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Cross-sectoral Bodies
Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the local, sub-regional and regional partnerships, boards of zones and other cross-sectoral bodies supported by his Department; and the funding streams with which they are associated. [142186]
Mr. Straw: The information requested is not held centrally. In delivering its Aims, the Home Office works in partnership with a wide range of organisations, both formally and informally. At local level, the Home Office is working with the Regional Co-ordination Unit to ensure effective delivery of Home Office services, including through local partnerships.
Some examples of partnerships and cross-sectoral bodies include the 376 crime and disorder partnerships in England and Wales, youth offending teams (YOTs), the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB), vehicle crime reduction action team (VCRAT), drug action teams, black and minority ethnic twinning volunteering partnerships and prison healthcare delivery.
Crime and disorder partnerships are led by the police and local authorities, but also involve others such as health, education, private and voluntary sectors. They are required to formulate and implement a crime and disorder strategy for their area and are able to bid for funding for particular crime reduction projects from the crime reduction programme.
Youth offending teams are a local partnership between police, probation officers, social workers, health and education staff. They are responsible for delivering community based intervention programmes to make young offenders face up to their crimes and change their attitudes and behaviour and to promote youth inclusion. YOTs are resourced through contributions from the agencies involved.
The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales is a cross-sectoral, non-departmental public body. It was established in September 1998 with the Juvenile Offenders Unit as the Home Office Sponsor Unit. The YJB receives funding from the Home Office through monthly grant-in-aid payments.
Another example of a cross-sectoral partnership is the VCRAT. This comprises of senior representatives from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the Retail Motor Industry Federation, the Association of British Insurers, the Automobile Association, the Association of Chief Police Officers (including Scotland), Police Superintendents Association, Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Home Office and the Scottish Executive. VCRAT is working to reduce vehicle crime by 30 per cent. over five years (1 April 1999-30 March 2004) and advising on progress with implementation in the light of recorded vehicle crime figures as they are published. VCRAT itself does not have access to funds, but funding is available from the Crime Reduction Programme to support its work.
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Drug Action Teams (DATs) are locally organised teams with representatives from police, probation, local authority services and health. They are responsible locally for delivery of the Government's drugs strategy. Each of the local agencies in the DAT are funded individually. Additionally, DATs receive funding through the Drugs Prevention Advisory Service, to assist in the co-ordination of their work.
Black and Minority Ethnic Twinning Volunteering Partnerships aim to raise national awareness of good volunteering practice in black and minority ethnic communities; to improve opportunities for black and minority ethnic volunteers and increase their involvement in mainstream voluntary organisations; and to provide access to funding. £800,000 from the Home Office Community Support Grant has been provided to fund the initiative over the period 1999-2002.
The Prison Service, working with the National Health Service (NHS), supports a partnership to reform and deliver more appropriate health services to prisoners. This involves prison governors and health authorities identifying the health needs of prisoners and developing local joint prison health plans. The process is led from the centre by two joint Prison Service/NHS units--a policy unit and a task force--located within the Department of Health.
National Black Police Association
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met representatives of the National Black Police Association; and if he will make a statement. [142499]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Association is represented on the steering group overseeing the follow up to the report into the murder of Stephen Lawrence, which is chaired by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, which last met on 21 November 2000. The Secretary of State last met representatives of the Association on 19 October 1998 for a bilateral. I last met the Chair and Deputy Chair on 18 July 2000. My right hon. Friend, strongly supports the Association in its work of developing support networks for minority ethnic police officers.
Departmental Advertising
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for (a) 1996-97, (b) 1997-98, (c) 1998-99, (d) 1999-2000 and (e) 2000-01, (i) his Department's total spending on advertising campaigns, (ii) the cost of each individual advertising campaign and (iii) the criteria that were established to gauge the effectiveness of each campaign; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of each campaign based on these criteria. [142717]
Mr. Straw: The Home Office uses advertising in various media to inform the public about how they are affected by Departmental legislation, and also to encourage good practice in such areas as fire safety, crime reduction and voter registration. More recently a substantial police recruitment campaign has been launched.
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Total expenditure during the years requested is as follows:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1996-97 | 5.23 |
| 1997-98 | 1.4 |
| 1998-99 | 1.8 |
| 1999-2000 | 5.65 |
| 2000-01 | 11.08 |
(21) Spend to date
Note:
Figures include Value Added Tax
Advertising is undertaken through the Central Office of Information.
The breakdown of advertising campaigns excluding those under £50,000 is as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1996-97 | |
| Vehicle Crime Reduction | 1,900,000 |
| APSG Police Recruitment | 80,000 |
| Electoral Registration | 693,000 |
| Special Constables Recruitment | 2,100,000 |
| Fire Safety | 460,000 |
| 1997-98 | |
| APSG Police Recruitment | 75,000 |
| Electoral Registration | 570,000 |
| Special Constables | 420,000 |
| Fire Safety--Chips pilot | 305,000 |
| 1998-99 | |
| APSG Police Recruitment | 75,000 |
| Electoral Registration | 580,000 |
| Special Constables | 355,000 |
| Fire Safety--Smoke Alarms | 370,000 |
| Crime Partnerships | 430,000 |
| 1999-2000 | |
| APSG Police Recruitment | 75,000 |
| Electoral Registration | 575,000 |
| Special Constables | 910,000 |
| Fire Safety--Chips national | 1,330,000 |
| Fire Safety--Escape pilot | 345,000 |
| European Parliamentary Elections | 1,870,000 |
| Passport Agency | 545,000 |
| 2000-01(22) | |
| Police recruitment | 4,100,000 |
| Vehicle crime reduction | 4,000,000 |
| Fire safety | 2,200,000 |
| Human rights | 780,000 |
(22) Spend to date
Each campaign is evaluated to ensure maximum effectiveness and value for money. Evaluation criteria are set according to the individual objectives of each campaign (for example increases in awareness and understanding of fire safety issues are measured, along with changes in public attitudes and subsequent shifts in fire statistics). The results of each evaluation exercise are used to inform future campaign development.
Historical data on the individual communication objectives and evaluation criteria for each campaign can be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
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Voluntary Organisations
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that voluntary organisations do not suffer financial penalties as a result of the requirement to check all volunteers with the Criminal Records Bureau. [142534]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Criminal Records Bureau is being established under Part V of the Police Act 1997, which does not lay down a legal requirement for all volunteers to be subject to checks through the Bureau. Checks will be carried out on individuals on application. The fees to be charged for such checks have not yet been settled, but they will be as low as possible. Before making regulations setting the fees, we shall carry out a regulatory impact assessment to consider the implications for voluntary organisations and other users of the bureau's service. The outcome will be made public.
Operational Care
Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police forces in England have been offered special payments in respect of the additional workload involved in Operation Care. [143136]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Merseyside police has not asked for a special payment for Operation Care. Neither have any other police authorities requested such payments for any major child abuse investigations that have been mounted.
Chief constables would normally be expected to meet the cost of such operations from within the forces available budget, and from its reserves.
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