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NHS Waiting Lists
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have left NHS waiting lists in each month of the last year to be treated in the private healthcare sector. [123125]
Mr. Denham: The information requested is not available centrally.
Meat Hygiene
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the closure of the Mead Webber meat processing plant at Eardisley in Herefordshire. [122956]
Ms Stuart: An independent investigation on the closure of the Mead Webber plant has been agreed following discussions between the Meat Hygiene Service Chief Executive and a representative of Mead Webber Ltd.
It would be inappropriate to comment further until this investigation has been completed.
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HOME DEPARTMENT
Asylum Seekers
14. Ms Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the most recent figures for the processing of asylum applications. [121544]
Mrs. Roche: The number of initial decisions made in March increased by 44 per cent. on the figure for February, rising to 11,340, the highest monthly total ever recorded and the first time ever the level has climbed above 10,000. As a result, the backlog of initial asylum decisions has begun to fall.
26. Dr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received concerning the administration of the voucher system for asylum seekers and their families. [121557]
Mrs. Roche: I and my officials have over the last few months received a number of representations concerning the administration of the voucher system. These include letters from the public and from hon. Members. Parliamentary questions have also been asked in both Houses about the system.
28. Mr. Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of failed asylum seekers since 1997 who have disappeared within the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [121559]
Mrs. Roche: No official estimate has been made of the numbers of failed asylum seekers since 1997 who have disappeared in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to use the Farringdon House Territorial Army Centre in North Cheam for use as accommodation for asylum seekers. [122841]
Mrs. Roche: The National Asylum Support Service has no plans to use the Farringdon House Territorial Army Centre in North Cheam to accommodate asylum seekers.
Rural Policing
15. Mr. Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on rural policing. [121545]
Mr. Straw: We recognise the policing needs of rural areas. We will publish a rural White Paper later this year, including a section dealing specifically with rural crime. At present, the particular needs of rural areas are taken into account in the current police funding formula that distributes approximately £35 million of available funding to authorities with low population density, and so benefits rural areas.
Rural areas also participate in the range of initiatives already available, the Crime Fighting Fund, Crime Reduction Programme and recently approved funds to build a modern crime fighting machine and to modernise the police service.
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34. Mr. David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police authorities will benefit from his proposed additional funding for policing in rural areas. [121565]
Mr. Charles Clarke: We have retained the sparsity element introduced by the previous Government in the formula for calculating police funding of 0.5 per cent. (about £35 million) which benefits rural forces.
An added 2 per cent. sparsity element was also used in allocating 4,000 of the 5,000 police officers being recruited through the crime fighting fund. The remaining 1,000 officers were divided between the 34 forces putting in the best bids. In deciding the allocation of resources between forces, we took particular account of the information forces supplied to explain the size of their bids, including the particular need of rural areas.
Under the Crime Reduction Programme, some of the initiatives fund rural crime reduction projects. Under the Targeted Policing Initiative, Northumbria police, in partnership with Tynedale district council, local parish councils and the Northumberland Social Services and Probation Service, have been granted £40,000 for a project to develop an integrated strategy to tackle crime and disorder in rural towns and remote villages.
A number of projects funded under the Closed Circuit Television Initiative requirement have been relaxed from twice to one-and-a-half times the national average burglary rate. This will allow more areas to bid funding, though the burglary rate in most rural areas is still well below this level.
Police Manpower (Greater London)
16. Sir Sydney Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if minimum manpower shift levels are being applied in the Metropolitan police area. [121546]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis tells me that the level of manpower for each core shift is an operational matter for borough commanders. Where borough commanders have agreed minimum manpower shift levels, they are set for each shift according to local demands.
Illegal Immigrants
17. Mr. Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress is being made in checking heavy goods vehicles for illegal would-be immigrants seeking to enter this country. [121548]
Mrs. Roche: The Immigration Service has increased the number of checks on vehicles entering the United Kingdom. These checks support the civil penalty provisions of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, which were recently implemented.
Domestic Violence
18. Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to protect women who have come to the United Kingdom through marriage and are subject to domestic violence. [121549]
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Mr. Boateng: We have introduced a range of measures to protect women from overseas who have applied to settle in the United Kingdom--but are subject to violence by their spouse or partner--including a concession outside the immigration rules and the provision of culturally appropriate support by the police, National Health Service, housing and other agencies.
Crime and Disorder Partnerships (Schools)
19. Mr. Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Department for Education and Employment to ensure that schools are fully involved in local partnerships to combat crime and disorder. [121550]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Following agreement with Ministers in the Department for Education and Employment, we have designated schools as bodies with which local authorities and police forces must co-operate in partnership to develop and implement their local crime and disorder reduction strategies.
Crime Statistics
20. Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by how much crime increased in the Metropolitan police area during the year to 31 March; and if he will make a statement. [121551]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that the total number of notifiable offences in the Metropolitan Police District for the year ending 31 March 2000 was some 12.6 per cent. higher than that in the previous financial year.
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the proportion of crime, based on (a) recorded crime statistics and (b) the British Crime Survey, which (i) does not result in a caution or conviction and (ii) is not cleared up; and if he will make a statement. [123227]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The latest assessment of the proportion of crimes not cleared up and those not resulting in a caution or a conviction is detailed on page 29 of "Digest 4--Information on the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales", published by the Home Office in October 1999. A copy of this publication is available in the Library.
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the recorded crime clear-up rate in each Metropolitan Police division was in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement; [123150]
- (2) how many recorded crimes there were in each Metropolitan Police division in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement; [123149]
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Mr. Charles Clarke: The requested details are included in the table.
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| 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offences | Percentage clear-ups | Offences | Percentage clear-ups | Offences | Percentage clear-ups | Offences | Percentage clear-ups | Offences | Percentage clear-ups | |
| Barking and Dagenham | 14,156 | 23 | 14,436 | 21 | 13,733 | 26 | 17,470 | 19 | 19,567 | 14 |
| Barnet | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 26,153 | 23 | 30,708 | 16 |
| Barnet and Hertsmere | 11,735 | 27 | 11,049 | 29 | 10,214 | 22 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Belgravia | 7,428 | 18 | 6,588 | 17 | 7,584 | 22 | 9,685 | 27 | 8,991 | 20 |
| Bexley | 16,685 | 17 | 16,120 | 25 | 14,561 | 22 | 16,788 | 17 | 20,680 | 14 |
| Brent | 24,633 | 19 | 24,186 | 24 | 22,621 | 23 | 28,479 | 21 | 33,253 | 13 |
| Bromley | 24,445 | 23 | 22,176 | 23 | 20,356 | 24 | 24,172 | 20 | 26,474 | 14 |
| Brompton | 15,300 | 21 | 15,332 | 23 | 14,816 | 25 | 15,630 | 21 | 17,410 | 13 |
