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Police Manpower

Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of (a) police officers, (b) civilian staff and (c) special constables, per head of population, in each police force in Great Britain and in total in (i) 1979, (ii) 1987 and (iii) each year since 1992. [126228]

Mr. Charles Clarke: I am responsible only for the police service in England and Wales. The available information on police officers has been placed in the Library, and is in the form of population per police officer. Information on civilian support staffing numbers in 1979 and 1987 is not available in a format that would allow comparisons to be made with population on a force by force basis at reasonable cost. However, the aggregate totals for civilian support staff numbers for 1979 and 1987 show that there was one civilian to 1,441 of the population in March 1979 and one civilian to 1,234 of the population in March 1987. Data on the number of special constables have only been collected with regularity since September 1995.

Research Projects

Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the research projects (a) being undertaken and (b) recently commissioned by his Department; and if he will make statement. [126555]

Mr. Straw: My Department undertakes a wide range of research activities that support the development of information-led policy, including scientific and engineering research, market and opinion research and social research.

My Research, Development and Statistics Directorate conduct social research supporting all seven Home Office aims. I have placed a copy of the Directorate's work programme for this financial year in the Library and it will be made available on the Home Office website later this month.

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The Fire Research and Development Group (FRDG) undertake research in support of Home Office aim seven. I have placed a copy of a table showing the current and planned FRDG research projects in the Library.

For the available information on market and opinion research, I refer to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Foster), on 8 June 2000, Official Report, columns 373-74W. In addition to this my Department is currently undertaking the following research:

"What else works"--for aim four, reducing in reoffending. Research commissioned from the University of York to examine effective psychological models, other than cognitive behavioural methods, for reducing reoffending which, on the basis of academic research have the potential for application with an offender population, and which address the gaps in current practice.

Fire Service efficiency, Control and Communications--An evaluation of issues related to the future provision of fire service control rooms and radio communications.

Two research projects commissioned by the Assessment and Consultancy Unit (ACU) to establish the reliability and validity of its assessment centres for the police Accelerated Promotion scheme.

An assessment of the fairness of the Police Initial Recruit Tests for applicants from ethnic minorities.

Porton Down

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the cost to date of the investigation by Wiltshire Constabulary into the Chemical and Biological Defence establishment at Porton Down; and how many (a) police officers and (b) civilians are employed on it. [126499]

Mr. Charles Clarke: I understand from the Wiltshire Constabulary that the cost of the investigation so far is estimated at £335,000; and that 16 police officers (including two Ministry of Defence police officers) and five civilians are currently employed on it.

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people (a) have voluntarily contacted the police, (b) the police have contacted and (c) have contacted designated support groups and their helplines in connection with the Wiltshire Constabulary inquiry into events at Porton Down. [126792]

Mr. Charles Clarke: I understand from the Wiltshire Constabulary that, although the information is not available in precisely the form requested, they are aware of around 700 people who have at one time or another expressed interest or concern in the events which gave rise to the inquiry, and that they have been in touch with about 300 people in connection with the inquiry.

Assets (Civil Forfeiture)

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the proposals on civil forfeiture of assets in Chapter 5 of the Performance and Innovation Unit report, Receiving the Proceeds of Crime, with the European Convention on Human Rights; and if he will make a statement. [126597]

Mr. Charles Clarke: We have given this issue careful consideration. It is my intention that the proposals for legislation which I bring forward to Parliament on civil forfeiture will be compatible with the Convention.

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Detention Centre, Doncaster

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the new detention centre near Doncaster to open; what its initial and full capacity will be; and if he will make a statement. [126593]

Mrs. Roche: The Immigration Service will start to use the new Immigration Detention Centre within the grounds of Lindholme Prison on 10 July. At full capacity Lindholme Detention Centre will house 112 male detainees aged 21 and over. The allocation of immigration detainees into the establishment will be phased over a four week period with 28 detainees being sent to the Centre each week.

Global Cultural Diversity Congress

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answers of 12 June 2000, Official Report, column 518W, and 17 March 2000, Official Report, column 376W, if he will place in the Library the text of the review conducted by the Chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality into the collapse of the Global Cultural Diversity Congress. [126537]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 17 March 2000, Official Report, columns 376-77W.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a breakdown of the total cost to public funds of the collapse of the Global Cultural Diversity Congress. [126552]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Until the report of the findings of the liquidator, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of the total cost to public funds.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) reports have been received by his Department from and (b) discussions have been held with, the liquidator in respect of Global Cultural Diversity Congress 2000 Ltd. [126560]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: On 28 March we were sent a copy of the "Report to Creditors" which was sent to all known creditors, including potential creditors.

