House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 19 Sept 2002 (pt 8)

19 Sept 2002 : Column 27W—continued

Police Ranks

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) sergeants, (b) inspectors and (c) chief inspectors there were in March 2000; and how many he estimates there will be in Spring 2003. [72865]

Mr. Denham: On 31 March 2000 there were 18,500 sergeants, 5,941 inspectors and 1,574 chief inspectors in the police service in England and Wales.

We have set a target for there to be 130,000 police officers by March 2003 and are on track to achieve this. It is for individual chief officers of police to determine, within available resources, the number of officers there should be in each rank.

Police Custody Deaths

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 12 July 2002, Official Report, column 1248W, how many of the deaths

19 Sept 2002 : Column 28W

resulted in (a) an internal inquiry, (b) an external inquiry and (c) compensation being paid to the next of kin of the victims. [73248]

Mr. Denham: All deaths in police custody are subject to a full police investigation. Where such a death occurs the police are required to refer the investigation to the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) for supervision. It is the responsibility of the PCA supervising member to approve the appointment of the Senior Investigating Officer (SIO), either from the force where the death occurred or from another force, and to agree the terms of reference for the SIO covering the parameters of the investigation. The PCA recently published their supervision manual which sets out the Authority's approach to supervision and the standards its supervising members will apply.

Under the Police Reform Bill the PCA will be replaced by a completely new body called the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). The IPCC will be at the heart of a new police complaints system, the key objective of which will be to increase public confidence and trust in the way in which complaints against the police are dealt with. In order to achieve this the IPCC, which will be wholly independent of the police and which will have its own investigating teams, will be able to choose to investigate complaints itself. There will also be improved access to the complaints system for complainants, and significantly greater disclosure of information to complainants.

Information about the number of deaths that resulted in compensation being paid to the next of kin of the victims is not collected centrally.

Commercial Poppy Growing

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what purpose commercial poppy growing has been licensed in Hampshire; and if he will make a statement. [72846]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Approximately 400 hectares of opium poppies are being grown in the United Kingdom, mostly in Hampshire, to provide some of the raw material required for the manufacture of medicines such as codeine and morphine. The amount represents but a small proportion of the total required, which is sourced mainly in Australia, India, Spain and Turkey.

This is the first time opium poppies have been grown commercially in this country for medicinal purposes, although smaller amounts have been grown traditionally for culinary use of the seeds and for dried flower arranging.

Cultivation of the opium poppy is not subject to the licensing requirements of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 but details are furnished to the International Narcotics Control Board under the estimating and statistical provisions of the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961. The process is being monitored by the Home Office Drugs Branch which has arranged for police to be informed of the growing sites.

Criminal Justice and Court Services Act

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many parents have been

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imprisoned as a result of their children's truancy under the provisions of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000. [73229]

Hilary Benn: The availability of imprisonment on a sentence in cases where parents who know that their child is not attending school and have taken no reasonable steps to secure their attendance came into force on 1 March 2001.

Statistics for 2001 will be available in the autumn.

Mahmoud Abu Rideh

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he will take following the statement of Mr. Justice Collins at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission regarding the condition of Mahmoud Abu Rideh and if he will make a statement. [65252]

Beverley Hughes: Further psychiatric assessments of Mr. Abu Rideh have been carried out and a warrant authorising his transfer to Broadmoor was signed on 19 July, after approval of the Home Secretary. Mr. Abu Rideh is now in Broadmoor and is receiving treatment.

19 Sept 2002 : Column 30W

Public Service Agreements

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of the public service agreements of his Department set out in the document "Public Services for the Future 1998" have been met; and if he will make a statement. [68712]

Beverley Hughes [holding answer 10 July 2002]: The comprehensive spending review undertaken in 1997–98 produced 31 targets for the Home Office over the period April 1998–March 2001. Out of these 31 targets 19 have been achieved (61.30 per cent.), six have been transferred to other Government departments as a result of machinery of Government changes (19.35 per cent.) and six have been rolled forward (19.35 per cent.).

Out of the 19 that have been achieved, many have been incorporated into Public Service Agreement, Spending Review (PSAs) or Service Delivery Agreement (SDAs) through the SR2000 process. Out of the six that were rolled forward, five did not have completion dates within the timescale of 1998–2001 and have been extended into PSAs or SDAs in the SR2000 process, with more clearly defined dates and targets.

The Home Office Annual Report was laid before Parliament in July and outlines in more detail performance against targets. The attached tables outline which targets have been met and which have been rolled forward.

