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HOUSE OF COMMONS
Select Committees
Mr. Pearson: To ask the President of the Council when the Government plan to publish their response to the Liaison Committee's First report, Shifting the Balance: Select Committees and the Executive, HC 300. [122923]
Mrs. Beckett: I intend to publish the Government's response tomorrow.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Policing (Somerset)
Mr. Ashdown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to allocate additional cash for policing in Somerset; and if he will make a statement. [121214]
Mr. Charles Clarke [holding answer 9 May 2000]: Somerset and Avon Police Authority set a budget this year of £181.2 million, an increase of 4.5 per cent compared with last year. In addition, the force will benefit from a number of initiatives to help tackle crime. Distribution of resources between the counties of Avon and Somerset will reflect the Chief Constable's judgment of priorities at different times and is not subject to Government determination.
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Under the Crime Reduction Programme, over £2 million has been allocated so far to Avon and Somerset for the Reducing Burglary, Targeted Policing and Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) initiatives.
Five Reducing Burglary bids have been approved with programme funding amounting to £0.3 million. Under the latest round of the Targeted Policing Initiative, two proposals with a combined value of just over £1 million have been approved for further development: one combating robbery in central Bristol, the other increasing the use of court confiscation orders against property criminals and drug dealers in Avon and Somerset. Another £1 million has been allocated to fund nine projects in Avon and Somerset under the CCTV initiative.
Additionally, through the Crime Fighting Fund, Avon and Somerset will receive resources for additional recruits above and beyond the number that would otherwise have been recruited.
Police Vehicles
Mr. Pearson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he gives police forces and authorities on the purchase and leasing of vehicles which are manufactured in the United Kingdom. [122153]
Mr. Charles Clarke: None. It is the responsibility of chief officers in England and Wales, together with their police authority, to determine which vehicles they purchase or lease. Decisions will be based on the operational needs of the force but must comply with European Union procurement law.
Framework Arrangements, centrally negotiated by Police Information Technology Organisation, enable forces to benefit from agreed discounts. These Arrangements cover a variety of vehicles, including motorcycles, and also vehicle spare parts.
Child Abuse
Ms Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many criminal convictions have been secured against adults charged in relation to child abuse more than three years after the alleged offences took place in each year since 1990; [122292]
- (2) how many adults employed in a position of trust have been charged in relation to child abuse more than three years after the alleged offences took place in each year since 1990. [122293]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The requested information cannot be determined from the data collected centrally.
Operation Care
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 24 November 1999, Official Report, column 119W, on Operation Care, as a result of the police investigations into child abuse, how many people who were convicted pleaded not guilty; how many (a) suspects and (b) offenders there were; how many separate complaints of child abuse were received; how many people were acquitted after trial; how many people were arrested but had no further action taken against them; how many persons have been charged and are awaiting trial and how
17 May 2000 : Column: 168W
long they have been waiting; how many persons are on police bail; with respect to each investigation how many victims have applied for compensation; how much each individual has received; and how many victims have not applied for compensation. [121698]
Mr. Charles Clarke: I understand that Operation Care is a continuing investigation, and the information which follows is accurate as of 11 May.
Four people convicted on charges arising from Operation Care had pleaded not guilty. 407 persons were classified as offenders or suspects. The number of separate complaints relevant to this operation is not readily available, but is at least 759. Four people were acquitted after trial; 12 people were arrested but had no further action taken against them; 17 people have been charged and are awaiting trial. Of these latter, four have been awaiting trial for up to one year, a further seven for up to 18 months, a further three for up to two years, and a further three for up to 31 months. (Delays in trial are sometimes due to defence requests.) Twelve people are on police bail. 108 people have applied for compensation to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority and 32 people have received awards as shown in the table. The precise number of complainants who have not applied for compensation is not known.
| Amounts paid in compensation | Number of people |
|---|---|
| £500 | 2 |
| £1,000 | 5 |
| £2,000 | 7 |
| £2,500 | 1 |
| £3,000 | 7 |
| £5,000 | 1 |
| £6,000 | 2 |
| £6,300 | 1 |
| £7,500 | 3 |
| £10,000 | 1 |
| £10,750 | 1 |
| £20,000 | 1 |
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 24 November 1999, Official Report, column 119W, on Operation Care, if he will list the forces that (a) have carried out and (b) are carrying out investigations into institutional child abuse; what is the name of each investigation and its terms of reference; when each investigation (i) commenced and (ii) ended; which are continuing; what period of time is covered by each investigation; how many people have been (A) charged, (B) arrested and (C) convicted and sentenced; and how many people who have been convicted and sentenced have appealed. [121697]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Information is not collected on the number of investigations into institutional child abuse or on the numbers of people arrested, charged or convicted as a result. But a survey was carried out last year on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers Crime Committee to establish how many forces in England and Wales had been or were currently investigating claims of institutional child abuse. During the period covered by the questionnaire (1 January 1998 to 30 June 1999), 32 forces said they had been, or were, currently investigating such allegations. Many of the remaining forces stated that they had been engaged in such inquiries at other times.
17 May 2000 : Column: 169W
Police Forces (Funding)
Mr. Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in each force area are currently being employed using funding through the (a) single regeneration budget and (b) discretionary local authority funds. [121712]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Information on the number of police officers employed using Single Regeneration Budget funding is not available centrally.
It is also not possible to determine how many officers are recruited using discretionary local authority funds. Force budgets are treated as a whole and distinctions are not made between those officers financed by local authority and central grant funds.
Crime Clear-up Rate (London)
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the clear-up rate for criminal offences in the Metropolitan police area in the last 12 months. [121975]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The most recent available data from the Metropolitan police relate to the year ending 31 March 2000. This indicates that their clear-up rate for recorded crimes in that year was 16 per cent.
Wrongfully Convicted Prisoners
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have been released by the Court of Appeal on grounds of wrongful conviction since the Criminal Cases Review Commission was set up; and how many cases are awaiting consideration. [121938]
Mr. Charles Clarke: To date, 27 of the cases heard by appellate courts following a referral by the Criminal Cases Review Commission have resulted in the conviction being quashed or the sentence being reduced. Twelve appellants were in custody at the time and were released due to the Court's decision. At present, 45 cases referred by the Commission are awaiting an appeal hearing. At the end of April, the Commission had 462 applications under review, and 921 awaiting review.
Mr. Johnny Kamara
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the case of Mr. Johnny Kamara and the formal quashing of his conviction by the Court of Appeal on 9 May following consideration by the Criminal Cases Review Commission. [121943]
Mr. Charles Clarke: It is a matter for the greatest regret when anyone suffers punishment as a result of a miscarriage of justice. I welcome the decision of the Court of Appeal to quash Mr. Kamara's conviction, and that of the Criminal Cases Review Commission to refer the case to the Court.
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