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Ethnic Minority Police Officers (Coventry)

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there are in Coventry; how many are from ethnic minorities; and what measures there are to encourage more people into the police service. [20957]

Mr. Denham: I understand from the chief constable of West Midlands police that there are 830 police officers in Coventry and that 33 are from the ethnic minorities.

The Crime Fighting Fund was established to provide chief officers with resources to recruit 9,000 extra officers, over and above their previous recruitment plans for the three-year period from April 2000 to March 2003. West Midlands police has been allocated 523 Crime Fighting Fund recruits over the three years.

The first ever National Recruitment Campaign for the police service was launched in August last year to assist forces to meet their recruitment targets. By 25 November 2001 there had been more than 45,000 expressions of interest in joining the police service. 1,837 of these have been passed to West Midlands police for further action.

Parliamentary Questions

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of parliamentary questions replied to by his Department were the subject of a holding answer in the last three Sessions of Parliament. [22025]

Mr. Blunkett: In the last three parliamentary Sessions, 4,749 named day parliamentary questions (the only type for which holding replies are used) have been tabled to the Home Office. Of these, 1,015—or 21 per cent.—were given a holding answer. The figures for each session are given in the table.

Session	Percentage of answers given holding replies
1998–99	15
1999–2000	21
2000–01	30

10 Dec 2001 : Column: 708W

Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the question from the hon. Member for Beckenham of 14 November (ref. 16179) [21661]

Mr. Blunkett: I am replying to the question from the hon. Member today. I apologise for the delay.

Styal Women's Prison

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many inmates there were in Styal women's prison in each of the last 20 years. [18441]

Beverley Hughes: The information requested is set out in the table.

Number of prisoners in Styal prison 30 June 1982 to 2001

	Number
1982	226
1983	239
1984	278
1985	261
1986	270
1987	276
1988	272
1989	226
1990	186
1991	193
1992	196
1993	175
1994	226
1995	237
1996	249
1997	267
1998	281
1999	446
2000	449
2001	424

The step change in population from 281 in 1998 to 446 in 1999 was due to the opening of an additional houseblock in April 1999 and the transfer of prisoners from Risley.

10 Dec 2001 : Column: 709W

Departmental Expenditure (Scotland)

Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, in real terms, for each year since 1979 (a) the total sums of money spent directly by his Department in Scotland and (b) the total sums of money allocated by his Department for spending in Scotland through (i) the Scottish Office, (ii) the Scotland Office and (iii) the Scottish Executive. [16179]

Mr. Blunkett: The information requested is not readily available. Public expenditure information by territory and function is available in the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) 2001–02 (Cm 5101) for the years 1995–96 to 1999–2000, and earlier years are available in previous PESA publications. Copies of these publications are available in the Library.

My Department does not allocate money for spending in Scotland through the Scottish Office, the Scotland Office or the Scottish Executive.

Dungavel Detention Centre

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if employees of local authorities who carry out duties within Dungavel Detention Centre have (a) been fingerprinted and (b) had photographic records taken. [21817]

Angela Eagle: It is not current policy to fingerprint or photograph visitors to Dungavel Detention Centre, who are on official business including representatives from local authorities.

10 Dec 2001 : Column: 710W

Community Relations

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on Home Office policies to improve community relations in areas which have suffered from recent disturbances. [5672]

Mr. Denham: The Government took immediate steps in response to the disturbances last summer. In the short term, we made available £7 million to fund additional summer activities for young people. In addition £3 million has been made available to fund the appointment of community facilitators for those areas most in need.

Other measures taken by Government and proposals for further action are set out in the report of the Ministerial Group on Public Order and Community Cohesion. That report will be published tomorrow together with the report of the independent Review Team, led by Ted Cantle, announced by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary in his statement of 10 July 2001, Official Report, column 663. Copies will be placed in the Library.

Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Bill

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the letters of reflection that are to be prepared by Ministers as a result of the scrutiny of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Bill, indicating in each case when the letter is to be deposited in the Library. [19872]

Mr. Blunkett: Taking into account the consideration given to the Bill up to and including the second day of Lords Committee (29 November, 2001), the following letters have been prepared:

From	To	Date	Subject
Private Secretary to the Home Secretary	Rt. hon. Denzil Davies MP	23 November	SIAC and appeals
Private Secretary to the Home Secretary	Mark Fisher Esq. MP	27 November	Definition of "terrorist"
Lord Rooker	Lord Dixon-Smith	28 November	Disclosure of information
Lord Rooker	Lord Philips	28 November	Disclosure of information
Beverley Hughes MP	Humfrey Malins CBE MP	29 November	Security of pathogens and toxins
Beverley Hughes MP	Tam Dalyell MP	29 November	Security of pathogens and toxins

I will ensure that copies of these letters are placed in the Library.

Victor Dan Iliescu

John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reach a decision on the application for leave to remain by Victor Dan Iliescu (HO Ref. JS33533/3(S); PO 01423/01). [19643]

Angela Eagle: Mr. Iliescu has now been granted leave to remain in the United Kingdom until 30 November 2006.

Young Offender Institutions

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the (a) use and (b) role in punishment and rehabilitation of young offender institutions run by the Army. [20958]

Mr. Ingram: I have been asked to reply.

The Army do not run young offender institutions for the Home Office. They do, however, operate the Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC) in Colchester. The MCTC is a detention facility for men and women of the armed forces who have been sentenced to undergo a period of corrective training in accordance with the provisions of the Imprisonment and Detention (Army) Rules 1979.

MCTC also provides rehabilitation training for those personnel that are to be discharged from the service, on completion of sentence, so that they develop their potential for self-sufficiency and responsible citizenship.

British Summer Time

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received in the past four years in respect of British summer time being retained throughout the year. [21501]

Alan Johnson: I have been asked to reply.

To date, I have received two representations calling for British summer time to be extended throughout the year.

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce GMT plus one hour in England and Wales throughout the year. [21500]

10 Dec 2001 : Column: 711W

Alan Johnson: I have been asked to reply.

The Government have no current plans to introduce GMT plus one hour in England and Wales throughout the year.

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations the UK has made to the USA in respect of bringing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty into force before the end of this year. [20508]

Mr. Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.

In order for the CTBT to enter into force, it requires the signature and ratification of 44 named states. At present, 31 of these countries, including the UK, have done so. The UK has consistently urged all states that have not yet done so to sign and/or ratify the Treaty. We continue to make our support for the Treaty clear to the US and others, most recently on 11 November in New York when the Foreign Secretary addressed the Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

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