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HOME DEPARTMENT
Commission for Racial Equality
Mr. Rammell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will announce further appointments to the Commission for Racial Equality. [119912]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: I am pleased to announce that I have appointed Beverley Bernard as Deputy Chair for the Commission for Racial Equality. The appointment is initially for three years on a part-time basis.
Community Safety and Partnership Report
Mr. Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the report by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary on Community Safety and Partnership. [119913]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Yes. I have today placed in the Library a note of the recommendations from the report, together with the Commissioner's responses and the police authority responses, which take into account the advice that my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and I have received from the Metropolitan Police Committee.
Motorcycle Theft
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what motorcycle theft reduction targets he has recently set. [119602]
Mr. Charles Clarke: No targets have been set specifically for the reduction of motorcycle theft. Motorcycle theft, which is estimated to account for about 6 per cent. of all thefts of vehicles, is included within the national target to reduce vehicle crime by 30 per cent. by 2004.
Terrorism
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to seek external legal advice on the definitions of terrorism and terrorist act in proposed (a) domestic legislation and (b) the International Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism. [118977]
Mr. Straw: In developing proposals for the definition of terrorism and a terrorist act in the Terrorism Bill, the Government took account of the responses to its consultation paper "Legislation Against Terrorism", including those which provided legal advice. Since the introduction of the Terrorism Bill, the Government have received a number of submissions from bodies on the definition, including some which specifically provided legal advice on the matter. These have been carefully considered.
The Government have no plans to seek further legal advice on the terms of the International Convention on the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism or the International Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings.
European Committee for the Prevention of
Torture
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which organisations he has consulted concerning his proposed response to the 29 March 1998
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communication from the President of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture; if he will place a copy of the response in the Library; and what is the reason for the delay in responding to this communication. [118978]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Outside Government, we have consulted the Metropolitan police, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the Government of the Isle of Man.
The Government responded to the communication to which the Question refers on 16 October 1998. Delays in publication of the report are largely due to what appears to be a bureaucratic oversight by the Committee and then to its initial unwillingness to remove passages subject to legal professional privilege. It was published on 13 January 2000.
We hope to send the Government's response to the Committee on 19 April, and that the Committee will publish it within two or three weeks. This delay has enabled us to respond more fully to the Committee's recommendations in the context of the Government's consideration of an independent police complaints system. I will place a copy of the response in the Library when it has been published.
Fires
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deaths from fire there were in (a) residential and (b) non-residential property where a sprinkler system was fitted in each of the last 10 years. [119110]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information is given in the table.
| Year | Dwellings | Non-residential properties |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | -- | 3 |
| 1990 | -- | -- |
| 1991 | -- | -- |
| 1992 | -- | 2 |
| 1993 | -- | -- |
| 1994 | -- | 2 |
| 1995 | -- | -- |
| 1996 | -- | -- |
| 1997 | -- | -- |
| 1998(3) | -- | -- |
(1) Includes caravans, boats and other non-building structures used solely as a permanent dwelling
(2) Includes drencher systems from 1988 to 1993
(3) Provisional
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deaths from fire in residential property there were where a freestanding smoke detector was (a) fitted and working and (b) fitted but not working in each of the last 10 years. [119111]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information for 1994 to 1998 only is given in the table. Figures for smoke alarm operation were not collected nationally for years prior to
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1994. The table has been split to show both numbers of deaths from fire where a smoke alarm was present, operated and raised the alarm, and deaths where smoke
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alarms were present, operated, but did not raise the alarm (ie although the alarm sounded the fire brigade was not called).
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| 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 (7) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke alarm presence and operation: | |||||
| Present, operated and raised alarm | 47 | 58 | 57 | 45 | 48 |
| Present, operated, but did not raise alarm(6) | 35 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| Smoke alarm present but did not operate | 46 | 71 | 82 | 84 | 80 |
| Smoke alarm present (all) | 128 | 157 | 165 | 156 | 156 |
| Smoke alarm absent | 360 | 389 | 399 | 406 | 350 |
| Unspecified | -- | 13 | -- | -- | -- |
| Total | 488 | 559 | 564 | 562 | (8)506(496) |
(4) Includes caravans, boats and other non-building structures used solely as a permanent dwelling.
(5) Prior to 1994 data was not collected.
(6) Category includes instances where alarm was raised by people before smoke alarm operated; no-one was in earshot; alarm incorrectly installed etc.
(7) Figures for 1998 are provisional.
(8) Figures for 1998 are estimated to take account of revisions as later information is received.
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Police Vehicle Accidents
Ms Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent arrangements he has made to ensure that emergency services adopt safe driving procedures. [119207]
Mr. Charles Clarke: This is an operational matter for the police service, the ambulance service and the fire service. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) reviewed training arrangements in their Police Pursuit Driving Training report of September 1998. The report has been accepted in principle by all of the 43 police forces in England and Wales and its recommendations are being taken forward on a national basis.
Under the Fire Services Act 1947, it is the duty of each fire authority to provide the efficient training of the members of the fire brigade taking account of Home Office guidance and local circumstances.
I understand that drivers of emergency ambulances are required to undertake a two-week practical and theoretical training course. This arrangement has been in place since the 1970s and driving standards are assessed by specially trained driving instructors.
Female Circumcision
Ms McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training is given to (a) police officers and (b) other law enforcement groups for the policing of the Prohibition of Female Circumcision Act 1985. [119187]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The training of police officers is ultimately the responsibility of individual chief constables who have discretion to provide training on any subject for which there is a local need.
We are not aware of any other law enforcement groups which might be involved in policing the Act.
Sentencing
Ms McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures the Government will
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put in place to respond to the findings of the Sentencing Advisory Panel on fairness and consistency in sentencing for environmental offences. [119209]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The role of the Sentencing Advisory Panel is to provide views to the Court of Appeal on particular offences or categories of offence to assist the Court in framing or revising guidelines. The Court of Appeal has discretion as to how it chooses to use those views. It would not be appropriate for the Government to interfere in this.
Ms McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action the Government will take to implement the Sentencing Advisory Panel's recommendations that a higher level of compensation than £5,000 for environmental offences should be allowed in magistrates courts. [119191]
Mr. Charles Clarke: On 21 January 2000, the Chairman of the Sentencing Advisory Panel wrote to my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary suggesting an increase in the level of compensation available in magistrates courts for environmental offences. The Government are currently considering how to respond.
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