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HOME DEPARTMENT
Sex Offenders
10. Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the supervision of sex offenders living in the community. [64755]
Mr. Wills: Protecting the public from sexual and violent offenders is one of the Government's highest priorities. The Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 required each police and probation area to make arrangements to assess and manage the risks posed by
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sexual and violent offenders in the community. This is built on a range of measures we had already undertaken to strengthen the supervision of sex offenders in the community.
Asylum Policy
11. Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes in the policy of his Department on asylum seekers will stem from the decisions made at the Seville EU summit. [64756]
Beverley Hughes: Seville showed that the United Kingdom continues to play a leading role in developing the asylum measures proposed by the Treaty of Amsterdam as a major step towards achieving a common European asylum system. The significant changes in policy envisaged in our Nationality Immigration Asylum (NIA) Bill anticipate the developments we want Seville to deliver.
23. Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions his Department has had with the Scotland Office regarding asylum issues. [64769]
Beverley Hughes: Discussion is continuing with the Scotland Office and the Scottish Executive on the issue of Asylum Centres for asylum seekers. Asylum, as my hon. Friend is aware, is a reserved matter.
Police Morale
13. Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on police morale. [64758]
Mr. Denham: We have turned around the decline in police numbers that started under the last Government. By 31 January this year there were 4,578 more police officers than in March 2000 and police strength was at a record number. We are on course for our target of 130,000 officers by spring 2003.
We are committed to reducing the burden of unnecessary bureaucracy. We are developing a new occupational health strategy for the police service and we have provided a one-third increase in capital investment this year, which will allow improvements in the conditions in which officers work and the technology that they use.
We have reached agreement on a package of reforms to police pay and conditions of service that is good for the service, for rank and file officers and for the public.
We will ensure that officers know and feel that they are valued.
17. Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on police morale. [64763]
Mr. Denham: We have turned around the decline in police numbers that started under the last Government. By 31 January this year there were 4,578 more police officers than in March 2000 and police strength was at a record number. We are on course for our target of 130,000 officers by spring 2003.
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We are committed to reducing the burden of unnecessary bureaucracy. We are developing a new occupational health strategy for the police service and we have provided a one-third increase in capital investment this year, which will allow improvements in the conditions in which officers work and the technology that they use.
We have reached agreement on a package of reforms to police pay and conditions of service that is good for the service, for rank and file officers and for the public.
We will ensure that officers know and feel that they are
National Probation Service
14. Lawrie Quinn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the role of the National Probation Service in reducing crime. [64760]
Hilary Benn: The National Probation Service, together with the Prison Service and the Youth Justice Board are jointly responsible for the target of reducing the level of reconviction of offenders by 5 per cent. by 2004. The Probation Services is working towards this by:
- Careful risk assessment of offenders
Providing help with accommodation and employment
Improving basic skills
Running offending behaviour programmes.
Prisoner Rehabilitation
15. Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what effect the number of prisoners in England and Wales is having on the provision of rehabilitation schemes in prisons. [64761]
Hilary Benn: From 1996 to 2001 the number of offending behaviour programmes successfully completed by prisoners has risen almost fivefold despite a 19 per cent. growth in the prison population over the same period. Last year 16,000 prisoners achieved basic skills certificates, there are no firm indications yet that the number of prisoners is significantly affecting the provision of rehabilitation programmes in prisons. However, it is inevitable that at times of high population pressure such provision may be disrupted. The Prison Service will continue to do everything possible to minimise this.
21. Joyce Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his policy on constructive regimes in prison to deter re-offending. [64767]
Hilary Benn: The Prison Service draws upon research, known as "What Works", to ensure an evidence based approach to providing regimes which are effective in tackling offending behaviour and the factors which contribute towards re-offending.
The Government has set the Prison Service challenging targets to improve its regimes and expand provision of basic skills training, drug treatment, offending behaviour programmes and resettlement activities. To achieve these targets, we are investing an additional £31 million in
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2001–02, £50 million for 2002–03 and £71 million for 2003–04. In this way we are supporting the Prison Service in contributing to our target of reducing the rate of re-convictions by offenders punished by imprisonment or by community supervision by five per cent. by April 2004.
Active Community Unit
16. Mr. McWilliam: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the work of his Department's Active Community Unit. [64762]
Mr. Wills: The Active Community Unit leads a cross Government effort to promote civil renewal, to encourage active citizenship, and to build constructive partnerships between Government and the voluntary and community sector. It has lead responsibility for the Government's target of making substantial progress towards one million more people being actively involved in their communities by 2004.
Travellers
18. Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward legislation to increase police powers with regard to the rights of residency of travellers. [64764]
Mr. Denham: As we announced last week we intend to bring forward additional eviction powers for police, linked to site provision, to deal with unauthorised camping by Gypsies and Travellers. Proposals will be brought forward as soon as a legislative
Vandalism
19. Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to assist the police in the fight against low-level crime and vandalism. [64765]
Mr. Denham: The Government is taking urgent action to tackle low level crime and vandalism across the country. Among the most important are the measures to enhance the effectiveness of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders in the Police Reform Bill and the introduction of Neighbourhood and Street Wardens to reinforce the capacity of the police and local communities to prevent disorderly behaviour.
Tackling anti-social behaviour and disorder is one of the Ministerial priorities for the police
28. Mr. Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional assistance his Department gives to schools that suffer damage and vandalism; and if he will make a statement. [64774]
Mr. Denham: The Government are providing assistance to schools that suffer from vandalism through a range of initiatives including our Neighbourhood Wardens and Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) schemes. The police involvement in truancy sweeps and in the "Safer Schools Partnerships" scheme is expanding the role that they play in schools as part of the Government's wider initiative to help tackle local street crime and behaviour problems. The Department for Education and Skills has also made £10 million available to Local
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Education Authorities this year to support security improvements at school that help protect them from crime.
Youth Crime
20. Mr. John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the level of youth crime was in the Vale of Glamorgan in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [64766]
Mr. Denham: Information provided by the Vale of Glamorgan Youth Offending Team shows that, in the year 2001, there was a total of 519 recorded offences in its area involving young offenders. Where the age of the offender was known and the case resulted in a reprimand, final warning, referral order or conviction.
36. Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to prevent young children committing crimes. [64782]
Mr. Denham: The Government are supporting a wide programme to tackle youth offending, including action to prevent children being drawn into crime in the first place. This includes working with families through the Sure Start initiative, neighbourhoods through the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, and education services through reducing exclusions and improving attendance, as well as implementation of the 10 year drugs strategy.
We also support a number of preventative programmes including Youth Inclusion Programmes, Splash Schemes and the Positive Futures programme, which help to steer young people, including those identified as being most at risk, away from crime.
In addition, improvements to the youth justice system, reduced delays, new sentences and programmes, and expanded powers available to the police and courts all help to ensure that we are tackling youth criminality head on.
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