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Correspondence
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will write to the hon. Member for Salisbury about the competition for interim strategic lift capability. [103410]
Mr. Kilfoyle: I have written to the hon. Member today and a copy of my letter has been placed in the Library of the House.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Departmental Employees (Disabled People)
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the total workforce in his Department is registered as disabled; and what steps he is taking to encourage the employment of disabled people in his Department. [102048]
Mr. Straw:
The percentage of permanent staff in the Home Office, including the Prison Service, recorded as having a disability on 1 April 1999 was 0.6 per cent. More detailed figures are given in the table. Staff with disabilities in the main Home Office are no longer recorded as being "registered" or "unregistered". Information on staff with disabilities is gathered on a
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voluntary basis. The data include those who have indicated that they have a disability as defined in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
As part of our commitment to the employment of people with disabilities, we use the Employment Service's "Two Ticks" Disability Symbol for external recruitment and for internal selection and promotion boards. We operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme which guarantees an interview to anyone with a disability as long as they meet the minimum criteria for the post. The recruitment brochure for the Home Office includes details of the scheme. An audio version of this brochure is in preparation for applicants with sight difficulties.
| Area of employment (1) | Percentage of staff employed who are record as having a disability (1) |
|---|---|
| Home Office (core areas) | 1.8 |
| Immigration and Nationality Department | 4.1 |
| HM Prison Service | 0.1 |
| Fire Service College | 0.7 |
| Forensic Science Service | 0.6 |
| United Kingdom Passport Agency | 2.5 |
| Home Office average excluding prison service | 2.6 |
| Home Office average including prison service | 0.6 |
(1) Information given is for 1 April 1999
(1) Percentage is of permanent non-industrial staff
Peat
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's policy is on the purchase and use of peat for its own operations and activities; and what performance targets his Department has set to reduce current peat use. [103017]
Mr. Straw:
The Home Office Greening Operations Policy includes a statement that slow renewables such as peat should be replaced by organic wastes such as coir, manure, leaf mould and bark. The Home Office Procurement Manual also states that peat-free composts should be used. No specific targets have been set for reducing the use of peat.
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Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce a new hardback UK passport incorporating the existing pages of national identification. [102915]
Mrs. Roche:
There are no plans to introduce a new hardback United Kingdom passport. The burgundy style soft covered passport, introduced in 1988, is machine- readable and in a common format agreed in 1981 with other European Union countries. It also complies with international practice, in particular the International Standards and Recommended Practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation Convention on International Civil Aviation. Most countries of the world produce passports with a flexible soft cover. The standard format for passports facilitates the passage of many millions of travellers worldwide, enabling speedier progress through passport controls.
Moreover, it would not now be practical to produce a hardback version of the United Kingdom passport. In 1997 the United Kingdom Passport Agency let a 10-year contract for the Security Printing and Systems Ltd. for a more secure version of the soft covered machine readable passport. It would require substantial and expensive re-engineering of the passport manufacturing process to switch to a hardback cover.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Chief Constable of Nottingham about the circumstances, including the use of handcuffs, surrounding the death in custody of Nathan Graham. [103310]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
An investigation into Mr. Graham's death is being conducted by the Governor of Her Majesty's Prison Whatton. It will cover all the relevant circumstances, and the report will be made available to Mr. Graham's family. A separate investigation is being carried out by Nottinghamshire Police at the request of Her Majesty's Coroner.