No discussions have been held with the liquidators.

Illegal Entrants

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from foreign Governments regarding the civil penalty for carrying clandestine illegal entrants under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. [126530]

Mrs. Roche: Since the civil penalty provisions of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, were introduced in Dover and Coquelles on 3 April, we have received four inquiries about them from foreign Embassies in London. These have taken the form of three fax messages, two from the Polish Embassy and one from the Czech Embassy, and a telephone call from the Spanish Embassy. All were asking about procedures, and all four were directed to the Civil Penalty Central Administration Unit (CPCAU) which was set up to administer the civil penalty

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provisions. No representations or other form of communication on this matter from any foreign government have been received.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) companies have gone into (i) receivership and (ii) liquidation and (b) individuals been declared bankrupt as a result of inability or failure to pay the civil penalty for carrying clandestine entrants under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. [126532]

Mrs. Roche: As far as I am aware, the answer to all these questions is none. But the road haulage industry has nothing to fear from the civil penalty provisions of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, provided that the driver of the vehicle checks his load before embarking for the United Kingdom to ensure that there are no clandestine illegal entrants on board.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been served with civil penalty notices under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 for carrying clandestine illegal entrants in their vehicles; what type of vehicle was involved in each case; what the level of the penalty was in each case; what the nationality of the person served with the penalty was in each case; how many companies have been served with the penalty (a) in addition to and (b) instead of persons directly responsible for driving the vehicles; how many appeals have been entered against the penalties; and how many of them have been successful; and if he will make a statement. [126531]

Mrs. Roche: Between 3 April, when the civil penalty provisions of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 were introduced, and 11 June, penalties were imposed in respect of 189 separate incidents where vehicles were found to contain clandestine illegal entrants. The vehicles comprised 177 heavy lorries, four vans and eight private motor cars.

In 56 cases, the driver of the vehicle was British. The 131 other cases involved four drivers who were Austrian, five Belgians, two Bosnians, four Bulgarians, five Czechs, four Dutch, 27 French, 15 Germans, four Hungarians, two Irish, 12 Italians, five Lithuanians, one Luxembourgeois, ten Poles, three Portuguese, one Romanian, five Slovaks, six Slovenians, ten Spaniards, one Tunisian and five Turkish. In two cases, the driver was a stateless person.

In all but 26 cases, the nationality of the driver was the same as that of the company which owned the vehicle. Where there were differences they were as follows. Two British drivers were driving Irish-owned vehicles; and in one case each, British drivers were driving vehicles owned in France and Italy. Two Belgian drivers were driving vehicles owned in Italy. Two Lithuanian drivers were driving vehicles owned in Austria. In one case each, French drivers were driving vehicles owned in Belgium, Germany, Spain and Austria. In one case each, Turkish drivers were driving vehicles owned in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. In one case, each Slovak drivers were driving vehicles owned in Germany and the Czech Republic. One driver from Luxembourg was driving a vehicle owned in Austria; one driver from Croatia was driving a vehicle owned in Italy; one driver from Hungary was driving a vehicle owned in Austria, one driver from Bulgaria was driving a vehicle owned in Germany; one driver from Tunisia was driving a vehicle owned in Italy; one driver from Spain was driving a vehicle owned in

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Italy; one driver from Slovenia was driving a vehicle owned in Italy; one Dutch driver was driving a vehicle owned in Germany; and, one German driver was driving a vehicle owned in Austria. The two drivers who were stateless were both driving their own vehicles.

In every case, the driver of the vehicle was served with a penalty notice. In addition, in all but 11 of the cases cited, penalty notices were also served on the owners or hirers of the vehicle. In 26 cases this involved the serving of penalty notices on more than two persons or companies in respect of a single incident.

In each case, the level of the penalty was £2,000 per clandestine illegal entrant detected. The penalties imposed ranged from £2,000 (one illegal entrant detected) to £100,000 (50 illegal entrants detected).

One hundred and one letters of objection have been received, in which the responsible person has sought to show why the penalty should not be levied, and thus far two have been successful.

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