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Air Weapons
Ms Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there were for (a) carrying a loaded air weapon in a public place, (b) a person under 14 having an air weapon, (c) a person under 17 having an air weapon in a public place and (d) the sale of air weapons to minors in the last five years. [67831]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is contained in the table.
Statistics for 2001 will be available in the autumn.
(43) These data are on the principal offence basis.
(44) Staffordshire police were able to submit sample data only for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts in the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.
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Ministerial Training
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how much has been spent by his Department on training in leadership skills for Ministers and officials in each of the last five years; [52734]
- (2) how much has been spent by his Department on voice coaching for Ministers and officials in each of the last five years; [52755]
(3) how much has been spent by his Department on training by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts for Ministers and officials in each of the last five years. [52715]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 26 April 2002]: There are no central data available on how much has been spent by the Home Department on training in leadership skills for Ministers in the last five years.
In the financial year 2001–02, the Cabinet Office provided funds for leadership development for officials as part of the invest to modernise programme. Records available show that £583,967 was spent by the Home Department on training in leadership skills for officials from 1 December 2001 to 31 March 2002 under the excellent leaders scheme. All expenditure under the excellent leaders scheme came from a ring-fenced allocation from the Cabinet Office and not from general Home Office funds.
The aim of the excellent leaders scheme was to grow leadership skills in the senior civil service by developing their competencies. In the period December 2001 to March 2002, 84 senior members of staff received executive coaching sessions; 13 specifically tailored
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Directorate leadership conferences were held for senior Home Office staff, and 40 members of staff attended publicly available leadership programmes and training events.
£316,000 was spent on executive coaching sessions; £197,000 on tailored leadership conferences and £70,967 on leadership training.
Ministers in the Home Department are able to take advantage of the programmes for Ministers organised by the Centre for Management and Policy Studies (CMPS) in the Cabinet Office. This programme has not delivered training on voice coaching or training by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Neither have officials received such training in the last five years.
Prostitution
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women have been sent to prison in the United Kingdom for living on the earnings of, or for controlling, a prostitute in each of the last five years. [70283]
Hilary Benn: The information requested, relating to (a) males and (b) females sentenced to immediate custody for living on the earnings of, or controlling a prostitute in England and Wales from 1996 to 2000 are shown in the table.
Statistics for 2001 will be available in the autumn.
Figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the Scottish Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly respectively.
(45) These data are on the principal offence basis.
(46) Staffordshire Police Force were only able to supply a sample of data for magistrates' courts proceedings covering one full week in each quarter for 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust at a detailed level and so are excluded from this analysis.
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Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) boys and (b) girls aged under 15 years have been cautioned by police officers in the Metropolitan Police Authority for being involved in prostitution in the last 12 months. [70271]
Mr. Denham: No instances of males or females aged under 15 cautioned in 2000 for prostitution in the Metropolitan Police Force Area were reported to the Home Office.
Statistics for 2001 will be available in the autumn.
Justice and Home Affairs Agenda
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to take forward the Justice and Home Affairs Agenda of the EU. [64838]
Mr. Blunkett: I intend to work closely with the incoming Danish Presidency with a view to taking forward the justice and home affairs work programme. Consequently, I met with Lene Espersen, the Danish Minister of Justice, on 19 June to discuss the priorities for the next six months.
My key priority will be to push forward implementation of the conclusions agreed at the Seville European Council on 21–22 June on combating illegal immigration and creating a common asylum policy. Those conclusions were prompted by United Kingdom concerns at the lack of progress on asylum and immigration measures and incorporate specific ideas proposed by the United Kingdom for the purpose of advancing that work. In particular, the conclusions set deadlines for agreeing the instruments which will form the basis of the European Union's common asylum system, and I attach importance to supporting the Danish Presidency in securing agreement to the Dublin II Regulation (on responsibility for processing an asylum claim) by the end of this year.
I also intend to focus greater attention at European Union level on action against drug trafficking as part of the mid-term review of the European Union's Action Plan against Drugs 2000–04. Improved cross-border police co-operation, including the effective use of Europol, is also a priority, as is progress in implementing the programme of measures on mutual recognition of court
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decisions and judgments. In particular, I would like to see completion of the negotiations on the mutual recognition of financial penalties, which was a joint initiative tabled by the United Kingdom, Belgium and Sweden.
Racism
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent advice he has given to local authorities about tackling racism and promoting community cohesion. [69955]
Beverley Hughes: The Government is committed to making race equality and community cohesion central to its aims.
We are committed to outlaw discrimination in employment by December 2003 as required by the European Employment Directives.
The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 came into force on 2 April. It places a general duty on specified public authorities to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination—and to promote equality of opportunity and good relations between persons of different racial groups.
Public bodies were required to have in place by 31 May this year, realistic and timely plans to show how they intend to comply with the general duty.
The Government is working right across Departments on a number of measures to promote community cohesion. Our aim is to build communities where:
- there is a common vision and a sense of belonging for all people—there is an appreciation of people's different backgrounds and circumstances
where those from different backgrounds have similar life opportunities; and
strong and positive relationships are being developed between people from different backgrounds in the work place, in schools and within neighbourhoods.
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within their day to day operations. It focuses upon 16 themes covering housing, leisure, education, media, and training and employment schemes. Copies have been placed in the Library.
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding has been provided to each authority for tackling racism and promoting community cohesion in the last 12 months. [69956]
Beverley Hughes: The Government believe that effectively addressing community cohesion issues forms a crucial part of the work of local government.
In working to achieve this aim, the Government are investing resources in local authorities through the following ways:
- community facilitation work—these projects will help build capacity at a grass roots level and to bring local people together. This is important in order to encourage dialogue and tackle local grievances or misunderstandings that threaten good community and race relations;
a summer activity programme—in response to last summer's disturbances; we made £7 million available to fund summer activities with over 200,000 beneficiaries. We have released further funding for a similar and extended programme for this year, including additional activities in those areas with high levels of street crime;
a community support team programme—this is providing support to areas such as Burnley, Bradford and Oldham to help build the capacity of these areas in promoting community cohesion.
Additionally, and in recognition of the need to genuinely build cohesion into the agenda of local government, the Government recently announced that community cohesion will form one of the key themes of the Government's beacon council scheme.
Draft guidance for local authorities has also been produced in conjunction with the Commission for Racial Equality and the Local Government Association. This sets out practical ways in which local authorities can integrate community cohesion into day-to-day operations. Copies have been placed in the Library.
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