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the value of confiscated assets of convicted criminals in each of the last three years. [103170]
| 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 (1) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drug offences | 131,410,000 | 15,010,000 | 22,264,000 |
| Other criminal offences | 6,070,000 | 17,199,000 | 12,683,000 |
| Total | 19,211,000 | 32,209,000 | 34,947,000 |
(1) Taking from the annual Home Office data collection Receipts from Confiscation orders
(1) Provisional
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Prostitution
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women were convicted of soliciting for prostitution in the Greater London area in each month from January to November. [103172]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Available information, which is provisional, is given in the table.
| Convictions | |
|---|---|
| January | 192 |
| February | 178 |
| March | 206 |
| April | 154 |
| May | 155 |
| June | 137 |
(1) An offence under S1 Street Offences Act 1959
(1) Provisional
Rape/Sexual Assault
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will assess the benefits of changing the definition of unreasonable belief in relation to (a) rape and (b) sexual assault; [103314]
- (2) what plans he has to introduce a new charge of assault in the course of sexual intercourse; [103343]
(3) what plans he has to propose amendments to the law to redefine unreasonable belief in relation to rape and sexual assault; [103341]
(4) if he will bring forward amendments to the law to re-define (a) consent and (b) coercion in relation to rape; [103319]
(5) if he will assess the benefits of introducing a new legal definition of rape; [103313]
(6) what plans he has to review the legal definition of rape. [103318]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The sex offences review is currently considering the law relating to rape and sexual assault as part of its remit to review sex offences. All of the issues mentioned form part of their consideration. The review is required to recommend clear and coherent new offences which protect the individual, especially children and the more vulnerable, from abuse and exploitation, enable abusers to be appropriately punished and be fair and non-discriminatory. I expect the review to report in the spring, and that its proposals will be published for consultation shortly after.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to place individuals on the Sexual Offenders Register who are found guilty of committing an assault in the course of sexual intercourse. [103344]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
There is at present no such offence. Anyone found guilty of rape is required to notify the police of their name and address and any changes of name and address. The review of sex offences has been asked to review the law and to recommend clear and coherent offences to protect victims. A number of
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proposals for change have been made, including one for an offence of an assault in the course of sexual intercourse by the Soroptimist International's United Kingdom Programme Action Committee's Working Party on Rape. When the review has completed its consideration of the law, it will also recommend which of the offences it proposes should carry the registration requirement under the Sex Offenders Act 1997.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action his Department has taken in response to the interim report, "The Processing of Rape Cases by the Criminal Justice System". [103320]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
The interim report on the study on the attrition in rape cases was followed by the final report of the study "A Question of Evidence? Investigating and prosecuting rape in the 1990s", which was published on 1 July 1999. The recommendations of the report have contributed to the work of the sex offences review which is looking at the definition of rape and consent, and the "Speaking Up For Justice" programme to improve the treatment of vulnerable or intimidated witnesses.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sentences imposed on those who commit rape and crimes involving sexual abuse
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were conditional on the perpetrator participating in programmes for positive change in the last year for which figures are available. [103316]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
This information is not held on the Home Office Court Proceedings Database.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent reports he has received on the (a) psychological and (b) physical impact of rape on its victims. [103317]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
I have recently received a copy of the report of the Working Party on Rape of Soroptomist International. The review of sex offences has also received this report, in addition to 38 submissions from both individuals and organisations which relate to the law on rape including the psychological and physical impact of rape on victims.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were (a) arrested for (b) charged with and (c) convicted of rape in each police authority area broken down by (i) age group and (ii) socio-economic class for each year since 1995. [103311]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Detailed information on the number of people arrested is not collected centrally.
Information given in the table, taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database, shows the number of prosecutions and convictions for rape offences. The Database does not hold information on the socio- economic class of defendants.
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(1) Includes rape, attempted rape and offences under the Mental Health Act 1959
(1) Including City of London
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(1) Includes rape, attempted rape and offences under the Mental Health Act 1959
(1) Including City of London
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(1) Includes rape, attempted rape and offences under the Mental Health Act 1959
(1) Including City of London
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(1) Includes rape, attempted rape and offences under the Mental Health Act 1959
(1) Including City of London
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Mrs. Curtis-Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training programmes he has developed to enable the relevant authorities to support victims of sexual abuse and rape. [103321]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
The deployment and training of police officers is an operational matter for the chief officer of each force. But it is recognised that victims of sexual abuse and rape need to be treated with special care, and officers chosen to support them have appropriate training and experience.
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