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Traffic Wardens
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many traffic wardens there have been in the Metropolitan Police Service area in each month since January. [122275]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The information requested is given in the table, provided by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.
| Month | Metropolitan Polic Service traffic wardens |
|---|---|
| January | 845 |
| February | 837 |
| March | 826 |
| April | 809 |
Bramshill National Police Training
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the equal opportunities audit of the Extended Interview Process to attend Bramshill National Police Training will be completed; and if he intends to publish the report. [122282]
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Mr. Charles Clarke: The report should be circulated to interested stakeholders in July after validation of the research data.
There are no plans for the report to be published more widely but I will arrange for the hon. Member to receive a copy when it is circulated.
Police (DNA Samples)
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces in England and Wales (a) invites and (b) requires their officers to give DNA samples; and if he will make a statement. [122270]
Mr. Charles Clarke: At the Police Advisory Board meeting on 2 February 2000, agreement was reached on the terms of a protocol governing the establishment of a voluntary Police Personnel DNA Elimination Database to aid the elimination of innocent contamination at crime scenes by front line police staff.
The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has written to forces to request the sampling of nominated front line staff by 31 May. All sampling for the Elimination Database is voluntary.
Crime Reduction Partnerships
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to improve the attendance of (a) social services departments and (b) health authorities at meetings of crime reduction partnerships; and if he will make a statement. [122283]
Mr. Charles Clarke: We have put in place a support programme for local crime and disorder reduction partnerships, part of which is aimed at maximising the involvement of all the statutory partners. As an example, we have recently launched a series of conferences organised jointly by the Home Office and the National Health Service Executive, for health service managers to increase awareness of the mutual advantages of partnerships working under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.
Crime Fighting Fund
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers are planned to be recruited in each police force area under the Crime Fighting Fund in the first two years of the scheme. [122281]
Mr. Straw: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the right hon. Member for Maidstone and The Weald (Miss Widdecombe), on 6 April 2000, Official Report, columns 595-96W. I hope to make the promised announcement shortly.
Police Helicopters
Ms Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 8 May 2000, Official Report, column 314W, on police use of helicopters, how many of the 200 arrests led to successful prosecutions. [122237]
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Mr. Charles Clarke: The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Overseas Visitors (Financial Bonds)
Mr. Mudie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will announce (a) the implementation date and (b) the level of financial bonds for overseas visitors. [121714]
Mrs. Roche: The proposed pilot study for financial bonds for visitors will begin in October. I hope to make an announcement on the design of the pilot study, including the level of the financial bond, very soon.
Election Turnouts
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of experiments aimed at increasing voter turnout in elections. [122008]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Under the terms of the Representation of the People Act 2000, responsibility for evaluating the recent electoral pilot schemes rests with the local authorities concerned and we do not wish to prejudge that process.
Early indications are that the all-postal ballot schemes had the most significant impact on voter turnout. However, this is not, of course, the only measure of success: the evaluation reports will also be concerned with such issues as ease of voting and increased administrative efficiency.
London Mayoral Election
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what (a) written and (b) oral instructions were given to voters on how to vote using the supplementary vote system at the election for Mayor of London; whether voters were explicitly informed at any stage that they were not obliged to indicate more than one preference; and if he will make a statement; [121815]
- (2) if he, his Ministers or his officials (a) approved and (b) were informed of the wording of the instructions to voters on the supplementary vote system used in the election for Mayor of London that were (i) printed on ballot papers, (ii) displayed in polling stations and (iii) to be given orally to voters; [121959]
(3) what discussions he, his Ministers or his officials have had with, and what representations he has received from (a) the Greater London Returning Officer, (b) Ministers and officials in the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and (c) other persons regarding the wording of the instructions used at the election for Mayor of London; and if he will make a statement; [121832]
(4) what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the instruction to voters on the ballot paper and in polling booths to indicate two preferences in the election for Mayor of London with the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights; for what reason voters were not informed (a) on the ballot paper, (b) in the
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- polling booth and (c) by staff at polling stations that they were not obliged to indicate two preferences; and if he will make a statement. [121818]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The wording to be printed on the Mayoral ballot papers and to be displayed in polling stations was set out in the Greater London Authority Elections (No. 2) Rules 2000 (SI 2000/427) which were approved by both Houses of Parliament. We have no reason to believe they were not compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.
It has never been the practice to issue central instructions to polling station staff on what they should say to voters and none were issued on this occasion.
Proportional Representation
Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has conducted into the number of spoilt ballot papers under systems of proportional representation; and if he will make a statement. [122035]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 12 May 2000]: Approximately 0.3 per cent. of the ballot papers that were issued at the European Parliamentary elections and the Scottish Parliamentary elections last year were spoilt, broadly the same percentage as at the 1997 general election. I am advised that the figure for the elections to the Greater London Authority were significantly higher largely because a large number of ballot papers were left blank.
St. George's Day
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what preparations, at what cost, Government Departments made for celebrating St. George's Day this year. [120867]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 8 May 2000]: Although Government Departments did not officially celebrate St. George's Day this year, I understand that some embassies and missions overseas and some English Heritage properties took the opportunity to give a St. George's Day theme to events taking place at that time. I further understand that the Coldstream Guards and possibly some other English regiments normally celebrate the Day, at the expense of regimental funds rather than the defence budget.
Drug Treatment and Testing Orders
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress he has made on drug treatment and testing orders; and if he will make a statement. [122508]
Mr. Straw: The order was piloted in three areas: Croydon, Liverpool and Gloucestershire. The pilots ended on 31 March 2000. The final evaluation is being undertaken by the South Bank University and is expected to be available in early July. I intend to publish that evaluation.
15 May 2000 : Column: 64W
The Government have made available £20 million in 2000-01 and £40 million 2001-02 under the Comprehensive Spending Review to fund Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs). Most of this money is being channelled through probation services, ring-fenced for the purpose, and each area has been advised of its allocation. Services have been instructed to prepare for roll out of the order subject to the final evaluation, and their preparations are well under way.
We have indicated to probation services that, subject to satisfactory evaluation, the roll out should commence in October 2000. Although the final evaluation is not yet to hand, it is clear that the overall impact of DTTOs in the pilot areas has been very positive: both offending and expenditure on illegal drugs by those subject to the order has reduced markedly. In order to allow both probation services and their partner treatment agencies the maximum time to prepare with certainty, we have decided that, as we are confident as to the outcome of the final evaluation, we should make an early decision on national roll out. The Government have, therefore, decided that the order will be rolled out to all areas in England and Wales with effect from 1 October 2000.
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