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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 6 March 2001
HOME DEPARTMENT
Correspondence
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the representations to him from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Mohammed Rafiq. [152452]
Mr. Straw: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 1 March.
Immigration Advisers
Mr. Pond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress he has made in establishing the scheme of regulation for immigration advisers and service providers; and if he will make a statement. [152674]
Mrs. Roche: The Office of The Immigration Services Commissioner published a Code of Standards, Guidance to Advisers on Competencies, The Commissioner's Rules and a Complaints Scheme in October 2000. An office has been established at 6th floor, Fleetbank House, 2-6 Salisbury Square, London EC4Y 8JX. Application packs for registration and exemption have also been sent to advisers and organisations known to the Commissioner's office. The Commissioner is about to start a publicity campaign designed to ensure that those who are required to make an application to him know of the need to do so.
I am pleased to announce that, following discussion with the Commissioner, I propose to bring the remaining provisions of Part V of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 into force on 30 April 2001.
The Commissioner has, however, made representations to me about a large number of voluntary organisations which provide immigration advice and services and are committed to applying for the Community Legal Services Quality Mark. Organisations which have gained this Quality Mark are regarded as having met some of the Immigration Services Commissioner's requirements as set out in the Code of Standards. The Government have no wish to impose unnecessary regulatory demands on voluntary organisations which are already committed to a recognised quality programme and we propose to make an order under section 84(4)(d) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. As a result of this order, voluntary bodies which commit themselves to the Community Legal Services Quality Mark before 30 April 2001 will not breach the general prohibition on providing immigration advice or services which will come into force on that date. The protection for qualifying voluntary bodies will cease to have effect on 31 January 2002. The understanding will be that, by this date, the voluntary bodies will have applied to the Office of the Immigration Services
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Commissioner for exemption from the regulatory scheme and that successful applicants will be included in the Commissioner's list of exemptions.
Other candidates for inclusion in a section 84(4)(d) order remain under consideration.
Training Police
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what average sum of money is allocated per serving police officer for training within the Metropolitan police force in the current financial year. [151614]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that as training is provided on the basis of need, it is not possible to provide an average sum of money allocated per serving officer for training. The Metropolitan police service has allocated £99.5 million for training both police officers and civilian staff for the current year.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training police staff are required to undertake prior to being involved in child abuse inquiries. [151615]
Mr. Charles Clarke: All child abuse inquiries are undertaken by specially trained officers. Training in each force is a matter for the chief officer concerned but would generally entail a minimum of five days of joint training with social workers.
Football-related Offences
Ms Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many football-related offences there were in each of the last six years. [151626]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The data requested are not available. However, information on the number of arrests in connection with football-related offences for the last six seasons is set out in the table:
| Season/year | Total arrests |
|---|---|
| 2000-01(2) | 1,834 |
| 1999-2000 | 3,137 |
| 1998-99 | 3,341 |
| 1997-98 | 3,307 |
| 1996-97 | 3,577 |
| 1995-96 | 3,441 |
| 1994-95 | 3,850 |
(1) Provided by the National Criminal Intelligence Service and the Football Banning Orders Authority
(2) As at 26 February 2001
Special Constables
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special constables applied (a) successfully and (b) unsuccessfully to become full-time police officers in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [151757]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The information requested is not collected centrally. However, my hon. Friend may like to know that some Home Office funded research completed
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in May 2000 on wastage in the special constabulary in five forces found that of the 293 former specials questioned, 18.8 per cent. (55 people) had left the Specials in order to join the regular force.
Suicide (Prisons)
Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many self-inflicted deaths there were in each year since 1992 in (a) all prisons, (b) young offender institutions, (c) male prisons and (d) female prisons; and if he will make a statement. [151747]
Mr. Boateng: The figures requested are given in the table. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced on 5 February 2001, Official Report, column 441W, a suicide prevention strategy to be implemented progressively from April 2001. The strategy will invest most resources where the risks are highest and aim for year on year reductions in prisoner suicide and self-harm.
(3) As at 27 February 2001
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Office of Surveillance Commissioners
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what system is in place to ensure democratic accountability of the Office of Surveillance Commissioners. [152122]
Mr. Straw: The Chief Surveillance Commissioner appointed under the Police Act 1997 has a statutory responsibility to make an annual report to the Prime Minister on the exercise of his functions under the 1997 Act, and since 25 September 2000, of his additional functions as described in section 62 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA). This report must be laid before Parliament. A copy of the Chief Surveillance Commissioner's most recent report is available in the Library. (Police Act 1997 Chapter 50 Report of the Chief Surveillance Commissioner for 1999-2000--Cm 4816).
The responsibility for appointing the Chief Surveillance Commissioner rests with the Prime Minister who is also responsible for appointing such Surveillance Commissioners and Assistant Surveillance Commissioners as he thinks fit.
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the annual budget is of the Office of Surveillance Commissioners. [152124]
Mr. Straw: The Office of Surveillance Commissioners (OSC) was allocated £405,000 for the financial year 2000-01. The regional offices of the OSC were allocated £84,000 by the Northern Ireland Office and £41,000 by the Scottish Executive for the year 2000-01.
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been employed by the Office of Surveillance Commissioners in each year since its inception. [152123]
Mr. Straw: The Office of Surveillance Commissioners was set up in 1998. It currently has four support staff in the Central Office in London, a part-time member of staff in Northern Ireland, and a part-time member of staff in Scotland. The staff joined between November 1998 and February 1999.
A Chief Surveillance Commissioner was appointed in July 1998. He is supported by six part-time Surveillance Commissioners appointed in November 1998. One Commissioner resigned in April 2000 and was replaced in February 2001.
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) aims and (b) work programme are of the Office of Surveillance Commissioners. [152125]
Mr. Straw: The aims and present work programme of the Office of Surveillance Commissioners (OSC) are twofold:
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First, for the Chief Commissioner to keep under review the performance of functions under Part III of the Police Act 1997 and, so far as they are not required to be kept under review by the Interception of Communications Commissioner, the Intelligence Services Commissioner or the Investigatory Powers Commissioners for Northern Ireland, the exercise and performance, by persons on whom they are conferred or imposed, of the powers and duties conferred or imposed by Part II of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA), and the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000 (RIP(S)).
Secondly, for the Surveillance Commissioners to carry out their statutory functions of (a) scrutinising and considering whether to give their prior approval to decisions to grant or renew grants of authorisations for property interference and intrusive surveillance and (b) scrutinising decisions to cancel authorisation for property interference and intrusive surveillance.
The work programme is currently being reviewed to incorporate oversight of directed surveillance and the use of covert human intelligence sources by the public authorities listed in Schedule 1 to RIPA and section 8 of RIP(S). A team of Assistant Commissioners and inspectors is to be recruited to assist with this.
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