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Hinduja Family

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis) of 9 November 2000, Official Report, column 402W, on the Hinduja family, for what reason the outcome of the investigations was not awaited before a decision on whether or not to grant citizenship was made. [140306]

Mrs. Roche: At the time the decision was made, no proceedings were being taken against Mr. Hinduja. The allegations had been made nearly 10 years previously and it was not apparent that any investigations by the Indian authorities were still under way.

Police Station Closures

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr. Yeo) of 13 November 2000,

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Official Report, column 539W, on police station closures, how many police stations have (a) opened and (b) closed in Sussex in each year since 1979. [140266]

Mr. Charles Clarke: I understand from the Chief Constable that he is unable to provide information on the number of police stations that have opened or closed between March 1979 and March 1990. Since March 1990, the number of police stations in Sussex has increased by two to 36, with one new police station opened in each of the financial years 1998-99 and 1999-2000. The information provided by the force indicates that no police stations were closed between 1990 and 2000.

Metropolitan Police (Intelligence Briefings)

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which (a) hon. Members and (b) Members of the House of Lords (i) were offered and (ii) accepted intelligence briefings from the Metropolitan police on the manifestation of corruption and the Metropolitan Police Services response to it. [139998]

Mr. Charles Clarke: I have asked the Metropolitan police to provide the information requested and I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as I receive it.

Correspondence

Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for Putney will receive a reply to his letters of 11 May and 17 October on behalf of his constituent Mr. Gul. [138075]

Mrs. Roche: I wrote to my hon. Friend on 27 November 2000.

I apologise for the delay in replying.

Police Recruitment

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued to police forces about the recruitment of individuals with criminal records. [139481]

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Mr. Charles Clarke: The Home Office has not issued guidance to police forces regarding the recruitment of persons who have convictions and who wish to become police officers. It is for individual chief officers to decide whether a particular conviction should be a bar to the recruitment of an applicant.

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what correspondence he has received from the RUC concerning the recruiting of former RUC officers and reservists to police forces in England and Wales. [139929]

Mr. Charles Clarke: None. However, the Royal Ulster Constabulary Voluntary Severance Support Unit has communicated with all police forces in England and Wales to indicate a potential recruitment base from former members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and RUC Reserve.

Metropolitan Police

Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many senior investigating officers are working within the Metropolitan Police Service's area major investigating teams; and how many of them are women. [139779]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The Metropolitan Police Service has 31 major investigating teams each led by a senior investigating officer, none of whom are women. The force is encouraging women officers to join its specialist branches, with the objective of reflecting the community it serves.

Fuel Emergency Precautionary Measures

Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the sums spent, indicating the relevant votes by Her Majesty's Government, on fuel emergency precautionary measures since September; and if he will make a statement. [139850]

Mr. Straw: It is too soon to be able to provide a detailed reply. I will write to the hon. Member when the figures are available. The broad categories are likely to be: police costs; Army driver training and support; staff costs across Government Departments (e.g. overtime); any expenditure by local authorities or others that the Government agrees to meet; Government websites; and call centres.

Anti-social Behaviour Orders

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders have been issued in respect of (a) juveniles, (b) adults and (c) in total of (a) and (b) in (i) Coventry South, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) nationally. [139319]

Mr. Boateng [holding answer 23 November 2000]: At least 140 anti-social behaviour orders have been issued since the measure was implemented on 1 April 1999. The figure is not broken down by local authority area,

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although we are aware of at least 12 in the West Midlands police force area. We cannot provide, from the figures available, a breakdown by age of the defendant.

According to Coventry City Council, at least three orders are in force in Coventry South, all of which are against juveniles.

Porton Down

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for Salisbury will receive a reply to his letter of 3 September to the Minister of State, Home Office, the hon. Member for Norwich, South (Mr. Clarke), about Porton Down. [140245]

Mr. Charles Clarke: A reply has now been sent to the hon. Member for Salisbury (Mr. Key). His letter was carefully considered, and information sought from other Government departments and the police, but the delay in replying was excessive. I am very sorry he had to wait so long.

Sex Change Operations

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what Prison Service policy is on the transfer of prisoners to (a) men's and (b) women's prisons following sex change operations; and on how many occasions such transfers have occurred in each of the last 10 years; [140143]

(2) what his policy is in respect of requests by serving prisoners for access to NHS sex change operations. [140148]

Mr. Boateng: Gender dysphoria is a recognised medical condition for which treatment, including gender re-assignment surgery, is available on the National Health Service (NHS). The Prison Service aims to provide prisoners with access to the same range and quality of health services as the general public receives from the NHS. A prisoner who had been receiving treatment for gender dysphoria under the supervision of an NHS specialist would normally be permitted to have gender re-assignment surgery on the recommendation of that specialist.

A post-operative transsexual prisoner would normally be held in an establishment for prisoners of his/her gender of choice but the decision in an individual case would be reached only after careful consideration of all the relevant factors. In the last 10 years no prisoners have been transferred from establishments for prisoners of their gender at birth to establishments for prisoners of their gender of choice following gender re-assignment surgery while in prison custody.

Redgrave and Charman

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his oral statement of 31 October 2000, Official Report, column 199WH, concerning disciplinary hearings in relation to John Redgrave and Michael Charman, (a) if procedures for setting the date for the hearing were compliant with regulations (b) what was the nature of the apology tendered by the CIB to counsel for Redgrave and Charman; and if he will make a statement. [140083]

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Mr. Charles Clarke: The Commissioner of the Police of the Metropolis informs me that the disciplinary hearing for John Redgrave and Michael Charman was set in accordance with the Police (Discipline) Regulations 1985.

The Metropolitan police were notified that counsel for Mr. Redgrave was not available for the hearing. Out of courtesy, letters of apology were sent and the hearing was cancelled. I understand that Mr. Redgrave's and Mr. Charman's solicitors, Russell Jones and Walker, are having difficulty in finding dates agreeable to both counsel.

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Detective Inspector John Redgrave's suspension will be lifted; and if he will make a statement. [140089]

Mr. Charles Clarke: Detective Inspector Redgrave will remain suspended from duty as he is charged with Discreditable Conduct contrary to the Police Discipline Code. A discipline board will be convened next year on a date yet to be arranged.

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