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Prison Service (IT)
Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the performance targets set in the Prison Service's contract with Electronic Data Systems; if they have been met to date; what penalties have been included in the contract for not fulfilling the performance targets; and what safety precautions have been taken to ensure that the Prison Service's IT requirements can be satisfied if Electronic Data Systems' contract is terminated. [130302]
Mr. Boateng: The Prison Service's Quantum Agreement with Electronic Data Systems sets out a range of performance targets. These are given in the table.
Electronic Data Systems took responsibility for the day to day operation of the Prison Service's information technology and telecommunications services--"live running"--on 3 July 2000. It is therefore too soon to assess performance against targets. Regular service review meetings are required under the terms of the Agreement. The first of these will take place in August 2000.
The Quantum Agreement provides a comprehensive range of financial remedies in the event of unsatisfactory
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performance against targets. These have been developed in consultation and are consistent with the guidance of Partnerships United Kingdom (formerly known as the Treasury Taskforce on Private Finance Initiatives).
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Comprehensive termination arrangements are provided for in the contract. They allow, inter alia, for the transfer of service provision to a replacement contractor and have been devised to minimise the business risk to the Prison Service.
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| Service | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop Services | 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year | 98%--monthly |
| Prisoner Administration | 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year | 98%--monthly |
| Intranet | 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year | 98%--monthly |
| Personnel | 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year | 98%--monthly |
| Finance | 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year | 98%--monthly |
| Other applications | 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year | 98%--monthly |
| Purchasing and Stock control | 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year | 98%--monthly |
| Training Services | Candidate throughput | 100% to plan--monthly |
| Achieve agreed standards | 95%--monthly | |
| Post evaluation | 100%--quarterly | |
| Help Desk services | Call response time | 90% within 15 seconds--monthly 97% within 30 seconds--monthly |
| Confirmation of action | 97% within 15 minutes--monthly | |
| Fix times | Fixes within agreed criteria | Criteria dependent--Monthly |
| Moves and Changes | On time and quality | 99%--monthly |
| Removal and disposal | 98%--monthly | |
| Report provision | Management reports on time and to quality | 99%--monthly |
| Performance reports on time and to quality | 99%--monthly | |
| Usability | Customer and User satisfaction | 100%--yearly |
| Customer care complaints | Less than 5 per quarter year |
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Road Traffic Offences
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress he has made with completing the Government's review of penalties for road traffic offences. [130303]
Mr. Charles Clarke: As I said in my reply to the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Mr. Loughton) on 13 July 2000, Official Report, column 665W, the work of the review of penalties for road traffic offences is almost complete. The Government hope to publish a consultation document, setting out the proposals of the review, shortly.
Transsexuals
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress the Inter-Departmental Working Group on Transsexual People has made with regard to transsexual people obtaining an amended birth certificate. [130285]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Daventry (Mr. Boswell) on 12 July 2000, Official Report, column 596W.
Coroners
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 11 July 2000, Official Report, column 513W, how much money his Department is spending on research into the way information is provided by coroners to the bereaved; and what the terms of reference are. [130811]
Mr. Boateng: The total sum allocated for this project is just under £70,000. The terms of reference are as follows:
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- to identify the range of experiences that families have regarding receipt of information from the coroner service; including: what families learn about the death, how much information they receive, and how long it takes for this information to be given;
- to identify where complications arise, including research into how long it takes to release a body to the family for subsequent burial, cremation or other disposal; and
- to identify models of practice which families perceive as good.
False Evidence
Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is towards the recovery of police costs where investigations have been undertaken following the submission of evidence subsequently found by the police to be false. [130699]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Assuming that the provisions of the criminal law relating to the wasting of police time do not apply, this would be a matter for individual police forces.
Police (Devon and Cornwall)
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the percentage change in funding for the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary in the last three years. [130701]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The percentage change in Government funding (police grant, revenue support grant and national non-domestic rates) was 6.4 per cent. between 1998-99 and 2000-01. This was made up as follows:
| Year | Government funding (£ million) | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998-99 | 141.1 | +6.2 |
| 1999-2000 | 146.7 | +4.0 |
| 2000-01 | 150.2 | +2.4 |
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In addition, the force will have received over the three years capital, special, firearms and Special Constabulary grants totalling over £6.6 million.
Crime Statistics
Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a breakdown of the (a) Kent County Constabulary and (b) North Yorkshire Constabulary figures for crime in (i) 1992-93, (ii) 1993-94, (iii)1994-95, (iv) 1995-96, (v) 1996-97,
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(vi) 1997-98, (vii) 1998-99 and (viii) 1999-2000 with respect to (A) burglary, (B) theft and (C) vehicle theft. [130931]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The number of offences recorded by the Kent County Constabulary and North Yorkshire Constabulary in the years ending March are given in the table. The data from 1 April 1998 are not directly comparable with earlier years because of changes to the counting rules for recorded crime which occurred on that date. Recorded crime figures for the year ending March 2000 will be released tomorrow. Figures for Kent and North Yorkshire will be available in the Library.
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| April 1992- March 1993 | April 1993- March 1994 | April 1994- March 1995 | April 1995- March 1996 | April 1996- March 1997 | April 1997- March 1998 | April 1998- March 1999 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent | |||||||
| Burglary | 31,898 | 29,348 | 27,770 | 34,332 | 31,219 | 24,452 | 22,978 |
| Theft and handling stolen goods | 89,838 | 89,139 | 83,077 | 77,717 | 67,752 | 58,002 | 57,314 |
| Theft or unauthorised taking of motor vehicle | 19,318 | 18,030 | 16,606 | 16,445 | 14,270 | 11,078 | 10,335 |
| North Yorkshire | |||||||
| Burglary | 16,390 | 16,031 | 16,765 | 16,406 | 12,661 | 11,402 | 11,237 |
| Theft and handling stolen goods | 29,868 | 30,486 | 31,621 | 31,097 | 27,128 | 26,051 | 25,608 |
| Theft or unauthorised taking of motor vehicle | 4,497 | 4,976 | 5,399 | 5,315 | 4,172 | 3,805 | 2,990 |
HEALTH
Market and Opinion Research
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place copies of the results of all market and opinion research carried out by his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies since May 1997, in the Library. [123809]
Mr. Denham [holding answer 25 May 2000]: Copies of research reports are not routinely placed in the Library. A list giving details of market and opinion research undertaken by the Department is made available. This has been updated and placed in the Library. The list may not include all research projects as some information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Decisions on whether to publish research are taken on an individual basis.
We are committed to consulting and involving the public to help inform both policy formulation and the delivery of better quality public services. Responsive public services are an important part of the Modernising Government initiative.
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We conduct or commission market or opinion research only when it is justified by the needs of the policy or programme and is the most economical, efficient and effective way to achieve the purpose.
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the opinion research projects undertaken on behalf of his Department in the financial year 1999-2000, itemising (a) focus group research, (b) quantitative surveys and (c) other market research surveys, in each case specifying when and where the results were published. [123261]
Mr. Denham [holding answer 25 May 2000]: A list of research projects carried out by the Department in the financial year 1999-2000 is in the table. The list may not include all research projects, as some information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
We are committed to consulting and involving the public to help inform both policy formulation and the delivery of better quality public services. Responsive public services are an important part of the Modernising Government initiative.
We conduct or commission market or opinion research only when it is justified by the needs of the policy or programme and is the most economical, efficient and effective way to achieve the purpose.
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