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Prison High Security Estate

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much of the £70 million allocated for new places in the prison high security estate announced in September 2000 has been spent. [10588]

Beverley Hughes: The £70 million allocated for new places in the Prison Service High Security estate announced in September 2000 provides funding for the development of new services for those who are dangerous and severely personality disordered (DSPD) over three years. It includes resources for capital costs, for the construction of new units, running costs and support for the development of new approaches to assessment and treatment. These are complex schemes involving major innovation both in design and in the approach to service delivery.

The initial capital allocation in 2001–02 was £9 million to fund three refurbished units at Whitemoor Prison (and replacement of prison places lost as a result) and the beginning of construction of a new build unit at Frankland Prison. The work at Whitemoor Prison is complete and has incurred a total capital cost of £230,000 together with £4.27 million allocated to the Prison Service for replacement of lost prison places.

Work at Frankland Prison has been slightly delayed by adverse ground conditions but is projected to incur capital costs of £1 million this year to open on schedule in 2003.

In 2001–02, £11 million was allocated for running costs and service development work. This was necessarily a rough projection of likely costs because of the ground breaking nature of this work. At this stage we project spending of £5.2 million (with £766,584 spent to date). Any underspend is being reallocated to other key Home Office priorities.

Overstayers

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of the processing of applications for indefinite leave to remain in the UK made under the regularisation of overstayers scheme; and when he expects it to be completed. [10558]

Angela Eagle: Resources have been invested in the current financial year to identify and process those cases where leave to remain can be granted under existing policy concessions. A dedicated unit within Immigration Casework Directorate (ICD) North has now been trained, and has already sifted and taken action on 600 applications. During the next financial year (2002–03) more caseworkers and resources will be devoted to the consideration of the remaining cases. The target date for the completion of all considerations is April 2003.

Charity Commissioners

Sir Sydney Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints have been received by the Charity Commissioners and from how many complainants; how many have been fully or partially upheld; how many complaints relating to the Charity Commission have been received by the independent complaints reviewer and from how many

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complainants; how many have been fully or partially upheld; and if the present pilot complaints procedures are to continue. [10963]

Angela Eagle: This is a matter for the Charity Commission, who will write to the hon. Member. A copy of the Commission's reply will be placed in the Library.

Criminal Records Bureau

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Criminal Records Bureau will be launched; and if he will make a statement. [11752]

Mr. Denham: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Colchester (Bob Russell) on 26 October 2001, Official Report, column 449W.

Criminal Justice System Reserve

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much of the Criminal Justice System Reserve has been (a) allocated and (b) spent to date; and if he will make a statement about his plans to allocate the reserve in (i) 2002–03 and (ii) 2003–04. [11754]

Mr. Keith Bradley: Of the £100 million Criminal Justice System Reserve in 2001–02, £85 million has been allocated to date. Information on spend to date on approved initiatives indicates that full allocations will be spent. In addition £13.75 million has been allocated from the Reserve to approved initiatives in 2002–03 and up to £53.1 million in 2003–04.

Allocations from the Criminal Justice System Reserve require the joint agreement of the Home Secretary, Lord Chancellor and Attorney-General prior to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury releasing the money from the Reserve. Bidding guidance for the Criminal Justice System Reserve for 2001–02 and 2002–03 was issued to the three Criminal Justice System Departments in July 2001. Ministers will shortly be recommending to the Chief Secretary further allocations for 2002–03 and 2003–04.

Drug Testing

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimation he has made of the pilot projects on drug testing for detainees in (a) Staffordshire, (b) Hackney and (c) Nottingham. [11586]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Piloting of the provisions for drug testing persons in police detention after charge, introduced under the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000, began in Staffordshire on 30 July and in Hackney and Nottingham on 17 September. An interim evaluation report is due in spring 2002, with a further interim report in spring 2003 and a final full evaluation report in early 2004.

Correspondence

Mr. Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will respond to the fax from the hon. Member for Poole of 11 September on Leonilla Beck (Ref 16407/1). [10298]

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Angela Eagle [holding answer 26 October 2001]: A reply was sent to the hon. Member for Poole on 24 October.

Independent Schools

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his policy on the charitable status of independent schools. [11456]

Angela Eagle [holding answer 30 October 2001]: The advancement of education is the second of the four main heads of charity and any not-for-profit body that operates an independent school will normally be charitable under this head. The issue of charitable status is being more broadly considered by the Cabinet Office's Performance and Innovation Unit as part of its review of the legal and regulatory framework for voluntary organisations. The review will cover the scope and definition of charity, although it does not have the aim of removing charitable status from any particular type of organisation. The report of the review is due in early 2002.

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will abolish the charitable status for independent schools. [9594]

Angela Eagle: There are no plans to remove charitable status from independent schools. The issue of charitable status is being more broadly considered by the Cabinet Office's Performance and Innovation Unit as part of its review of the legal and regulatory framework for voluntary organisations. The review will cover the scope and definition of charity, although it does not have the aim of removing charitable status from any particular type of organisation such as independent schools. The report of the review is due in early 2002.

National Asylum Support Service

Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints have been received by NASS in respect of sub-standard accommodation provided for asylum seekers since April 2000; and if he will make a statement. [11370]

Angela Eagle: Since April 2000 the housing management team of National Asylum Support Service has received 347 complaints about sub-standard accommodation. These complaints relate to both housing conditions and management. The complaints are from a range of sources including asylum seekers themselves or their legal representatives as well as voluntary and public sector organisations acting on their behalf.

All complaints received by the housing management team are registered, investigated and monitored. The team liaises as necessary with other agencies such as local authorities and refugee organisations in dealing with complaints.

Domestic Violence

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many part 8 reviews have been carried out by the Metropolitan police on incidents of domestic violence since the inception of the system. [11205]

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Mr. Denham: When a child dies, and abuse or neglect are known or suspected to be a factor in the death, local agencies should consider whether there are lessons to be learned from the tragedy about the ways in which they work together to safeguard children. Consequently, when a child dies in such circumstances, the area child protection committee should always conduct a review into the involvement with the child and family of agencies and professionals.

Additionally, the area child protection committee should always consider whether to undertake a serious case review where a child has sustained a potentially life-threatening injury through abuse or neglect, serious sexual abuse, or sustained serious and permanent impairment of health or development through abuse or neglect, and the case gives rise to concerns about the way in which local professionals and services work together to safeguard children.

The Metropolitan police service does not carry out serious case reviews themselves, but like any other agency, they may be asked to undertake a management review of its involvement with a child and family as part of the case review process.

The conduct of such reviews is the responsibility of the area child protection committee for the area in which the child, who is the subject of the review, was normally resident.

In five serious case reviews to which the Metropolitan police service has contributed, a history of domestic violence between the carers prior to the death of a child has been identified.

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