Table 1: 1998–2000 Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) Targets and their Amendments

1998 CSR PSA* Target Amended SR2000 PSA* Target (See also Table 2)

1. To reduce vehicle crime from its current level by 30 per cent. within 5 years. Rolled forward.

1. Reduce the key recorded crime categories of:

—Vehicle crime by 30 per cent. by 2004

—Domestic burglary by 25 per cent. with no local Authority area having a rate more than three times the national average, by 2005; and

—Robbery in our principal cities by 14 per cent. by 2005.

2. An improvement in police efficiency of 2 per cent. a year. Achieved—target rolled forward.

17. Ensure annual efficiency gains by police forces are worth in total at least two per cent. of overall police spending in that year.

3. Launch the new evidence based crime reduction programme. Achieved

4. Tackle domestic violence through a range of practical measures including increasing public awareness, improving agencies' response and developing an information base. Achieved—target contributing to new PSA. See PSA target 1 in Table 2.

5. Agree an annual target, with the United Kingdom (UK) Anti Drugs Co-ordinator, for the police to ensure efficient and effective action against drug suppliers Achieved. (Now incorporated as SDA in PSA 4)

6. Publish survey results on levels of fear of crime and set targets for improvement in specific areas Achieved—target rolled forward into new PSA. See target 2 in Table 2.

7. Reduce the time taken from arrest to sentence or other disposal. Specific targets set.

8. Reduce by 2004, the time from arrest to sentence or other outcome by:

—Reducing the time from charge to disposal for all defendants, with a target to be specified by 31 March 2001;

—Dealing with 80 per cent. of youth court cases within their time targets; and

—Halving from 142 to 71 days by 2002 the time taken from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders and maintaining that level thereafter.

8. Reduce the time taken from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders from 142 days to 71 days Achieved. See target 8 in Table 2 below.

9. Improve the satisfaction levels of victims and witnesses with their treatment in the CJS. 7. Improve by five percentage points the satisfaction of victims and witnesses with their treatment by the CJS by 2002 and thereafter at least maintain that level of performance.

10. Reduce the number of terrorist incidents securing effective well-co-ordinated and proportionate anti-terrorist policies Achieved

11. Prepare new UK-wide anti-terrorism legislation Achieved

12. Develop closer and more effective international co-operation to counter terrorism Achieved. This has become a Service Delivery Agreement and is ongoing.

13. Increase the percentage of identified crime groups: under Achieved—target rolled forward into new PSA.

investigation; in respect of which arrest have been made; in respect of which prosecutions have been brought; and which have been dismantled. 4. Disrupt 10 per cent. more organised criminal enterprises by 2004.

14. Ensure the two-year reconviction rate for those receiving community sentences remains below the rate predicted for those offenders. 9. Reduce the rate of reconviction:

—Of all offenders punished by imprisonment or community supervision by five per cent. by 2004 compared to the predicted rate; and

15. Reduce the reconviction rate for persistent young offenders. —Of all young offenders by five per cent. by 2004 compared to the predicted rate. Achieved.

16. Improve supervision programmes run by the probation service and prison regimes that require offenders to face up to their offending behaviour, and introduce a system of independent accreditation covering probation as well as prison programmes Achieved. Forms supporting SDAs to reconvictions target (no. 9)

17. Double the number of completions of accredited offender behaviour programmes (OBP) from 3,000 to 6,000 a year by 2001–02, including an increase from 680 to 1100 in those completing sex offender programmes (SOTP) Achieved—target rolled forward. (SOTP target not achieved). This has become a Service Delivery Agreement under target 9.

18. Reduce the proportion of discharged prisoners who are at Level 1 or below for literacy and numeracy skills by 15 per cent. by April 2002 Achieved—this has become part of the Service Delivery Agreement and reworded to read: Increase the educational and vocational qualifications of offenders with:

—23,400 accredited educational/vocational qualifications in 2001–02 and 36,200 in 2003–04 including an increase in the number of level 2 basic and key skills awards from 18,000 to 21,000 in the Prison Service; and

—12,000 completions of level 2 basic skills awards in 2003–04 with 6,000 completions in 2002–03 in the Probation Service.

19. Reduce the rate of positive random drug tests from a 20 per cent. target in 1998–99 to 16 per cent. in 2001–02; and to provide access to voluntary drug testing for all prisoners by April 2002 Achieved. Further extended as SDA to reduce to 10 per cent. by 2004.

20. Pilot Drug Treatment and Testing Orders; provide treatment for problem drug users in prison which is then followed through under post-release supervision; increase number of offenders entering treatment programmes as a result of arrest referral schemes and post-release supervision Achieved. Roll-out of orders, arrest referral etc. has become a Service Delivery Agreement.

21. Maintain existing performance of no escapes by high risk prisoners; and the overall rate of escapes from prisons to be no higher than 0.17 per cent. of average prison population. Achieved — target rolled forward into new PSA. 10. Maintain the current low rates of prisoner escapes including no category A escapes.

22. Promote race equality and develop new indicators to measure improvement. Achieved—target rolled forward into new PSA and indicators developed.

16. Promote race equality, particularly in the provision of public services such as education, health, law and order, housing and local government, and measure progress by the annual publication of Race Equality in Public Services, a set of race equality performance indicators across the public sector; and achieve representative workforces in the Home Office and its police, probation and prison services.

23. Set targets by June 1999 to increase the number of people from ethnic minorities in Home Office and its services Achieved - now incorporated into PSA 16. See target 16 in Table 2.

24. Increase the quantity and quality of people's involvement in their community and ensure fulfilment of the vision of the Giving Age. 15. Make substantial progress by 2004 towards one million more people being actively involved in their communities.

25. Incorporate the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law Achieved. Transferred to Lord Chancellor's Department July 2001

26. Improve the level of public confidence in the democratic process, through the introduction of PR for European elections; by legislating for the registration of political parties; by introducing a new system of controls on political party funding; and by carrying out a review of electoral procedures and making recommendations during 1999 Transferred to Lord Chancellor's Department July 2001

27. Introduce legislation providing for freedom of information Achieved. Transferred to Lord Chancellor's Department July 2001

28. Reduce the time taken to final decision of asylum applications to six months by April 2001. 13. Ensure that by 2004, 75 per cent. of substantive asylum applications decided within 2 months.

29. Reduce fire related deaths in the home by 20 per cent. by 31 March 2003, from an average starting point of 380 a year Transferred to Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions July 2001

30. Reduce the number of fires by 31 March 2002 to a level lower than that currently projected on long-term trends (projected levels: 608,100 pa– 633,500 pa) Transferred to Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions July 2001

31. Improve fire service efficiency by two per cent. a year Transferred to Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions July 2001