| Camden | 36,379 | 19 | 36,281 | 27 | 35,066 | 28 | 41,754 | 25 | 45,800 | 16 |
| Charing Cross | 10,400 | 19 | 10,282 | 15 | 11,633 | 16 | 15,541 | 22 | 19,185 | 16 |
| Colindale | 16,960 | 23 | 17,504 | 27 | 15,747 | 29 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Croydon | 32,360 | 24 | 29,222 | 29 | 27,539 | 27 | 33,888 | 22 | 37,743 | 16 |
| Ealing | 15,822 | 22 | 15,354 | 23 | 15,572 | 26 | 18,267 | 26 | 20,765 | 20 |
| Enfield | 25,572 | 21 | 26,755 | 23 | 24,914 | 20 | 28,847 | 21 | 33,529 | 13 |
| Fulham | 12,590 | 24 | 11,489 | 25 | 12,508 | 27 | 14,958 | 24 | 16,672 | 17 |
| Greenwich | 30,141 | 25 | 26,799 | 30 | 23,320 | 25 | 28,404 | 23 | 29,991 | 20 |
| Hammersmith | 9,620 | 20 | 9,522 | 21 | 8,862 | 25 | 10,383 | 18 | 11,928 | 13 |
| Haringey | 25,251 | 20 | 26,390 | 22 | 25,002 | 24 | 30,862 | 22 | 34,075 | 22 |
| Harrow | 13,659 | 18 | 14,737 | 22 | 14,138 | 25 | 14,984 | 27 | 16,777 | 18 |
| Havering | 14,761 | 24 | 15,811 | 19 | 14,950 | 27 | 17,162 | 24 | 18,787 | 18 |
| Heathrow | 5,057 | 29 | 5,701 | 35 | 5,404 | 42 | 5,291 | 40 | 6,717 | 28 |
| Hertsmere | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5,807 | 22 | 7,333 | 14 |
| Hillingdon | 22,590 | 23 | 22,463 | 24 | 20,798 | 21 | 23,427 | 17 | 26,281 | 12 |
| Hounslow | 23,280 | 25 | 21,805 | 28 | 21,209 | 28 | 25,290 | 19 | 31,032 | 13 |
| Islington | 27,134 | 25 | 27,615 | 24 | 24,994 | 23 | 32,251 | 21 | 38,427 | 15 |
| Kingston Upon Thames | 16,376 | 23 | 15,812 | 26 | 14,176 | 32 | 16,566 | 28 | 18,401 | 19 |
| Lambeth | 36,259 | 23 | 38,057 | 25 | 36,348 | 23 | 43,898 | 19 | 52,212 | 13 |
| Lewisham | 28,008 | 25 | 26,408 | 30 | 23,524 | 27 | 28,088 | 21 | 29,628 | 19 |
| Marylebone | 17,730 | 28 | 17,881 | 29 | 16,876 | 27 | 18,238 | 25 | 19,764 | 18 |
| Merton | 15,919 | 21 | 14,691 | 27 | 13,883 | 25 | 16,587 | 19 | 16,812 | 16 |
| Newham | 26,104 | 22 | 26,607 | 22 | 27,298 | 23 | 31,899 | 19 | 38,335 | 14 |
| Notting Hill | 9,876 | 20 | 10,634 | 19 | 9,845 | 23 | 11,400 | 23 | 13,369 | 13 |
| Paddington | 12,300 | 18 | 12,652 | 20 | 12,940 | 24 | 15,278 | 20 | 16,849 | 15 |
| Redbridge | 20,062 | 30 | 21,357 | 23 | 21,767 | 23 | 28,273 | 20 | 30,106 | 12 |
| Richmond upon Thames | 13,728 | 23 | 13,360 | 22 | 12,355 | 24 | 13,727 | 18 | 15,504 | 14 |
| Shoreditch and Hackney | 14,110 | 23 | 14,136 | 22 | 13,795 | 27 | 17,394 | 25 | 19,897 | 15 |
| Southall | 11,765 | 22 | 13,252 | 26 | 12,579 | 26 | 16,119 | 21 | 17,972 | 15 |
| Southwark | 36,204 | 26 | 38,946 | 32 | 33,806 | 28 | 40,116 | 26 | 43,734 | 19 |
| Spelthorne | 6,766 | 32 | 6,306 | 27 | 5,562 | 24 | 6,844 | 25 | 6,925 | 19 |
| Stoke Newington | 14,409 | 20 | 14,671 | 19 | 14,093 | 24 | 17,394 | 20 | 19,110 | 15 |
| Sutton | 19,246 | 21 | 18,262 | 25 | 17,163 | 24 | 19,181 | 24 | 21,319 | 18 |
| Tower Hamlets | 23,375 | 21 | 23,002 | 21 | 23,569 | 24 | 29,789 | 23 | 34,071 | 17 |
| Waltham Forest | 19,681 | 24 | 20,833 | 24 | 20,534 | 27 | 24,278 | 24 | 27,035 | 19 |
| Wandsworth | 30,232 | 23 | 28,323 | 24 | 26,491 | 23 | 32,636 | 16 | 35,527 | 13 |
| West End Central | 12,423 | 29 | 13,242 | 23 | 15,896 | 20 | 20,286 | 23 | 22,826 | 16 |
| Other Units ('Squads') | 285 | 30 | 144 | 28 | 238 | 11 | 770 | 41 | 526 | 37 |
| Total | 820,816 | 23 | 816,193 | 25 | 778,279 | 25 | 934,254 | 22 | 1,052,047 | 16 |
Notes:
There was a change in counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, with the aim of wherever possible measuring one crime per victim. The coverage of offences was also expanded. It was estimated that these changes in themselves increased the overall number of crimes recorded by the Metropolitan Police by 21.7 per cent. Numbers of offences and clear-up rates before and after this date are not directly comparable.
