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Criminal Injuries Compensation
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason the target of handling 87,000 applications for criminal injuries compensation was not met in 2001–02. [68788]
Mr. Hilary Benn [holding answer 11 July 2002]: The figure of 87,000 cases comprised 84,000 tariff scheme cases and 3,000 residual old scheme cases. The total was an early planning figure based on predictions that some 83,000 new applications would be received in that year, a figure that was eventually undershot by nearly 5,000.
The old scheme cases proved more complicated and difficult to resolve than had been anticipated, and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority had to devote greater staff effort to them. This, inevitably, affected output on tariff scheme cases.
Sajanji Jivaji Odedra
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on Sajanji Jivaji Odedra and his special voucher application which have been referred from the Foreign Office to his Department.[69246]
Beverley Hughes: I wrote to my hon. Member on 24 July 2002.
London Probation Service
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vacancies there are in the London Probation Service. [69429]
Mr. Hilary Benn: The London Probation Area vacancy rate in the context of the new structure is in the region of 130 posts, which covers staff of all grades and contract, out of a total staffing figure of 2,836.
The intention is to recruit 50 Trainee Probation Officers this year and offer 50 qualifying Trainee Probation Officers a permanent Probation Officer post in October.
Targets (Sentencing)
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the targets for reducing the time from arrest to sentence will be settled. [68787]
Mr. Hilary Benn [holding answer 11 July 2002]: We are working on targets for reducing the time from arrest to sentence for all defendants and an announcement will be made in due course.
Pornography
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to use technology similar to that which the Government are introducing to stop tobacco advertising on the web to stop the advertising of pornographic material on the web. [69434]
Mr. Hilary Benn: There are no plans to use technology to stop tobacco advertising on the web. The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Bill before Parliament at the moment will, if passed, make the advertising of tobacco products a criminal offence in most circumstances. The offence could be committed by advertising a tobacco product over the web, just as it could be committed in
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other circumstances, as the law applies equally online as offline. It is already a criminal offence to advertise pornographic material featuring children.
As regards material which may be legal but offensive to many people, the Government supports the development of tools, such as the rating and filtering system operated by the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA), to encourage Internet users to regulate their own Internet experience or that of their children.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take powers to require (a) pornographic sites and (b) emails advertising pornography to be clearly identifiable as to their nature. [69436]
Mr. Hilary Benn: The Government believes that a range of methods is required to provide parents and other Internet users with a way of exercising choice about what kind of material they and their children have access to.
Easy to use rating and filtering systems, such as that operated by the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA), have an important role to play as does greater public awareness of simple measures which can be taken to protect personal information and help avoid unwanted e-mails (SPAM).
These issues are being considered by a Sub Group of the Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet which was established in March 2001 by my right hon. Friend the then Home Secretary (Mr. Straw). The Task Force is a partnership of: representatives from internet service and communication providers; the Internet Watch Foundation (which provides a hotline for the public to report child pornography); PC and software retailers and manufacturers; child welfare organisations; the main opposition parties; law enforcement agencies and academics. Among other things, the Task Force is looking at good practice models for providers of chat services, instant messaging and web services which will promote the use of clear and accessible safety advice and better signposting of content.
The problem of SPAM including those containing pornography is also being considered by the Sub-Group.
Child Abuse
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will share information with other countries about UK citizens who have been convicted of offences against children. [69126]
Mr. Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.
If a person is convicted of a relevant sex offence against a child they become subject to the notification requirements of the Sex Offenders Act 1997.
New provisions in the Criminal Justice and Courts Services Act 2000 (including regulations made under the power contained therein) provide that if an offender subject to the notification requirements of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 leaves the United Kingdom for eight days or longer, he must notify the police at least 24 hours prior to his departure: of his date of departure; the country
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to which he is travelling; the identity of the carrier he intends to use; his point of arrival in the country; details of his first night's accommodation; if he intends to return to the United Kingdom; and if so, the date of his return and point of arrival.
