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Correspondence
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason he has not yet replied to the letter to him dated 18 March from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to an Afghan asylum-seeker ref. DEV/OU/1506. [66486]
Mr. Blunkett: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I provided to him on 2 July 2002, Official Report, column 264W.
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan of 1 May on animal experimentation. [67648]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 8 May 2002.
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 30 April from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. F. A. Malik. [66209]
Mr. Blunkett: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 27 June 2002.
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason he has not yet replied to the letter to him dated 9 April, from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Rahemi Aminullah. [66487]
Mr. Blunkett: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I provided to him on 1 July 2002, Official Report, column 180W.
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason he has not yet replied to the letter to him dated 22 April from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. S. Balekey. [66485]
Mr. Blunkett: My right hon. Friend's letter of 22 April 2002 was not received by the Home Office until 7 June 2002. It was then immediately forwarded to the Immigration and Nationality Department (Integrated Casework Directorate) for consideration.
A reply was sent to my office for signature on 27 June 2002, and despatched on the same date.
Drug and People Smuggling
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with European counterparts regarding increased co-operation between police forces in tackling drug smuggling and people smuggling. [66633]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 3 July 2002]: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and I have regular discussions with our European counterparts about increased police co-operation in tackling organised and international crime. Most recently, at the Justice and
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Home Affairs Council in Luxembourg on 13 June 2002, the Home Secretary stressed the need for action at European Union (EU) level to combat illegal immigration and trafficking in human beings. This was subsequently reflected in the conclusions of the Seville European Council.
In advance of the Danish presidency of the EU, the Home Secretary met with the Danish Justice Minister on 19 June 2002 and discussed the issue of drug trafficking at EU level. The United Kingdom (UK) will work with the Danish presidency to ensure that the framework decision on drug trafficking is agreed as soon as possible, and that the mid-term review of the EU Action Plan against Drugs is productive in taking forward co-operation at EU level.
The Home Secretary also met with the French Interior Minister, M. Sarkozy, for bilateral talks on 25 June 2002 and they agreed that joint UK-French teams should work together to tackle people trafficking.
Based on the Framework Decision on Joint Investigation Teams, which was adopted by the Justice and Home Affairs Council in June, work is under way on the formation of a joint investigation team to combat cocaine smuggling.
Youth Justice Board
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Youth Justice Board will publish its annual review for 2001–02. [68764]
Hilary Benn: The Youth Justice Board annual review for 2001–02 has today been laid before Parliament. Copies have been placed in the Library. The Youth Justice Board was established in 1998 by the Crime and Disorder
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Act to reform the youth justice system. The annual review provides evidence of success in meeting the principal aim of the reformed youth justice system to prevent offending.
The Government's pledge to halve the time from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders has been achieved. It has been reduced from an average time of 142 days in 1997 to 67 days in the first quarter of 2002.
The review shows that effective use has been made of police Final Warnings, bail supervision and support programmes, robust new sentences and the new Intensive Surveillance and Supervision Programme to reduce re-offending.
The review also presents evidence that targeted prevention work with young people at risk, use of parenting programmes and education, employment and training initiatives are effective to prevent and reduce offending rates.
HEALTH
Hospital Construction
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) medium-sized and (b) major hospital schemes are planned under the NHS plan; when (i) construction is due to commence and (ii) schemes will be completed; and what the cost is of each scheme. [56939]
Mr. Hutton: The NHS Plan states that there will be further major expansion in new hospital buildings which mean over 100 new hospital schemes in total between 2000 and 2010.
Lists of medium-sized and major hospital schemes which are planned under the NHS plan, giving details of the capital cost of the scheme; when the scheme is expected to reach financial close and when the scheme is expected to become operational are in the following tables. The total number of projects is 107.
| NHS Trust | Value (£ million) | Financial close date | Operational date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlisle Hospitals | 65.00 | 3 November 1997 | 29 May 2000 |
| Dartford and Gravesham | 94.00 | 30 July 1997 | 11 September 2000 |
| Queens Medical Centre—Nottingham University Hospital | 16.60 | 24 May 1999 | 1 October 2000 |
| South Buckinghamshire | 45.10 | 14 December 1997 | 17 October 2000 |
| Sussex Weald and Downs | 22.00 | 24 June 1999 | 31 January 2001 |
| Oxleas—Queen Mary's Sidcup | 20.30 | 1 December 1998 | 19 February 2001 |
| Greenwich Healthcare | 93.00 | 1 July 1998 | 1 March 2001 |
| North East London Mental Health | 10.80 | 4 July 2000 | 4 March 2001 |
| North Durham Health Care | 61.00 | 31 March 1998 | 2 April 2001 |
| Calderdale Healthcare | 64.60 | 31 July 1998 | 8 April 2001 |
| South Manchester University | 65.60 | 8 June 1998 | 25 July 2001 |
| North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare | 28.07 | 1 December 1999 | 1 September 2001 |
| Norfolk and Norwich Health | 158.00 | 9 January 1998 | 21 September 2001 |
| Hereford Hospitals | 64.10 | 31 March 1999 | 1 March 2002 |
| Barnet and Chase Farm | 54.00 | 1 February 1999 | 2 March 2002 |
| Worcestershire Acute | 86.60 | 18 March 1999 | 18 March 2002 |
| Northern Birmingham Mental Health | 18.00 | 15 August 2000 | 18 March 2002 |
| Cornwall Healthcare | 10.20 | 31 October 2000 | 1 June 2002 |
| South Durham Health Care | 48.00 | 28 May 1999 | 8 June 2002 |
| East London and The City Mental Health—Newham | 14.50 | 5 September 2000 | 9 July 2002 |
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9 Jul 2002 : Column 905W
| NHS Trust | Value (£ million) | Tender awarded | Operational date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochdale Healthcare | 24.00 | 14 August 1998 | 1 Augsut 2000 |
| Central Sheffield University Hospitals | 24.00 | 19 September 1998 | 1 February 2001 |
| NHS Trust | Value (£ million) | Tender awarded | Planned operational date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospital | 75.00 | 24 August 1998 | 27 July 2002 |
| Thames Gateway NHS Trust | 13.50 | 1 December 2000 | 1 September 2002 |
| West London Mental Health NHS Trust | 14.00 | 1 December 2000 | 1 May 2003 |
| Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust | 11.80 | 1 May 2001 | 1 May 2003 |
| Barnet PCT (Edgware Community) | 23.80 | 1 April 2001 | 1 December 2003 |
| Wigan—Royal Albert Edward Infirmary | 24.60 | 1 November 2000 | 1 April 2004 |
| Guys and St. Thomas | 50.00 | 19 September 1998 | 1 May 2004 |
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