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Asylum Seekers (Homes)
Mr. Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of homes allocated to asylum seekers by (a) NASS and (b) local authorities have been inspected in the last 12 months. [148718]
Mrs. Roche: Inspections have been carried out on 100 per cent. of properties provided by the private sector and included on the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) database at 1 October 2000. Inspections have been carried out on 55 per cent. of properties provided by the private sector and included on the NASS database since 1 October. Inspections have been carried out on 5 per cent. of public sector accommodation included on the NASS database since 1 October 2000.
Youth Inclusion Projects
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the areas where youth inclusion projects will be operational by March; and what resources will be allocated to each. [148559]
Mr. Boateng: The Youth Justice Board managed youth inclusion programme aims to provide funding for 70 projects, of which 59 are now operational and another seven are expected to go live by March 2001.
Each project receives annually £75,000 from local partnerships and £75,000 from the Youth Justice Board.
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The areas where youth inclusion projects will be operational by March 2001 are listed in the table.
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Soft-tipped Bullets
Mr. Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the advice of the Police Scientific Development Branch on the use of soft-tipped bullets by the police. [148859]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Soft-point ammunition in use by the police service is designed to transfer the maximum energy or "stopping power" to the target. It is less likely to endanger others by passing through the immediate target, or ricocheting from a hard surface. It is not intended to cause unnecessary injury.
It is not in the public interest to publish technical advice on the performance of ammunition suitable for police use. It contains information which could put both police officers and members of the public at risk and undermine the operational effectiveness of the police service.
Anti-social Behaviour Orders
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders have been made in (a) Northumbria, (b) South Yorkshire, (c) West Yorkshire, (d) Merseyside, (e) the West Midlands and (f) Greater Manchester. [148611]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The number of orders made in each area by the end of September, the latest date for which figures are available, can be found in the table.
7 Feb 2001 : Column: 612W
| Area | Number |
|---|---|
| Northumbria | 8 |
| South Yorkshire | 3 |
| West Yorkshire | 5 |
| Merseyside | 8 |
| West Midlands | 15 |
| Greater Manchester | 12 |
Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders have been made in each police authority area in (a) Wales and (b) England. [148667]
Mr. Charles Clarke: By the end of September, the latest date for which figures are available, orders were made in the following areas:
| Area | Number |
|---|---|
| Avon and Somerset | 11 |
| Cambridgeshire | 5 |
| Cleveland | 4 |
| Cumbria | 1 |
| Derbyshire | 4 |
| Devon and Cornwall | 1 |
| Dorset | 2 |
| Durham | 2 |
| Greater Manchester | 12 |
| Hampshire | 1 |
| Hertfordshire | 1 |
| Humberside | 2 |
| Lancashire | 7 |
| Leicestershire | 1 |
| Met. Police area | 18 |
| Merseyside | 8 |
| Norfolk | 6 |
| North Wales | 1 |
| North Yorkshire | 4 |
| Northumbria | 8 |
| Nottinghamshire | 5 |
| South Wales | 1 |
| South Yorkshire | 3 |
| Suffolk | 3 |
| Surrey | 1 |
| Sussex | 3 |
| Thames Valley | 1 |
| Warwickshire | 1 |
| West Mercia | 10 |
| West Midlands | 15 |
| West Yorkshire | 5 |
The figures for the period 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000 were provided by police forces. Figures for the period 1 June 2000 to 31 September 2000, provided by magistrates courts committees.
Cigarette Sales (Children)
Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average fine levied on those found guilty of selling cigarettes to children aged under 16 years in 1999-2000. [148854]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The available information has been taken from the Home Office's Court Proceedings Database. Ninety persons were fined after being found guilty of selling tobacco based products (including cigarettes) under section 7 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, as amended by Section 1 of the
7 Feb 2001 : Column: 613W
Children (Protection From Tobacco) Act 1991, to children aged under 16 years in 1999. The average fine levied was £237.
Two persons were fined after being found guilty under section 3 of the Children (Protection From Tobacco) Act 1991 for selling unpackaged cigarettes to children under 16 in 1999. The average fine was £200.
Shotguns
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representatives he has received on the length of time taken to process shotgun certificate renewal; what the average length of time taken to process shotgun certificate renewals in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) North Yorkshire was in (i) 1996 and (ii) 2000; and how frequently local authority firearm consultative committees should meet. [148645]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Home Office has received a number of representations about the time taken to renew shotgun certificates from a range of shooters and shooting bodies.
Figures for average renewal times are not collected centrally and were not so collected in 1996. We understand from information as is immediately available that the average time taken to renew a shotgun certificate is as follows, the 1996 figure being an estimate.
| Average renewal time in weeks | 1996 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|
| England | 4 | 7 |
| Wales | 2 | 9 |
| North Yorkshire | 3 | 8 |
The main reason for this increase in most forces is that following Lord Cullen's report into the Dunblane tragedy, most forces have moved from renewing shotgun certificates by post to visiting applicants personally prior to renewal.
The Home Office has not issued advice on how often local firearms consultative bodies should meet; nor have we received any representations on this issue in recent years. We understand that those forces that do hold such consultative meetings do so between two and four times a year.
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