On such a notification, the police will assess the level of risk the offender poses and then make a decision over whether to pass on this information to the authorities of the destination country or not.
Prisons
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which prisons are the (a) most expensive and (b) cheapest in terms of cost per prisoner; and what criteria govern the differential allocation of funds to these prisons. [73214]
Mr. Hilary Benn: Figures published in the Prison Service Annual Report and Accounts for 2001–02 show that Whitemoor (high security) prison had the highest cost per prisoner at £54,184 and Ford open prison the lowest, at £14,968.
Cost per prisoner figures shown in the annual report for private sector establishments include an element of capital repayment and the figures are not comparable with the public sector.
Criteria used to determine the allocation of funds include internal benchmarking of prisons of similar size and category and assessments of the grading of staff necessary to maintain a safe, decent and healthy environment and to deliver regimes effective in reducing crime. Full consideration is given to the security classification of prisons within the estate, costs being higher in high security prisons and lower in the open estate where the risk of escape and danger to the public is reduced.
Category B Prisons
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the provision of medical facilities within category B prisons; what the medical staffing complement is of each prison; how many fell below that for a substantial period in the last year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement. [67195]
Mr. Hilary Benn [holding answer 5 July 2002]: All prisons, including those holding category B prisoners, are required to work with their local National Health Service (NHS) partners to identify the health needs of their local prison population and provide appropriate services to meet those needs.
Information about staffing levels is not held centrally in the form requested. The performance of health care centres is assessed on a quarterly basis, against a range of criteria, including the adequacy of staffing. The Prison Service is working with the NHS to ensure that minimum, safe staffing levels in prison health centres are maintained.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how many prisoner days prisoners in each category B prison were held in segregation pending transfer to a secure mental hospital in the last 12 months. [67197]
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Mr. Hilary Benn [holding answer 5 July 2002]: Information is not collected centrally in the form requested. Prisoners who are awaiting transfer to secure National Health Service (NHS) hospitals are normally located in the prison healthcare centres. Where prisoners have to be placed in segregation, for control or other reasons, Prison Orders require that they be visited by a doctor or registered nurse, as a minimum requirement, at least once every three days, and visited more frequently where health needs dictate.
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Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many disciplinary adjudications and rulings under Rule 45 were made in each category of prison in the last year for which information is available. [67196]
Mr. Hilary Benn [holding answer 5 July 2002]: The number of disciplinary adjudications in each category of prison in 2000 is given in the table. This includes adjudications which were not proved. Data on the number of rulings under Rule 45 in each category of prison is not available centrally.
| All establishments | 120,869 | ||
| Males | |||
| All establishments | 112,054 | ||
| Prisons | 70,693 | ||
| Local Prisons | 36,520 | ||
| Open Training Prisons | 3,156 | ||
| Closed Training Prisons | 31,017 | ||
| Young Offender Institutions | 41,361 | ||
| Remand Centres | 12,248 | ||
| Open Young Offender Institution | 1,106 | ||
| Closed Young Offender Institution | 15,874 | ||
| Juvenile Young Offender Institution | 12,133 | ||
| Female | |||
| All establishments | 8,815 | ||
| Prisons | 7,267 | ||
| Local Prisons | 3,528 | ||
| Open Training Prisons | 524 | ||
| Closed Training Prisons | 3,215 | ||
| Young Offender Institution | 1,548 | ||
| Open Young Offender Institution | 109 | ||
| Closed Young Offender Institution | 1,439 |
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many category B prisoners have been released on licence (a) tagged and (b) untagged from each category B prison in the last year for which information is available. [62382]
Mr. Hilary Benn: The table gives a breakdown, by prison, of all category B prisoners released during the 12 months ending 31 May 2002 (i) on licence and not subject to electronic monitoring as a licence condition (ii) on licence and subject to electronic as a licence condition and (iii) on licence and subject to the Home Detention Curfew scheme.
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