---

Police and Scientific Development Branch

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list for each civil service grade the academic and professional qualifications of the officials at his Department's Police and Scientific Development Branch; [131765]

(2) if he will list the number of officials, by civil service grade, employed at his Department's Police and Scientific Development Branch. [131776]

Mr. Straw: The numbers and grades of staff employed at the Police and Scientific Development Branch (PSDB) are given in the table.

Grade	Number
SCS	2
Grade 6	3
Grade 7	11
SSO/SPTO	21
HSO/HPTO/HEO	22
SO/PTO/EO	21
SPS/PS	4
AO	6
AA	3
Typist	1
SGB1	2

Staff recruited to PSDB at SO level or above will have a minimum of a good honours degree in an appropriate scientific or technological subject. Many staff also possess further degrees and are members of the appropriate professional body.

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Police and Scientific Development Branch received their first prototype of the AVID hand-held radar system. [131773]

24 Jul 2000 : Column: 463W

Mr. Charles Clarke: The Police and Scientific Development Branch procured an AVID system, known at that time as VADAR, on behalf of the Prison Service in April 1999.

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) referrals for trials and assessment and (b) reports of completed trials were made in respect of his Police and Scientific Development Branch in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [131775]

Mr. Straw: The Police and Scientific Development Branch (PSDB) has published 78 reports since 1997, the majority dealing with trials and assessments conducted on behalf of the police service or other PSDB customers. PSDB does not have a central record of requests for trials and assessments.

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the budget of his Department's Police and Scientific Development Branch in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000 and (e) 2001. [131763]

Mr. Straw: The budget for the Police and Scientific Development Branch is shown in the table, the figures are in £000.

£000

	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000	2000-01
Pay	2,462	2,512	2,667	3,145
Non pay	1,283	1,308	1,338	1,618
Capital	222	196	196	222
Other current	4,700	5,042	4,830	5,623
Receipts	(3,320)	(3,348)	(3,178)	(4,435)
Total net expenditure	5,347	5,710	5,853	6,173

Life Signs Monitoring Systems

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what alternatives (a) exist and (b) he has trialled to (i) the life signs monitoring system and (ii) the AVID hand-held radar detection system; and if he will make a statement. [131764]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The Police Scientific Development Branch (PSDB) has evaluated two alternative systems, AVIAN and MICROSEARCH for the detection of life signs in vehicles. PSDB has also conducted trials on the Mandec UK life signs monitoring system for use in calls. Some work has also been conducted on alternative methods of life signs monitoring in cells based on Closed Circuit Television and optical systems, audio systems or microwave radiation.

PSDB has not trialled AVID or other hand held radar detection systems for detection of people or animals in freight.

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library the search protocols agreed with the passenger and freight transport industry on the searching of vehicles seeking entry into the UK in (a) France and (b) the UK. [131774]

Mrs. Roche: A draft copy of the Civil Penalty Codes of Practice was placed in the Library on 3 March this year. I will arrange for the final version of the Codes of Practice to be placed in the Library next week.

24 Jul 2000 : Column: 464W

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the unit cost of (a) an AVID hand-held radar system and (b) a static X-ray system, for the detection of people and animals in freight trucks; and if he will make a statement. [131772]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The cost of the AVID system is not known. Static X-ray systems are not designed to detect people and animals. The cost of a static X-ray system for detecting drugs, explosives, weapons and other contraband ranges from £190,000 to £4,118,000.

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what trials have been held at (a) Dover and (b) Portsmouth into the use of hand-held radar systems for the detection of people and animals in freight trucks; on what dates; and if he will make a statement. [131771]

Mrs. Roche: An inconclusive trial of a radar system was held at Dover on 25 August 1999. A trial of a hand-held radar device will begin at Portsmouth on 26 July. A trial of some other equipment will begin as soon as the supplier receives the upgraded hardware from the manufacturer.

The Immigration Service is holding discussions with other companies who are pursuing a range of solutions and further trials are a possibility.

If the initial trials of the radar and heartbeat devices at Portsmouth prove promising, the trials will be transferred to Dover.

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the role of Status 3 in Harlington in respect of hand-held radar systems for truck searches at ports. [131779]

Mrs. Roche: The Immigration Service at Status Park has for some years been seeking low cost, portable and effective devices to detect the presence of human beings hidden inside vehicles and freight containers. The search has included small handheld devices. The Immigration Service at Status Park has conducted trials of such equipment within the last few years and will continue to consult with the industry to find a workable solution.

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what trials have been conducted at Belmarsh Prison into life signs monitoring systems; with what results; and if he will make a statement. [131769]

Mr. Boateng: A trial of the Life Signs monitoring system was conducted during 1999 at Belmarsh Prison in an unoccupied room in the Health Care Centre. Unfortunately the equipment failed and the trial was aborted. The Prison Service are currently considering how best to proceed with this project in order to test out the feasibility of this system.

Departmental Expenditure Plans

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish revised estimates for the analyses of expenditure presented on pages 72 to 85 of his Department's Annual report 1999-2000 in respect of the financial years (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01 and (c) 2001-02, together with equivalent analyses of his expenditure plans for (i) 2002-03 and (ii) 2003-04; and if he will make a statement. [132356]

24 Jul 2000 : Column: 465W

Mr. Straw: These analyses will be published in the Department's Annual Report for 2000-01 in April 2001.

Departmental Staff

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish revised estimates of staff numbers as analysed on page 86 of the Home Office Annual report 1999-2000 in respect of the financial years (a) 2000-01 and (b) 2001-02, together with equivalent analyses for (c) 2002-03 and (d) 2003-04; and if he will make a statement. [132349]

Mr. Straw: The data in the Annual Report are the latest available. Consideration is being given to the staff implications arising from the outcome of the 2000 Spending Review announced on 18 July. Revised plans will be published in the next Home Office Annual Report.

Departmental Financial Estimates

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what figure he assumes for inflation when making his financial estimates for the financial years (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01, (c) 2001-02, (d) 2002-03 and (e) 2003-04. [132350]

Mr. Straw: Inflation assumptions reflect the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) deflators produced by the Treasury, and are used in calculating real terms increases in expenditure. The factors for the financial years 1999-2000 to 2003-04 are:

Year	Percentage
1999-2000	2.5
2000-01	2.25
2001-02	2.5
2002-03	2.5
2003-04	2.5

---