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Northumbria Police
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answers given to the hon. Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd) on 18 December 2001, Official Report, columns 231–36W, and the hon. Member for Tynemouth (Mr. Campbell) on 18 December 2001, Official Report, column 242W, if he will clarify the numbers of (a) uniformed and (b) civilian staff employed by Northumbria police in September 2001. [37579]
Mr. Denham: I regret that the information set out in the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Tynemouth (Mr. Campbell) on 18 December 2001, Official Report, column 242W, contained a transcription error. The table recorded police strength of 3,908 at August 2001 as the figure for September 2001.
Northumbria police strength on 30 September 2001 was 3,893. This is 75 more than in September 2000 and 216 more than in March 1997. The force had 1,346 civilian support staff at the end of September 2001.
Prison Population (Wales)
Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners there were in Wales (a) at the last available date and (b) in each of the last five years broken down by the offence committed. [37163]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 26 February 2002]: Data showing the total number of persons in prisons in Wales is provided in the table. These persons are held in Cardiff, Swansea, Parc and Usk (including Prescoed) prisons. They would not necessarily have lived in Wales before they were imprisoned.
(26) Includes persons held on remand
(27) Data for 31 January
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Overseas Teachers
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) working holiday and (b) other visas were granted to overseas teachers to work (i) for employment agencies and (ii) as teachers in the academic year 2000–01. [37151]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 26 February 2002]: I regret that the information on working holiday makers admitted to the United Kingdom does not separately identify those who are teachers.
Work permits are not normally issued to employment agencies. However since October 2000 under a temporary variation to the work permit arrangements, work permits have been issued to teacher agencies. The number of work permits issued to teaching agencies during the academic year 2000–01 was 743.
The number of work permits granted for teachers in the 2000–01 academic year was 3,444.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many overseas teachers, having been granted a visa related to a post in a particular maintained school, have applied to transfer that visa to allow them to work in a different school; and how many of these transfers were granted, in each of the terms of the 2000–01 school year. [37150]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 26 February 2002]: The number of applications received and approved for overseas teachers already holding work permits and moving from one post to another during the 2000–01 academic year was:
| Term | Number |
|---|---|
| Autumn | 12 |
| Spring | 27 |
| Summer | 139 |
Prisoners
Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mentoring services are available to (a) children and (b) adults in prisons in England and Wales. [37792]
Beverley Hughes: The main mentoring service available to prisoners aged 18 and over is the "Listener" scheme, which operates in 112 prisons in England and
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Wales. The Samaritans train selected prisoners to offer help and support to prisoners who are feeling distressed, providing a "listening ear" to their peers from someone who understands the situation they are in. Listeners are available 24 hours a day to any prisoner who requests to see one, anywhere in the prison.
The Prison Service is working with the Youth Justice Board, the Samaritans, and other voluntary organisations to establish and develop appropriate mentoring arrangements for juveniles in custody. The Young Men's Christian Association already offers support to juveniles in three establishments.
Other mentoring schemes operate locally and many are linked to drug rehabilitation programmes. Such programmes use 'graduates' to provide peer support for those currently working through the course. These mentors often run support groups as well as providing one to one help.
Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average distance from home is for (a) adult male prisoners, (b) women prisoners and (c) juvenile prisoners. [37793]
Beverley Hughes: The latest figures, as at 30 September 2001, are set out in the table.
| Population Group | Average distance from home(28) |
|---|---|
| Adult male prisoners | |
| 18 to 20-year-olds | 49 |
| Over 20-year-olds | 53 |
| Women prisoners (all ages) | 66 |
| Juvenile prisoners (males and females) | 53 |
(28) Where a home address is not recorded a prisoner's committal court town has been used in the average distance from home calculation. Evidence suggests that in most cases the court and home towns are the same.
Prison Service
Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason the Prison Service key performance target for cost per prisoner is £37,509 in this financial year; and what the cost per prisoner was in 2000–01. [37794]
Beverley Hughes: The cost per prisoner target of £37,509 in 2001–02 is generated by dividing the full resource cost of the Prison Service, reflecting the move
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to resource accounting, by the projected average prisoner population. The full resource cost takes into account factors such as the depreciation of assets and the cost of capital charge.
The cost per prisoner outturn for 2000–01 was £27,636. This was based upon cash costs only and therefore did not take account of the factors such as depreciation and the cost of capital that are now appropriate under resource accounting.
Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason the Prison Service key performance target for the cost of an uncrowded prison place is £36,323 in this financial year; and what the cost of a prison place was in 2000–01. [37791]
Beverley Hughes: The cost of the uncrowded prison place target of £36,323 in 2001–02 is generated by dividing the full resource cost of the Prison Service, reflecting the move to resource accounting, by the projected average certified normal accommodation. The full resource cost takes into account factors such as the depreciation of assets and the cost of capital charge.
The cost per uncrowded prison place outturn for 2000–01 was £27,090. This was based upon cash costs only and therefore did not take account of the factors such as depreciation and the cost of capital that are now appropriate under resource accounting.
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