*Public Service Agreement

1998 CSR PSA* Target	Amended SR2000 PSA* Target (See also Table 2)
1. To reduce vehicle crime from its current level by 30 per cent. within 5 years.	Rolled forward.
	1. Reduce the key recorded crime categories of:
	—Vehicle crime by 30 per cent. by 2004
	—Domestic burglary by 25 per cent. with no local Authority area having a rate more than three times the national average, by 2005; and
	—Robbery in our principal cities by 14 per cent. by 2005.
2. An improvement in police efficiency of 2 per cent. a year.	Achieved—target rolled forward.
	17. Ensure annual efficiency gains by police forces are worth in total at least two per cent. of overall police spending in that year.
3. Launch the new evidence based crime reduction programme.	Achieved
4. Tackle domestic violence through a range of practical measures including increasing public awareness, improving agencies' response and developing an information base.	Achieved—target contributing to new PSA. See PSA target 1 in Table 2.
5. Agree an annual target, with the United Kingdom (UK) Anti Drugs Co-ordinator, for the police to ensure efficient and effective action against drug suppliers	Achieved. (Now incorporated as SDA in PSA 4)
6. Publish survey results on levels of fear of crime and set targets for improvement in specific areas	Achieved—target rolled forward into new PSA. See target 2 in Table 2.
7. Reduce the time taken from arrest to sentence or other disposal.	Specific targets set.
	8. Reduce by 2004, the time from arrest to sentence or other outcome by:
	—Reducing the time from charge to disposal for all defendants, with a target to be specified by 31 March 2001;
	—Dealing with 80 per cent. of youth court cases within their time targets; and
	—Halving from 142 to 71 days by 2002 the time taken from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders and maintaining that level thereafter.
8. Reduce the time taken from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders from 142 days to 71 days	Achieved. See target 8 in Table 2 below.
9. Improve the satisfaction levels of victims and witnesses with their treatment in the CJS.	7. Improve by five percentage points the satisfaction of victims and witnesses with their treatment by the CJS by 2002 and thereafter at least maintain that level of performance.
10. Reduce the number of terrorist incidents securing effective well-co-ordinated and proportionate anti-terrorist policies	Achieved
11. Prepare new UK-wide anti-terrorism legislation	Achieved
12. Develop closer and more effective international co-operation to counter terrorism	Achieved. This has become a Service Delivery Agreement and is ongoing.
13. Increase the percentage of identified crime groups: under	Achieved—target rolled forward into new PSA.
investigation; in respect of which arrest have been made; in respect of which prosecutions have been brought; and which have been dismantled.	4. Disrupt 10 per cent. more organised criminal enterprises by 2004.
14. Ensure the two-year reconviction rate for those receiving community sentences remains below the rate predicted for those offenders.	9. Reduce the rate of reconviction:
	—Of all offenders punished by imprisonment or community supervision by five per cent. by 2004 compared to the predicted rate; and
15. Reduce the reconviction rate for persistent young offenders.	—Of all young offenders by five per cent. by 2004 compared to the predicted rate. Achieved.
16. Improve supervision programmes run by the probation service and prison regimes that require offenders to face up to their offending behaviour, and introduce a system of independent accreditation covering probation as well as prison programmes	Achieved. Forms supporting SDAs to reconvictions target (no. 9)
17. Double the number of completions of accredited offender behaviour programmes (OBP) from 3,000 to 6,000 a year by 2001–02, including an increase from 680 to 1100 in those completing sex offender programmes (SOTP)	Achieved—target rolled forward. (SOTP target not achieved). This has become a Service Delivery Agreement under target 9.
18. Reduce the proportion of discharged prisoners who are at Level 1 or below for literacy and numeracy skills by 15 per cent. by April 2002	Achieved—this has become part of the Service Delivery Agreement and reworded to read: Increase the educational and vocational qualifications of offenders with:
	—23,400 accredited educational/vocational qualifications in 2001–02 and 36,200 in 2003–04 including an increase in the number of level 2 basic and key skills awards from 18,000 to 21,000 in the Prison Service; and
	—12,000 completions of level 2 basic skills awards in 2003–04 with 6,000 completions in 2002–03 in the Probation Service.
19. Reduce the rate of positive random drug tests from a 20 per cent. target in 1998–99 to 16 per cent. in 2001–02; and to provide access to voluntary drug testing for all prisoners by April 2002	Achieved. Further extended as SDA to reduce to 10 per cent. by 2004.
20. Pilot Drug Treatment and Testing Orders; provide treatment for problem drug users in prison which is then followed through under post-release supervision; increase number of offenders entering treatment programmes as a result of arrest referral schemes and post-release supervision	Achieved. Roll-out of orders, arrest referral etc. has become a Service Delivery Agreement.
21. Maintain existing performance of no escapes by high risk prisoners; and the overall rate of escapes from prisons to be no higher than 0.17 per cent. of average prison population.	Achieved — target rolled forward into new PSA. 10. Maintain the current low rates of prisoner escapes including no category A escapes.
22. Promote race equality and develop new indicators to measure improvement.	Achieved—target rolled forward into new PSA and indicators developed.
	16. Promote race equality, particularly in the provision of public services such as education, health, law and order, housing and local government, and measure progress by the annual publication of Race Equality in Public Services, a set of race equality performance indicators across the public sector; and achieve representative workforces in the Home Office and its police, probation and prison services.
23. Set targets by June 1999 to increase the number of people from ethnic minorities in Home Office and its services	Achieved - now incorporated into PSA 16. See target 16 in Table 2.
24. Increase the quantity and quality of people's involvement in their community and ensure fulfilment of the vision of the Giving Age.	15. Make substantial progress by 2004 towards one million more people being actively involved in their communities.
25. Incorporate the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law	Achieved. Transferred to Lord Chancellor's Department July 2001
26. Improve the level of public confidence in the democratic process, through the introduction of PR for European elections; by legislating for the registration of political parties; by introducing a new system of controls on political party funding; and by carrying out a review of electoral procedures and making recommendations during 1999	Transferred to Lord Chancellor's Department July 2001
27. Introduce legislation providing for freedom of information	Achieved. Transferred to Lord Chancellor's Department July 2001
28. Reduce the time taken to final decision of asylum applications to six months by April 2001.	13. Ensure that by 2004, 75 per cent. of substantive asylum applications decided within 2 months.
29. Reduce fire related deaths in the home by 20 per cent. by 31 March 2003, from an average starting point of 380 a year	Transferred to Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions July 2001
30. Reduce the number of fires by 31 March 2002 to a level lower than that currently projected on long-term trends (projected levels: 608,100 pa– 633,500 pa)	Transferred to Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions July 2001
31. Improve fire service efficiency by two per cent. a year	Transferred to Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions July 2001

19 Sept 2002 : Column 31W

Table 2: PSA Target for 2001–04 with cross-reference to Table 1

PSA Target Amended from 1998 target number: Present Status

1 Ongoing

1. Reduce the key recorded crime categories of:

—Vehicle crime by 30 per cent. by 2004;

—Domestic burglary by 25 per cent. with no local authority area having a rate more than three times the national average, by 2005; and

—Robbery in our principal cities by 14 per cent. by 2005.

