| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Cannabis
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the average cost of arresting and charging people for cannabis possession in the last 12 months. [11874]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: It can take on average three hours of a police officer's time to arrest and charge a person for possession of cannabis. There were 81,380 cannabis
7 Nov 2001 : Column: 318W
possession offences in 1999. A police constable's basic salary cost in England and Wales falls within the range of £12 to £14 per hour, therefore the annual cost is in the region of £2,929,680 to £3,417,960.
In assessing the costs, it is important to remember that arrests for cannabis possession may be incidental to other police action.
People Trafficking
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action the Government are taking to bring to justice people who traffic in human beings; and in what such action they are participating on an EU-wide basis. [12074]
Angela Eagle: The Government are committed to ensuring that strong measures are in place to penalise people who traffic in human beings. We have signed the trafficking protocol to the United Nations convention on transnational organised crime, which requires the specific criminalisation of trafficking in human beings.
The Government are currently negotiating a framework decision, which is a binding European Union instrument and requires the criminalisation of trafficking in human beings for the purposes of exploiting their labour and services or for sexual exploitation. Under its provisions, the United Kingdom will be required to have implemented the instrument within two years of its adoption.
A decision will be made on how best to implement the UN and EU agreements after the EU framework decision has been adopted. We will also take account of the outcome of the consultation exercise on "Setting the Boundaries", the report of the sex offences review which made recommendations for a new offence of trafficking for sexual exploitation.
Last year we set up Project Reflex, a multi-agency task force chaired by the National Crime Squad, to co-ordinate anti-trafficking operations and develop the intelligence and strategic planning to underpin them. It is now well established and has resulted in some major successes involving partners overseas. The most recent has been Operation Franc in early June, which led to arrests in the United Kingdom, Belgium, France and Germany.
Antisocial Behaviour Orders
Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list the (a) local authorities which have successfully applied for antisocial behaviour orders, (b) local authorities which have only unsuccessfully applied for antisocial behaviour orders and (c) local authorities which have not applied for any antisocial behaviour orders; and if he will identify under what political control each authority operates; [12030]
- (2) how many applications for antisocial behaviour orders have been made by (a) local authorities and (b) the police; and how those applications were disposed of and with what outcomes. [12029]
Mr. Denham: There is known to have been some under-recording of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) in a few police force areas. With the co-operation of Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) we are
7 Nov 2001 : Column: 319W
therefore undertaking a one-off reconciliation exercise to establish any differences, between the numbers of ASBOs known to the police and the data from court returns.
The data should be available in November and I will write to my hon. Friend.
Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals against antisocial behaviour orders have been made; and with what outcomes. [12028]
Mr. Denham: Information collected centrally on antisocial behaviour orders does not include details of those cases in which an appeal has been lodged.
Crimestoppers
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government have to support voluntary organisations involved in crime prevention, with particular reference to Crimestoppers. [12015]
Mr. Denham: My Department is constantly looking at ways to support voluntary organisations involved in crime prevention. Crimestoppers has submitted a request for support which is currently being considered.
Experience Corps Initiative
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for members of the National Experience Corps to lead sport and exercise sessions for older people. [12228]
Angela Eagle: The experience corps initiative aims to encourage more people aged 50 and over to become or to remain active in their local communities. Although there are no specific plans in relation to encouraging older people to engage in sport and exercise sessions, it is hoped that those who volunteer through the experience corps will be able to participate in a wide range of volunteering opportunities.
The Government recognise the importance of sport and exercise activities for older people and that is why the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has set up a working group of officials and representatives from other key bodies to explore ways of encouraging and facilitating physical activity for older people.
Police Pay
Mr. Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will revise the income supplements provided to police officers in Sussex, based on an analysis of comparative costs of living in Kent, Surrey and Sussex. [12038]
Mr. Denham: In February this year, the police negotiating board (PNB) reached agreement on a recommendation to the Secretary of State for the Home Department that officers in eight south-east police forces appointed after 1 September 1994 and not in receipt of housing allowance should receive a new allowance. The PNB recommended that qualifying officers in Kent and Surrey should receive an allowance of £2,000 a year and qualifying officers in Sussex should receive £1,000 a year. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary approved the recommendation of the PNB.
7 Nov 2001 : Column: 320W
The PNB is the statutory negotiating body for police pay and conditions of service, with representatives from all the main police organisations, including the Police Federations, the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Police Authorities. It would be for the PNB in the first instance to consider whether the allowance awarded to qualifying officers in Sussex should be revised.
Drugs
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will reassess the recommendations of the Police Foundation report on drug use. [12061]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: No. The Government published their response to the report of the independent inquiry into the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 by the Police Foundation in February 2001. We welcomed the inquiry's report and its contribution to the on-going process of assessing the effectiveness of the United Kingdom's drugs laws and policies.
The Government supported 24 of the inquiry's 81 recommendations, rejected 37 and referred the remaining 20 recommendations for further consideration by relevant Government Departments and agencies. There is no intention to undertake a further review of the inquiry's recommendations.
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment he has made of the effect of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 on the levels of consumption of (a) heroin, (b) cocaine and (c) cannabis; [12058]
- (2) if his Department has recently considered the merits of (a) legalising and (b) decriminalising the use of illegal drugs. [12171]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: There has been no change in Government policy on legalising or decriminalising illegal drugs. Our drugs laws deter experimentation, a point borne out by public opinion surveys. For example 30 per cent. of adults questioned by MORI for the Police Foundation inquiry cited illegality as the main reason for not taking drugs. Moreover, the findings of the 1998–99 youth lifestyle survey revealed that 64 per cent. of respondents who had never taken cannabis had not done so because it is against the law.
The Home Secretary has asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to review the arguments for reclassifying cannabis from class B to class C. In giving evidence the Home Secretary said that he was not in favour of either legalisation or decriminalisation.
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests were made for the (a) possession and (b) supply of (i) heroin, (ii) cocaine and (iii) cannabis in each of the past five years. [12057]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Arrest data are not collected centrally by individual offence.
Information taken from the Home Office Court proceedings database showing the number of persons proceeded against for the (a) possession, (b) supply and (c) possession with intent to supply (i) heroin, (ii) cocaine and (iii) cannabis in England and Wales during the period 1996 to 2000 is given in the table.
Note:
Data are given on a principal offence basis
7 Nov 2001 : Column: 321W
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |