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Police Officers (Working Hours)
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the average working hours of police officers in inspecting ranks in each of the last five years. [147069]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Data on the working hours of police officers in inspecting ranks are not held centrally.
Eurojust
Mr. Denzil Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the judicial co-operation unit of the EU, to be known as Eurojust, to be established. [147164]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The decision to establish Eurojust was taken at the special European Council meeting held at Tampere, Finland in October 1999. The Justice and Home Affairs Council was requested to adopt the necessary legal instrument by the end of 2001.
The objective of Eurojust will be to improve co-ordination and co-operation among national prosecuting authorities, supporting, but not directing, their investigations and prosecutions of serious crime affecting two or more member states.
Negotiations on the draft Council Decision establishing Eurojust are under way. The Government are a full and active participant in these negotiations, supporting the effort to meet the deadline laid down at Tampere.
A Council Decision to establish a Provisional Judicial Co-operation Unit, or "provisional Eurojust", was adopted in December last year. The Provisional Unit will act as a
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forerunner to Eurojust, and the experience gained through its activities will be used to inform the negotiations on Eurojust. The Provisional Unit will begin its activities early in March 2001.
European Police College
Mr. Denzil Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the proposed European Police College to be established. [147165]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The European Police College came into operation on 1 January 2001, in accordance with the Council Decision which was adopted by the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 30 November 2000.
The decision about the location of a permanent Secretariat and the appointment of an Administrative Director will be taken under the Swedish Presidency. The United Kingdom intends to submit a bid to host the Secretariat based on National Police Training premises.
Noise Act
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many successful (a) private and (b) local authority prosecutions have been brought under the Noise Act 1996 in each year since its enactment. [147208]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Limited information, taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database showing the number of prosecutions and convictions under the Noise Act 1996, is given in the table.
| Type of proceedings | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Summons by police | Summons other than by police(24) | Total | |
| 1997 | |||
| Prosecuted | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Convicted | -- | 2 | 2 |
| 1998 | |||
| Prosecuted | -- | 2 | 2 |
| Convicted | -- | 2 | 2 |
| 1999 | |||
| Prosecuted | -- | 2 | 2 |
| Convicted | -- | 1 | 1 |
(24) Limited data and information are held centrally on the Home Office's Court Proceedings Database for summary offences. For these offences, it is not possible to identify further who issued the summons.
Information Technology Projects
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the information technology projects undertaken by his Department, including the date each project started, the planned date for completion, the current expected date of completion, the planned cost of the project and the current estimate of total cost; and if he will make a statement. [145696]
Mr. Straw [holding answer 16 January 2001]: The current major Information Technology (IT) projects within my Department and its agencies (excluding non-departmental public bodies) are listed in a table that
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has been placed in the Library. The information in the table covers those IT projects where (a) the cost or value of the project exceeds £5 million or (b) the project is essential for delivery of core objectives or services.
In addition to the projects listed in the table, the National Probation Service Information and Technology Programme also falls within the definition given. It aims to meet the short, medium and long-term needs of the new National Probation Service, including addressing the shortcomings of the existing software applications available to Probation Service areas under the National Probation Service Information Systems Strategy (NPSISS) programme, which was initiated in 1993, and is now drawing to a close. Implementation of NPSISS is under review by the National Audit Office.
The immediate needs are being addressed through a Service Management Plan, and a project has been initiated to procure a service provider from late 2001-02 as an interim step while strategic arrangements are put in place for the longer term. The programme has not yet been fully costed. The two main procurement projects within it will be subject to review under the Gateway procedures by the Office for Government Commerce.
Hinduja Brothers
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions since he became Home Secretary he has met (a) Mr. Srichand Hinduja and (b) Mr. Gopichand Hinduja; and what was discussed. [148000]
Mr. Straw: I may have been present at functions which were also attended by Mr. Srichand Hinduja and Mr. Gopichand Hinduja but to the best of my recollection I have not met either Mr. Srichand Hinduja or Mr. Gopichand Hinduja, nor have I had any official meetings with them.