The basis for the collection of clear-ups changed on 1 April 1999. The major changes were a reduction in the number of offences taken into consideration being counted (only those that were previously recorded will now be counted), and with more stringent rules applying to 'prison visit' clear-ups. Clear-up rates subsequent to this date are not directly comparable with previous years.
22 May 2000 : Column: 357W
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many recorded crimes there were in the Metropolitan police area, in each category of crime and in total, in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement; [123152]
- (2) what the recorded crime clear-up rate for the Metropolitan police was, for each category of crime and in total, in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [123151]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The requested details are included in the table.
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(11) Including all criminal damage.
(12) Prior to the change in counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, the only drug offence counted was drug trafficking, which was included in "other offences".
Notes:
1. There was a change in counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, with the aim of wherever possible measuring one crime per victim. The coverage of offences was also expanded. It was estimated that these changes in themselves increased the overall number of crimes recorded by the Metropolitan Police by 21.7 per cent. Numbers of offences and clear-up rates before and after this date are not directly comparable.
2. The basis for the collection of clear-ups changed on 1 April 1999. The major changes were a reduction in the number of offences taken into consideration being counted (only those that were previously recorded will now be counted), and with more stringent rules applying to "prison visit" clear-ups. Clear-up rates subsequent to this date are not directly comparable with previous years.
22 May 2000 : Column: 360W
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there were in the Metropolitan police area, in each category of crime and in total, in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [123153]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The available information on offenders convicted within the Metropolitan police area comes from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database and is given in the table.
22 May 2000 : Column: 359W
| Type of offence | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 (January to September)(13) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence against the person | 4,650 | 3,744 | 4,412 | 5,209 | 5,444 | 3,629 |
| Sexual offences | 634 | 596 | 564 | 595 | 576 | 400 |
| Burglary | 4,482 | 4,176 | 3,707 | 3,525 | 3,386 | 2,389 |
| Robbery | 1,249 | 1,407 | 1,551 | 1,406 | 1,358 | 997 |
| Theft and handling stolen goods | 19,805 | 16,249 | 16,790 | 17,485 | 18,788 | 13,917 |
| Fraud and forgery | 3,107 | 3,020 | 2,987 | 3,055 | 3,434 | 2,472 |
| Criminal damage | 1,727 | 1,470 | 1,359 | 1,612 | 1,626 | 1,440 |
| Drug offences | 7,205 | 6,662 | 6,672 | 7,716 | 9,765 | 7,387 |
| Other (excluding motoring) | 8,094 | 7,796 | 7,562 | 7,988 | 7,695 | 5,303 |
| Motoring offences | 2,006 | 1,365 | 1,096 | 1,036 | 1,002 | 600 |
| Total | 52,959 | 46,485 | 46,700 | 49,627 | 53,074 | 38,534 |
(13) Provisional
22 May 2000 : Column: 359W
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