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Anti-social Behaviour

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many young persons aged under 18 years have been made subject to an anti-social behaviour order; [129264]

Mr. Charles Clarke: As I said in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East (Dr. Kumar) on 6 July 2000, Official

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Report, column 296W, we are aware of at least 27 anti-social behaviour orders made against people under the age of 18.

The costs quoted in the Financial and Explanatory Memorandum for the Crime and Disorder Bill assumed an average additional cost of £600 per anti-social behaviour order. This took account of offsetting savings. We have not assessed the cost of making an order since then.

Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the compatibility of (a) spot-fines for anti-social behaviour and (b) the enforcement mechanism for spot-fines for anti-social behaviour proposed by the Prime Minister in his announcement of 30 June with the European Convention on Human Rights; and if he will make a statement. [129375]

Mr. Charles Clarke [holding answer 6 July 2000]: Any new measures would, of course, have to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights, in particular the right under Article 6 to a fair trial. Resource implications, the arrangements for handling money and the safety of police officers would also be primary considerations. The Government have no plans to decriminalise anti-social behaviour that currently constitutes an offence in England and Wales.

Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate he has made of the cost of training police officers in the use of spot-fines for anti-social behaviour; and if he will make a statement; [129369]

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Mr. Charles Clarke [holding answer 6 July 2000]: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply given today by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary to the hon. Member for Southwark, North and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes).

Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the use of anti-social behaviour orders in Wales. [129836]

Mr. Charles Clarke: It is for the police and local authorities concerned, in Wales as in England, to apply to the courts for an anti-social behaviour order if they consider it appropriate in order to protect their local communities. Anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) provide an effective weapon to tackle such behaviour. Over 80 ASBOs have been made in the past year in a variety of English local government areas. I very much hope that the new guidance we have recently issued will help to increase their use further still, including in local government areas within England and Wales in which no such orders have as yet been made.

Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders have been made to date in Wales. [129837]

Mr. Charles Clarke: I refer my hon. Friend to the response I gave to him on 6 July 2000, Official Report, column 295W.

Cheryl Hartman

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the means by which the parents of Cheryl Simone Hartman were informed of her death in Holloway prison on 18 June. [129262]

Mr. Boateng: I was very sorry to learn of the death of Cheryl Hartman at Holloway prison. Both I and Martin Narey, the Director General for the Prison Service, take deaths in custody very seriously indeed. I would like to pass my condolences on to Ms Hartman's family on behalf of myself and Martin Narey.

I was disappointed to learn that Ms Hartman's family had been notified of her death by telephone. The Prison Service is aware of the need for sensitivity in notifying the next-of-kin about the death of a loved one in prison custody. Accordingly, such notification should normally be done by a prison governor and the chaplain or, where there are geographical constraints, by the police.

There may be some exceptional occasions when contact by telephone is the most appropriate method of notification, but I would normally expect a personal call to be made. In this instance, I understand that the Duty Governor took the view that, to ensure that Ms Hartman's

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mother was notified quickly he should do so by telephone. In addition, he was also under the impression that the police would make personal contact, but in the event they did not.

I understand that Martin Narey has written to the family to apologise for the Prison Service's handling of this matter. I would also like to take this opportunity to apologise to Ms Hartman's family for the way in which they were treated by the prison authorities.

Illegal Immigrants

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many lorry drivers were convicted of bringing immigrants into the country in the year before the coming into force of the Carriers' Liability (Clandestine Entrants and Sales of Transporters) Regulations 2000. [129393]

Mrs. Roche: During 1999, the number of those convicted of offences committed under section 25 of the Immigration Act 1971, for knowingly facilitating the entry of either an illegal entrant or an asylum applicant, was 153.

The number of those convicted who were employed as lorry drivers is not recorded centrally, and data relating to convictions in 2000 are not yet available.

Emergency Services (Fuel Costs)

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each (a) police and (b) fire authority in England and Wales, the amount of their budget for the last financial year that was spent on road fuel for police and fire vehicles. [129391]

Mr. Charles Clarke: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 3 July 2000, Official Report, column 69W.

Detainees (Mental Illness)

Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy that all custody officers (a) ask detainees questions to determine their mental state and (b) receive training in recognising mental illness. [129587]

Mrs. Roche: It is not the function of detention custody officers to determine a detainee's mental state. However, it is part of their function to refer any health concerns about a detainee to the medical team located at the Centre. Detainees are offered full medical screening on arrival at a Detention Centre and this includes mental health screening. Qualified medical staff are on duty during the day and an on call system operates at night.

The level of Health Care at Detention Centres is comparable to that in a local General Practice.

Detainees are referred for specialist treatment, including psychological counselling, in the same way as any other NHS patient.

Detention Custody Officers will receive suicide awareness and first aid training as part of their training programme.

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