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Retail Crime

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what study he has made of the link between alcohol consumption and drug-related violent crime against retail staff. [69812]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: No study has been undertaken to look specifically at the link between alcohol consumption and drug-related violent crime against retail staff. However, we are aware from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) ninth annual survey published this year of their concerns about the level of crime affecting retailers and the concerns they have that this is being

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driven by theft by drug and alcohol abusers. We are carrying out a commercial crime victimisation study of retail and manufacturing sectors later this year (the first for 10 years). This will give a firm basis for identifying the main crime problems affecting business and give valuable indicators of the best ways to tackle these issues.

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is taking to address violence against shop staff. [69809]

Mr. Denham: The Home Office is working with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to raise awareness of the need to tackle work related violence as part of the Health and Safety Commission's three-year programme of work (2000–03) to help reduce the incidence of work-related violence. The HSE published "Work-related violence: managing the risk in smaller businesses" on 9 July 2002. The publication includes 10 case studies on reducing risk of violence to staff. The HSE has also published specific guidance for the retail sector "Preventing Violence to Retail Staff". "Don't Discount Crime", a new user-friendly crime reduction guide for retailers became available in May 2002. This is being circulated among their members by retail trade organisations (including the British Retail Consortium), who were actively involved in deciding its content and design. It is of particular relevance to small retailers and includes basic guidance on what steps to take to reduce crime as well as what to do in crime situations.

Karl Bluestone

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what action was taken by the police authority in respect of (a) domestic violence perpetrated against his first wife and (b) subsequent incidents of domestic violence in the Bluestone murder case; [35655] (2) how many incidents of domestic violence perpetrated by Mr. Bluestone were (a) recorded and (b) subject to disciplinary action. [35656]

Mr. Denham: Four incidents of domestic violence perpetrated by Karl Bluestone were brought to the attention of Kent County Constabulary, and all were recorded. The alleged victim in each of these incidents was Jill Bluestone. The Police were not aware of the incidents perpetrated against Mr. Bluestone's first wife.

In two of the incidents described above, reference was made to the Crown Prosecution Service who decided to take no further action. No disciplinary action was undertaken in relation to any of the incidents.

Following the murders perpetrated by Karl Bluestone, a number of reviews have been convened to examine the behaviour of the different agencies that had contact with the family. Reports already received have made a number of recommendations for the police and other agencies in order to minimise the risk of further tragedies and highlighted the lessons to be learnt from this particular case. The Home Office has been working closely with Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to take forward those recommendations. Once the new ACPO lead officer takes up his duties in September, we shall set a target date for issuing guidance to forces on how to deal effectively with perpetrators of this crime who work within their ranks.

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Entry Refusal (Sexual Exploitation)

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been refused entry to the United Kingdom because of concerns that they would be sexually exploited in each of the last five years. [70282]

Beverley Hughes: Information on the reasons for which people were refused is not collated centrally and is therefore not available.

Yarl's Wood Fire

Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the cost (a) to date and (b) in the next year to the Bedfordshire police, arising from the Yarl's Wood fire. [68623]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 9 July 2002]: The Chief Constable of Bedfordshire has informed me that the cost of the operation to date is approximately £2.9 million and that it is not possible to estimate future costs. The criminal investigation into the circumstances of the incident, and the forensic search of the material removed from the site is continuing.

English Language Teaching

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of people from (a) India and (b) Pakistan who are permanently settled in the UK and do not have a working knowledge of English. [68880]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.

There is currently no information on the number of people from India and Pakistan who are permanently settled in the UK and do not have a working knowledge of English. However, the DfES has recently commissioned a large survey of adult basic skills needs, which should give us an indication of English language ability by ethnic group.

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on English language teaching for (a) those from India and Pakistan settled permanently in the UK and (b) new arrivals with an inadequate grasp of English in each of the past five years broken down by constituency; and if he will make a statement. [68881]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Comprehensive data on the cost of providing English language training to these groups is not available.

People Trafficking

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been of people living in the United Kingdom for offences connected with the trafficking of women in each of the last five years; and of these, how many have been (a) convicted, (b) sentenced to imprisonment and (c) fined or deported. [70120]

Beverley Hughes: As there is at present no specific offence of trafficking, the police and other law enforcement agencies are not able to say how many people

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connected with the trafficking of women have been prosecuted, convicted, sentenced, fined or deported in the last five years.

The Government is creating a new offence of trafficking for the purposes of controlling someone in prostitution within the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill currently before Parliament. It will carry a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment. This is a stopgap offence pending more wide-ranging offences of trafficking for sexual and labour exploitation when Parliamentary time permits.

In May 2000, we set up Reflex, a multi-agency taskforce on organised immigration crime, including people trafficking. Led by the National Crime Squad (NCS), Reflex brings together all the key agencies from law enforcement, Government and the intelligence community, including the Immigration Service, the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) and police forces such as the Metropolitan Police, Kent Constabulary and the British Transport Police.

Under Reflex, we have set up a joint operational unit comprising NCS and Immigration Service officers with sites at Gatwick and Heathrow. This will provide a significant new capability to respond to allegations of trafficking in women.

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the policy is of the Metropolitan Police in combatting the trafficking of people into the London area for work in the sex industry. [70285]

Beverley Hughes: The Metropolitan Police Service is a member of Reflex, a multi-agency taskforce on organised immigration crime, including people trafficking. Reflex targets the organised criminals involved in the trafficking and smuggling of people.

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that the policy of the Metropolitan Police Service is to work with other agencies in detecting, prosecuting and, where appropriate, rescuing prostitutes, some of whom may have been trafficked, working both on and off the street. In order to tackle associated issues, kerb crawlers and those who affix prostitute cards are also prosecuted. Where there is evidence of trafficking for the purposes of prostitution, this is passed on to Reflex.

Immigration Officers (Prague Airport)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many British immigration officers are based at Prague airport; and what plans he has to increase this number. [71102]

Beverley Hughes [holding answer 18 July 2002]: There are no British Immigration Officers based permanently at Prague airport.

A bilateral agreement reached with the Czech government in February 2001 allows passengers travelling from the Czech Republic to the United Kingdom to be pre-cleared before their arrival in the United Kingdom.

Under the terms of the agreement a team of 12 British immigration officers, attached to our Embassy in Prague as consular officials, operate a pre-clearance control at Prague airport.

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Pre-clearance operations in Prague are intended to be a short term and flexibly applied response, dependant on the number of inadmissible passengers arriving in the United Kingdom and are therefore re-introduced when operational pressures necessitate. The operation has been implemented on 12 occasions in total.

There are no plans at present to increase the size of the team.

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