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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.

22 May 2000 : Column: 354W

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]

22 May 2000 : Column: 357W

Mr. Charles Clarke: The requested details are included in the table.

22 May 2000 : Column: 357W

Recorded crimes and clear-up rates in Metropolitan Police Divisions

1995-961996-971997-981998-991999-2000
OffencesPercentage clear-upsOffencesPercentage clear-upsOffencesPercentage clear-upsOffencesPercentage clear-upsOffencesPercentage clear-ups
Barking and Dagenham14,1562314,4362113,7332617,4701919,56714
Barnet------------26,1532330,70816
Barnet and Hertsmere11,7352711,0492910,21422--------
Belgravia7,428186,588177,584229,685278,99120
Bexley16,6851716,1202514,5612216,7881720,68014
Brent24,6331924,1862422,6212328,4792133,25313
Bromley24,4452322,1762320,3562424,1722026,47414
Brompton15,3002115,3322314,8162515,6302117,41013
Camden36,3791936,2812735,0662841,7542545,80016
Charing Cross10,4001910,2821511,6331615,5412219,18516
Colindale16,9602317,5042715,74729--------
Croydon32,3602429,2222927,5392733,8882237,74316
Ealing15,8222215,3542315,5722618,2672620,76520
Enfield25,5722126,7552324,9142028,8472133,52913
Fulham12,5902411,4892512,5082714,9582416,67217
Greenwich30,1412526,7993023,3202528,4042329,99120
Hammersmith9,620209,522218,8622510,3831811,92813
Haringey25,2512026,3902225,0022430,8622234,07522
Harrow13,6591814,7372214,1382514,9842716,77718
Havering14,7612415,8111914,9502717,1622418,78718
Heathrow5,057295,701355,404425,291406,71728
Hertsmere------------5,807227,33314
Hillingdon22,5902322,4632420,7982123,4271726,28112
Hounslow23,2802521,8052821,2092825,2901931,03213
Islington27,1342527,6152424,9942332,2512138,42715
Kingston Upon Thames16,3762315,8122614,1763216,5662818,40119
Lambeth36,2592338,0572536,3482343,8981952,21213
Lewisham28,0082526,4083023,5242728,0882129,62819
Marylebone17,7302817,8812916,8762718,2382519,76418
Merton15,9192114,6912713,8832516,5871916,81216
Newham26,1042226,6072227,2982331,8991938,33514
Notting Hill9,8762010,634199,8452311,4002313,36913
Paddington12,3001812,6522012,9402415,2782016,84915
Redbridge20,0623021,3572321,7672328,2732030,10612
Richmond upon Thames13,7282313,3602212,3552413,7271815,50414
Shoreditch and Hackney14,1102314,1362213,7952717,3942519,89715
Southall11,7652213,2522612,5792616,1192117,97215
Southwark36,2042638,9463233,8062840,1162643,73419
Spelthorne6,766326,306275,562246,844256,92519
Stoke Newington14,4092014,6711914,0932417,3942019,11015
Sutton19,2462118,2622517,1632419,1812421,31918
Tower Hamlets23,3752123,0022123,5692429,7892334,07117
Waltham Forest19,6812420,8332420,5342724,2782427,03519
Wandsworth30,2322328,3232426,4912332,6361635,52713
West End Central12,4232913,2422315,8962020,2862322,82616
Other Units ('Squads')2853014428238117704152637
Total820,81623816,19325778,27925934,254221,052,04716

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]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The requested details are included in the table.

22 May 2000 : Column: 358W

Metropolitan Police District--Category totals and clear-up rates

OffencesPercentage cleared up
1995-96
Violence against the person39,09364
Sexual offences5,84554
Robbery28,68222
Burglary169,53723
Theft and handling stolen goods386,42518
Fraud and forgery33,67945
Criminal damage(11)149,50715
Drug offences(12)----
Other offences8,04883
Total820,81623
1996-97
Violence against the person46,95168
Sexual offences6,99359
Robbery28,69022
Burglary158,42322
Theft and handling stolen goods375,91619
Fraud and forgery39,44246
Criminal damage(11)149,60817
Drug offences(12)----
Other offences10,17088
Total816,19325
1997-98
Violence against the person49,95967
Sexual offences7,65459
Robbery26,73123
Burglary136,36522
Theft and handling stolen goods365,20218
Fraud and forgery43,43738
Criminal damage(11)137,38719
Drug offences(12)----
Other offences11,54485
Total778,27925
1998-99
Violence against the person131,54944
Sexual offences8,10242
Robbery26,33016
Burglary123,86113
Theft and handling stolen goods383,66514
Fraud and forgery80,54115
Criminal damage(11)136,87013
Drug offences(12)32,15297
Other offences11,18458
Total934,25422
1999-2000
Violence against the person156,88031
Sexual offences9,18932
Robbery36,31712
Burglary129,14510
Theft and handling stolen goods426,23510
Fraud and forgery105,1509
Criminal damage(11)151,59010
Drug offences(12)26,23391
Other offences11,30843
Total1,052,04716

(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

Number of offenders convicted at all courts within the Metropolitan police area for indictable offences by type of offence, 1994-98, 1999 (January to September)(13)

Type of offence199419951996199719981999 (January to September)(13)
Violence against the person4,6503,7444,4125,2095,4443,629
Sexual offences634596564595576400
Burglary4,4824,1763,7073,5253,3862,389
Robbery1,2491,4071,5511,4061,358997
Theft and handling stolen goods19,80516,24916,79017,48518,78813,917
Fraud and forgery3,1073,0202,9873,0553,4342,472
Criminal damage1,7271,4701,3591,6121,6261,440
Drug offences7,2056,6626,6727,7169,7657,387
Other (excluding motoring)8,0947,7967,5627,9887,6955,303
Motoring offences2,0061,3651,0961,0361,002600
Total52,95946,48546,70049,62753,07438,534

(13) Provisional


22 May 2000 : Column: 359W


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