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Emergency Services
Mr. Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will require the same communications technology to be used across the three emergency services; [147626]
- (2) if he will assess the project work undertaken by the Greater Manchester Fire and Civil Defence Authority when determining future radio strategies for emergency services. [147629]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Joint working is one of the Government's core principles for delivering efficient and modern public services. The communications systems of each of the emergency services need to be able to meet the particular operational requirements of that service. But the systems also need to support effective interworking between the services. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has therefore asked representatives of the police, fire and emergency ambulance services to put proposals by Easter 2001 to him and to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health on how collaboration between those services in communications and in other areas can be encouraged and improved.
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I would encourage and indeed expect these proposals to take account of project work already in hand by emergency services in different parts of the country.
Immigration
Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for indefinite leave to remain under the concession to those who have suffered domestic violence have been received since its introduction; and how many of those applicants were granted settlement in the UK. [147560]
Mrs. Roche: To date, we have recorded 77 applications made under the terms of the concession, of which 47 have been granted settlement. In the other cases, there was insufficient evidence fully to meet the terms of the concession.
Lieutenant Governor of Jersey
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people applied for the advertised job of Lieutenant Governor of Jersey; how many applicants were women; how many were shortlisted and how many of these were women. [147847]
Mr. Straw: 58 applications were received for the post of Lieutenant Governor of Jersey, of which two were from women. 14 applicants, all male, were shortlisted.
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will extend to Guernsey the responsibilities of the new Lieutenant Governor of Jersey. [147846]
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Mr. Straw: No. The Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey are separate jurisdictions, with their own legislatures, legal systems and judiciaries. Each has its own Lieutenant Governor, who is the personal representative of Her Majesty The Queen. It would not be appropriate to have a single Lieutenant Governor for the two Bailiwicks.
Female Prisoners
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what analysis he has made of the ethnic origin of girls sentenced to detention and training since April 2000. [147455]
Mr. Boateng: Eighty-nine girls were received into custody under detention and training orders in their first three months, April to June 2000. One was Asian, four were black, five were of mixed race, 76 were white and three were of other ethnic origin.
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of self-harm have taken place among (a) females, (b) females under 21 and (c) females under 18 serving custodial sentences in each year since 1995, broken down by establishment in which the incidents occurred. [147469]
Mr. Boateng: Figures for self-harm incidents for all female prisoners held in establishments designated as prisons for women since 1994-95 are given in the table. They are given by financial year so as to include the most up to date figures available. Those for the period since March 2000 are being collated and should be available in May. I regret that these self-harm figures are not available for female prisoners by age.
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| Prison | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000(11) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Askham | 0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Brockhill | 0 | 1 | 11 | 69 | 67 | 0 |
| Bullwood Hall | 126 | 312 | 0 | 97 | 234 | 46 |
| Cookham | 32 | 49 | 46 | 23 | 15 | 0 |
| Drake Hall | 7 | 5 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 46 |
| East Sutton | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eastwood | 0 | 61 | 176 | 95 | 154 | 24 |
| Holloway | 386 | 192 | 139 | 252 | 250 | 240 |
| New Hall | 325 | 260 | 116 | 190 | 180 | 412 |
| Styal | 156 | 108 | 92 | 96 | 144 | 12 |
| Total | 103 | 996 | 599 | 835 | 1,053 | 780 |
(11) Until 31 March 2000
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The table lists figures of self-harm incidents for all female establishments since 1994-95, but does not, for example, include figures for women's units currently in use in other establishments.
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into deaths and incidents of self-harm in women's prisons. [147470]
Mr. Boateng: There is a wide range of research studies covering many aspects of self-harm and suicidal behaviour in women's prisons. The Prison Service is planning a new research and evaluation strategy for self-inflicted deaths and self-harm in custody and will take into account the learning from these and other studies.
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Previous projects include research into the institutional factors of self-harm at Bullwood Hall prison; the management and recording of suicidal behaviour at Styal prison; and the management of self-harm, characteristics of those who self-harm, and evaluation of intervention effectiveness at Holloway prison. Current projects include a study of women life sentence prisoners and suicidal behaviour at Highpoint prison. All generic studies of self-inflicted deaths include women prisoners.
All research is evaluated so that it informs and contributes to the development of suicide and self-harm prevention policies and practices.
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the
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factors underlying the recent increase in the number of women sentenced to imprisonment. [147457]
Mr. Boateng: The number of women prisoners increased by 100 per cent. from 1993 to 1998, compared with a 45 per cent. increase in the number of men. The increase is due to more women going through the courts, and more women getting custodial sentences and for longer periods. In 1999, 70,800 women were proceeded against for indictable offences compared with 68,500 in 1998. Since 1997 the custody rate for women has increased by just over a quarter compared with a 9 per cent. increase for men. In the last five years, 50 per cent. of the rise is due to more women being convicted of drugs offences.
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to remove 15 and 16-year-old girls from the prison system. [147456]
Mr. Boateng: In March 2000, 40 of the 130 girls sentenced and remanded to custody were held outside the Prison Service. Following the Government's changes to the sentencing, remand and placement arrangements last year this total has increased to 60. We aim to increase it further but as the total of girls in custody is rising we cannot set a date for removing 15 and 16-year-olds completely from Prison Service accommodation.
Graffiti
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received regarding the restriction on the sale of spray paints to minors. [147593]
Mr. Charles Clarke [holding answer 29 January 2001]: I have received several representations of late from Members of Parliament and from members of the public calling for restrictions on the sale of spray paints to minors. There are, however, no plans to introduce such restrictions at present. I refer the hon. Member to the closing statement I gave to the Adjournment debate 'Graffiti and Vandalism' on 27 March 2000, Official Report, column 195.
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Police Recruitment
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list the planned police recruitment intakes in England and Wales for the remainder of 2000-01, broken down by force, differentiating recruits under the Crime Fighting Fund initiative and those who would otherwise be recruited; [146290]
- (2) if he will list the (a) planned and (b) actual police recruitment intakes in England and Wales in 2000-01 to date, broken down by force, differentiating recruits under the Crime Fighting Fund initiative and those who would otherwise have been recruited. [146289]
Mr. Charles Clarke [holding answer 22 January 2001]: The only information collected centrally about force recruitment by intake is that required for the purposes of monitoring the Crime Fighting Fund (CFF) and calculating CFF grant. Forces are not asked for details of all planned and actual recruits, only for the number of appointments on probation. For CFF purposes any officer appointed on transfer from the Royal Ulster Constabulary is also counted in this category. The figures provided by forces are the source of the information given in this answer.
Individual force plans for particular recruitment intakes have changed frequently according to the success of the force in attracting and processing applications. The table sets out the actual recruitment, month by month, reported by each force for the period 1 April to 15 December 2000. This was the cut-off date for the most recent payment of CFF grant. The table shows separately the number of officers deemed to be CFF recruits and other appointments on probation. The number of recruits deemed to be CFF officers is calculated as a proportion of the force's projected total appointments on probation. If the total of these appointments for the year varies from a force's projections, the number of recruits deemed to be CFF officers may also change.
In view of the frequent changes to force plans for the number of recruits on each intake, it is difficult to offer a meaningful force by force projection for each intake for the remainder of 2000-01. However, returns from forces suggest that by 31 March 2000 a total of 7,250 appointments on probation will have been made in the financial year 2000-01. Of these 2,750 will be deemed to be CFF recruits.
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(12) Based on force returns for CFF purposes
(13) Force returns cover appointments on probation, except that any officer transferring to a force in England and Wales from the RUC would also be counted among 'others'
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