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Police Officer Retirements

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many serving police officers in the Kingston Metropolitan police division are due to retire in 2000-01. [137594]

Mr. Charles Clarke: I am advised by the Commissioner of the police of the Metropolis that three officers retired on ordinary pension and a further five were medically retired during the period from 1 April 2000 to 31 October 2000.

Records show that between 1 November 2000 and 31 March 2001 there are a further 10 officers who are eligible to retire by virtue of either age or length of service.

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Asylum Seekers (Liverpool)

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of management arrangements for asylum seekers at the Landmark and Inn on the Park in Liverpool. [137522]

Mrs. Roche: The National Asylum Support Service Performance Monitoring Inspections section has reviewed all management procedures in place at Landmark Liverpool and all other private sector providers. Where these reviews have identified some shortfalls in procedures these have been addressed.

The National Asylum Support Service Performance Monitoring Inspections section regularly assesses the implementation of these procedures as part of its work.

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of support services provided to asylum seekers by private landlords in Liverpool. [137521]

Mrs. Roche: The National Asylum Support Service has a dedicated Performance Monitoring Inspections team. These inspectors regularly review with providers of accommodation, housing management issues and the delivery of the support services specified in their contracts.

NDPBs (Scotland)

Mr. Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the non-departmental public bodies responsible to him which have duties relating to Scotland, indicating their budget and staffing in Scotland, the number of Scottish board members and their emoluments. [137701]

Mr. Straw: The following non-departmental public bodies, sponsored by my Department, have a remit which covers Great Britain or the United Kingdom:



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The remaining information is not held centrally in the form requested but general information on expenditure, staffing, board members and levels of remuneration is published annually in the Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies". Copies of "Public Bodies 1999" have been placed in the Library, "Public Bodies 2000" is due to be published next month. Information on board membership and remuneration can also be downloaded from the Cabinet Office Public Appointments Directory website (www.cabinet-office.gov.uk).

Charities

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many charities have failed in each year since 1995. [137718]

Mr. Boateng: This information is not collected centrally.

Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when compensation to Mr. John Slough, a constituent, for specialist tooling equipment held by the West Mercia Police, will be paid under the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997; and if he will make a statement. [137619]

Mr. Charles Clarke [holding answer 10 November 2000]: Compensation has already been paid to Mr. Slough in respect of a range of items eligible for payment under the terms of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 Compensation Schemes. The Government do not accept that other items on which he is seeking compensation fall within the terms of the schemes. We have made a number of proposals to Mr. Slough as to how further progress might be made on his claim. It is open to Mr. Slough to retrieve from the police those items he surrendered which are not covered by the compensation scheme.

Freedom of Information Bill

Mr. Hope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will place the draft working document of the Fees Regulations for the Freedom of Information Bill in the Library. [138535]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The draft working document for the Fees Regulations required by the Freedom of Information Bill was placed in the Library on 10 November.

National Asylum Support Service

Mr. Hope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the level of support provided by the National Asylum Support Service for those aged under 16 years. [138536]

Mrs. Roche: I laid before Parliament, yesterday, regulations amending the Asylum Support Regulations 2000 to enable an increased rate of voucher support to be provided to under 16-year-old dependants of asylum seekers supported by the National Asylum Support Service with effect from 4 December. The rate will rise from £26.60 to £30.95 per week.

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Chief Inspector for Prisons and Probation

Mr. Hope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the outcome was of the consultation on the appointment of a joint Chief Inspector for Prisons and Probation. [138537]

Mr. Straw: As I announced on 9 June 2000, Official Report, columns 392-93W, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons Sir David Ramsbotham's appointment was extended until the end of July 2001 when Sir Graham Smith, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Probation, is also due to retire.

In response to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for the Forest of Dean (Mrs. Organ) on 27 July 2000, Official Report, column 879W, I told the House that I had established a consultation exercise to gauge public opinion on proposals, including the option of a joint Chief Inspector, designed to ensure that the Inspectorates of prisons and probation support closer working between the two services while maintaining the independence and rigour of the inspection process. The consultation exercise ended on 31 October. Copies of the responses to the consultation exercise will be placed in the Library.

A majority of those consulted favoured some change--establishing terms of reference for the inspection of joint working between the criminal justice agencies and the sharing of inspectors between the Inspectorates. In contrast, only small minorities were in favour of the status quo, or of the appointment of a joint Chief Inspector for prisons and probation.

During the consultation exercise a helpful scheme was put forward by Her Majesty's Chief Inspectors of Constabulary, the Crown Prosecution Service, Magistrates' Courts, Probation, and Prisons to inspect practice across their boundaries systematically. This scheme has much to recommend it and the consultation exercise also suggests that it will command broad support. It is therefore the option which I propose to pursue, along with the arrangements canvassed in the consultation exercise for bringing the work of the Inspectorates closer together.

Both Sir David and Sir Graham have made significant contributions to raising standards in the prison and probation services respectively, and I am grateful to them for their work. In view of the retirements in July next year I shall be advertising both Chief Inspector posts in the New Year.

Anti-social Behaviour Orders

Mr. Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice he has given to magistrates on implementing anti-social behaviour orders. [136352]

Mr. Charles Clarke: Training for lay magistrates is organised and delivered locally but is based on the advice and syllabuses prepared by the Judicial Studies Board. In addition to the training pack and handout on anti-social behaviour orders (ASBO) which were sent out by the Board last year, we have issued two booklets to the relevant agencies including the magistrates' courts service: "Anti-Social Behaviour Orders--Guidance", produced by the Home Office in March 1999; and "Anti-Social Behaviour Orders--Guidance on drawing up

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local ASBO Protocols", produced jointly by the Home Office and the Local Government Association in June 2000.

Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those local authorities that have issued anti-social behaviour orders since April 1999 and the number of orders in each case. [138327]

Mr. Charles Clarke: Over 100 anti-social behaviour orders have been issued since the measure was implemented on 1 April 1999. Figures for the numbers of orders obtained by local authority area are not held centrally.

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