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Asbestos
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how often since 1998 inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive have (a) made (i) announced and (ii) unannounced visits to asbestos removal sites and (b) entered the asbestos stripping enclosure during both such types of visit; and if he will make a statement. [23891]
Dr. Whitehead: I have been asked to reply.
(a) Health and Safety Executive inspectors have the discretion to decide whether to announce their visits in advance or whether to arrive on site unannounced. The system for recording the number of visits made by HSE inspectors does not differentiate between the two. The number of visits made by HSE inspectors since 1998 is as follows:
| Visits | |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 1,023 |
| 1999–2000 | 974 |
| 2000–01 | 951 |
(b) The Health and Safety Executive do not gather information about the number of HSE inspectors who enter asbestos stripping enclosures during visits to asbestos work.
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her answer of 6 December 2001, Official Report, column 497W, on the Excellence in Cities Scheme, if she will list the towns and villages that will cover the 24 excellence clusters by September 2002; and where their funding will come from. [24383]
Mr. Timms: I have been asked to reply.
The 24 Excellence Clusters that will be working by September 2002 are:
Barnet Bishop Auckland Coventry Crewe Croydon (Croydon and Thornton Heath) Derby Dewsbury and Batley (Dewsbury, Batley, Holmfirth and Heckmondwike) East Lancashire (Burnley and Nelson) High Wycombe (High Wycombe and Marlow) Hillingdon (Hillingdon, Hayes, Uxbridge and West Drayton) Huddersfield Lancaster Milton Keynes Norwich
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Portsmouth (Portsmouth and Southsea) Shepway (Folkestone, Hythe and New Romney) Stockport Tameside (Ashton under Lyne, Hyde and Dukinfield) Tilbury and Chadwell (Tilbury, Grays and Stanford le Hope)
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Walsall (Walsall and Wednesbury) West Cumbria (Cleator Moor, Maryport, Whitehaven and Workington) West Lancashire (Skelmersdale and Ormskirk) Wigan. Their funding comes from the DfES Standards Fund.
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HOME DEPARTMENT
Burglary
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding has been awarded to schemes under the reducing burglary initiative in the Buckingham constituency in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what targets have been set to reduce crime under the schemes. [22624]
Mr. Denham: None; we did not receive any bids for funding for burglary reduction projects in this area.
Specialist Detectives
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what role specialist detectives will take on; and how many there will be. [22866]
Mr. Denham [holding answer 18 December 2001]: Specialist detectives would develop the skills to work on the most complex investigations. They would be drawn from existing officers and those choosing to specialise as they join the service. The operational needs of police forces would determine what proportion of their detective officers would specialise in investigation. These officers would still work in other areas of policing, but would develop their investigative skills to a high standard through a career anchored in investigation. This would provide an experienced pool of officers from which Senior Investigation Officers could be drawn.
In the most specialised fields we plan to introduce specialist civilian investigators. Specialist civilian investigators will provide the depth of knowledge only a career specialist could bring to investigations into high-tech crime, cybercrime, fraud, money laundering and other complex areas of crime. The numbers recruited will depend on the operational needs of the police service. Some specialists might be shared between a number of forces. By providing the civilian investigators with certain police powers they will be able to function as full members of investigating teams.
Home Security (Buckingham)
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been awarded to provide home security improvements for low-income pensioners living in the Buckingham constituency in each year since 1997. [22630]
Mr. Denham: Our scheme to provide low-income pensioners with home security improvements only operates in those police Basic Command Unit (BCU) areas that had a burglary rate above the national average according to the recorded crime statistics published in January 2000. The Buckingham constituency does not fall within an eligible area, as the Aylesbury Vale BCU has a burglary rate around half the national average.
Special Constables (Buckingham)
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special constables there have been in the constituency of Buckingham in each year since 1997. [22627]
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Mr. Denham: I understand from the chief constable of Thames Valley police that it is not possible to provide information about the number of special constables specifically for the Buckingham constituency, as such information is not collected. Figures are available for the number of special constables in the Aylesbury Vale police area, which incorporates the Buckingham constituency, at 31 March each year, and these are:
| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 57 |
| 1998 | 72 |
| 1999 | 77 |
| 2000 | 43 |
| 2001 | 40 |
The Government are committed to increasing the special constabulary and as part of the police reform process we are working with stakeholders on a range of measures to significantly improve the management, welfare and deployment of specials.
Breathalyser Tests (Buckingham)
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many breathalyser tests were carried out in the Buckingham constituency in each year since 1997; and what percentage resulted in convictions. [22634]
Mr. Denham: Limited available information for the Thames Valley police force area is given in the table.
| Year | Total numbers of screening breath tests(60) | Total numbers of convictions at all courts(61) | Convictions as a percentage of breath tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 33,100 | 4,100 | 12 |
| 1998 | 34,200 | 3,900 | 11 |
| 1999 | 30,300 | 3,700 | 12 |
(60) Information taken from the Home Office Breath Test Statistics.
(61) Information taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database
Note:
It is important to note that because the information has been taken from two separate collections the data are not strictly comparable (the court conviction will, of course, be given at a later date).
Antisocial Behaviour Orders
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) antisocial behaviour orders and (b) curfew orders have been made in the Buckingham constituency since the commencement of the schemes. [22621]
Mr. Denham: Official statistics on the number of Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBO) issued are based on quarterly returns received from Magistrates Courts Committees (MCCs). A review identified an undercount and my Department therefore undertook an exercise with the police to obtain more reliable figures. As a result of this reconciliation exercise the total number of ASBOs issued within England and Wales up until the end of
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September this year was 466, 184 more than previously reported. Of these, seven have been issued within the Thames Valley MCC.
No applications have been received from local authorities or the police to establish child curfew schemes under section 14 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, as amended by sections 48 and 49 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001. These amendments extended the upper age limit to 15 and allow the police, as well as local authorities, to initiate schemes. These changes were implemented on 1 August 2001.
Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued by (a) Wandsworth council and (b) other local authorities in Greater London between 1999 and 2001. [22946]
Mr. Denham: Information held centrally on the number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued up to 31 May 2000 is by police force area only. Up to that date there were nine issued within the Metropolitan police area (including City of London).
From 1 June 2000 official statistics on the number of ASBOs issued are based on quarterly returns from Magistrates Courts Committees. A review identified an undercount and my Department therefore undertook an exercise with the police to obtain more reliable figures. As a result of this reconciliation exercise the total number of ASBOs issued within England and Wales up to the end of September this year was 466, 184 more than previously reported. Within the area of the Greater London Magistrates Courts Authority there have been 31 ASBOs issued since 1 June 2000. Wandsworth borough has not been reported as being involved in the application of any of these orders.
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