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on which dates since he became Home Secretary he has visited the Hindu Temple in Neasden; at whose instigation the visits were organised; and on how many occasions (a) Mr. Srichand Hinduja and (b) Mr. Gopichand Hinduja were present. [148003]
Mr. Straw: I have visited the Hindu Temple in Neasden once, on 31 August last year as part of preparations for my official visit to India in September. The suggestion came from my officials, as my itinerary in India included a visit to the Akshadham Swaminarayan Temple in Ahmedabad, a sister temple to the Hindu Temple in Neasden. I do not know whether Mr. Srichand Hinduja or Mr. Gopichand Hinduja were at the temple in Neasden when I visited, but to the best of my recollection I met neither of them there.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he received, on what dates, from the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the hon. Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz), concerning the applications for naturalisation from (a) Mr. Srichand Hinduja and (b) Mr. G. P. Hinduja; and if he will make a statement. [147884]
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Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if Lord Levy has (a) made inquiries, (b) made representations and (c) submitted material in connection with applications for citizenship made by (i) Mr. G. P. Hinduja and (ii) Mr. S. P. Hinduja. [147988]
Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what representations were made to him in relation to the application by Mr. G. P. Hinduja for British citizenship; and if he will make a statement; [147994]
- (2) what contact was made with the Indian authorities about Mr. S. P. Hinduja's business dealings before his application for British citizenship was considered; and if he will make a statement; [147993]
(3) when he was first informed of Mr. S. P. Hinduja's application for citizenship; and if he will make a statement. [147992]
Mr. Straw: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced on 24 January that he had asked former Treasury Solicitor, Sir Anthony Hammond QC, to review the full circumstances surrounding approaches to the Home Office in connection with the possibility of an application for naturalisation by Mr. S. P. Hinduja in 1998. Sir Anthony started his review on Thursday 25 January. After an initial reading of the papers, Sir Anthony has decided that, in order to fulfil the terms of reference of his review of the application for naturalisation of S. P. Hinduja, it is appropriate for him to look at the circumstances of the granting of naturalisation in respect of G. P. Hinduja because the circumstances of both applications are closely related. For the same reason, he has also decided that it is appropriate for him to look at the circumstances surrounding the inquiries about naturalisation in respect of Prakesh Hinduja.
Sir Anthony aims to complete his review as quickly as possible, consistently with the need to conduct a thorough investigation. I understand that on the information currently available to Sir Anthony, he hopes to complete the review by the end of February. The report will be published and copies will be placed in the Vote Office and the Library. It would be inappropriate for me to pre-empt the outcome of this review.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the applications for naturalisation from (a) Mr. Srichand Hinduja and (b) Mr. G. P. Hinduja were processed and determined other than by routine date order of application; and if he will make a statement. [147602]
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will place in the Library the note of his Minister's conversation with the right hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Mandelson) concerning Mr. S. Hinduja's qualification for British citizenship; [147794]
- (2) who made the decision to grant naturalisation to Mr. S. Hinduja; [147808]
(3) if the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the hon. Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz) contacted (a) Ministers and (b) officials at the Home Office concerning the Hinduja case. [147793]
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Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions since 1997 Ministers have made representations to the Home Office on behalf of the Hindujas. [147727]
Mr. Straw [holding answer 29 January 2001]: My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced on 24 January that he had asked former Treasury Solicitor, Sir Anthony Hammond QC, to review the full circumstances surrounding approaches to the Home Office in connection with the possibility of an application for naturalisation by Mr. S. P. Hinduja in 1998. Sir Anthony started his review on Thursday 25 January. After an initial reading of the papers, Sir Anthony has decided that, in order to fulfil the terms of reference of his review of the application for naturalisation of S. P. Hinduja, it is appropriate for him to look at the circumstances of the granting of naturalisation in respect of G. P. Hinduja because the circumstances of both applications are closely related. For the same reason, he has also decided that it is appropriate for him to look at the circumstances surrounding the inquiries about naturalisation in respect of Prakesh Hinduja.
Sir Anthony aims to complete his review as quickly as possible, consistently with the need to conduct a thorough investigation. I understand that on the information currently available to Sir Anthony, he hopes to complete the review by the end of February. The report will be published and copies will be placed in the Vote Office and the Library. It would be inappropriate for me to pre-empt the outcome of this review.
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