore, the period of the sentence to be served was reduced by 11 days as a result of an administrative error. The administrative procedures have now been strengthened and the Director General has written to all establishments reminding them of the particular considerations that apply to sex offenders subject to the provisions of the 1997 Act and the requirement at all times to seek his consent.
While this failure to follow the correct procedures is highly regrettable, I am satisfied that in this case there was no risk to the public, nor has the offender concerned been arrested, charged or convicted of any further offence.
Mr. Bob Russell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will compensate the Essex Police Authority for the costs incurred following the recent crash of a Korean Airlines plane at Stansted Airport. [117939]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
No special payment will be made to Essex Police Authority for any costs incurred following the recent crash of a Korean Airlines plane at Stansted Airport. Essex Police Authority has sought assistance to meet the estimated cost of £343,000 for this exercise. Police forces are, however, funded and are expected to make provision for unexpected events of this size.
I have, however, provided a special grant of £2 million to the force towards the cost of policing the more recent hijack at Stansted.
Sir Richard Body:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances officers in Europol will be authorised to carry arms when engaged in operations in the United Kingdom. [117577]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Europol officers have no such operational powers and do not carry arms in the course of their duties.
Sir Richard Body:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what operations have been carried out jointly by Europol and police in the United Kingdom. [117584]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
There have been no such operations carried out in the United Kingdom.
Sir Richard Body:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) where the training college for Europol will be established; [117579]
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Mr. Charles Clarke:
There are no plans to establish a training college for Europol. The Tampere European Council in October 1999 agreed that a European Police College should be established for the training of senior law enforcement officials, starting as a network of existing national training institutes. Proposed objectives for the network include strengthening knowledge of existing European Union instruments in the area of law enforcement, improving co-operation and co-ordination between European Union law enforcement training institutes with regard to European and cross-border co-operation and providing training for law enforcement agencies of Accession states. The United Kingdom has offered to host the secretariat for the network. Its location is yet to be decided.
Sir Richard Body:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if Europol officers operating in the United Kingdom will wear a uniform. [117583]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Europol staff have no such operational powers and do not wear uniforms in the course of their duties.
Sir Richard Body:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances a United Kingdom police force can refuse to carry out an operation proposed to be carried out under provisions of the Treaty of Amsterdam. [117575]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
The United Kingdom's application to participate in the police co-operation provisions of the Schengen Implementing Convention, which has been incorporated by the Treaty of Amsterdam into the Treaty on European Union, is still under negotiation. Measures under Article 30 of the Treaty on European Union on joint teams involving Europol are still under discussion.
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