2. Ensure by 2004 that the levels of fear of crime in the key categories of violent crime, burglary and car crime, reported in the British Crime Survey (BCS), are lower than the levels reported in the 2001 BCS. 6 Ongoing

3. Reduce by 2004 the economic cost of crime, as measured by an indicator to be developed by March 2001. New Ongoing

4. Disrupt 10 per cent. more organised criminal enterprises by 2004. 13 Ongoing

5. Improve the level of public confidence in the CJS by 2004, including improving that of ethnic minority communities. New Ongoing

6. Increase the number and proportion of recorded crimes for which an offender is brought to justice. New Ongoing

7. Improve by 5 percentage points the satisfaction of victims and witnesses with their treatment by the CJS by 2002 and thereafter at least maintain that level of performance. 9 Ongoing

8. Reduce by 2004, the time from arrest to sentence of other outcome by: 7,8 Ongoing

—Reducing the time from charge to disposal for all defendants, with a target to be specified by 31 March 2001;

—dealing with 80 per cent. of youth court cases within their time targets; and

—halving from 142 to 71 days by 2002 the time taken from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders and maintaining that level thereafter.

9. Reduce the rate of reconviction: 14,15,16,17,18 Ongoing

—of all offenders punished by imprisonment or community supervision by 5 per cent. by 2004 compared to the predicted rate; and

—of all young offenders by 5 per cent. by 2004 compared the predicted rate.

10. Maintain the current low rates of prisoner escapes including no Category A escapes. 21 Ongoing

11. Reduce the proportion of people under the age of 25 reporting the use of Class A drugs by 25 per cent. by 2005 (and by 50 per cent. by 2008). New Ongoing

12. Reduce the levels of repeat offending amongst drug-misusing offenders by 25 per cent. by 2005 (and by 50 per cent. by 2008). 19,20 Ongoing

13. Ensure that by 2004, 75 per cent. of substantive asylum applications are decided within two months. 28 Ongoing

14. Enforce the immigration laws more effectively by removing a greater proportion of failed asylum seekers. New Ongoing

15. Make substantial progress by 2004 towards one million more people being actively involved in their communities. 24 Ongoing

16. Promote race equality, particularly in the provision of public services such as education, health, law and order, housing and local government, and measure progress by the annual publication of Race Equality in Public Services, a set of race equality performance indicators across the public sector; and achieve representative workforces in the Home Office and its police, probation and prison services. 22 Ongoing

17. Ensure annual efficiency gains by police forces are worth in total at least two per cent. of overall police spending in that year. 2 Ongoing

PSA Target	Amended from 1998 target number:	Present Status
	1	Ongoing
1. Reduce the key recorded crime categories of:
—Vehicle crime by 30 per cent. by 2004;
—Domestic burglary by 25 per cent. with no local authority area having a rate more than three times the national average, by 2005; and
—Robbery in our principal cities by 14 per cent. by 2005.
2. Ensure by 2004 that the levels of fear of crime in the key categories of violent crime, burglary and car crime, reported in the British Crime Survey (BCS), are lower than the levels reported in the 2001 BCS.	6	Ongoing
3. Reduce by 2004 the economic cost of crime, as measured by an indicator to be developed by March 2001.	New	Ongoing
4. Disrupt 10 per cent. more organised criminal enterprises by 2004.	13	Ongoing
5. Improve the level of public confidence in the CJS by 2004, including improving that of ethnic minority communities.	New	Ongoing
6. Increase the number and proportion of recorded crimes for which an offender is brought to justice.	New	Ongoing
7. Improve by 5 percentage points the satisfaction of victims and witnesses with their treatment by the CJS by 2002 and thereafter at least maintain that level of performance.	9	Ongoing
8. Reduce by 2004, the time from arrest to sentence of other outcome by:	7,8	Ongoing
—Reducing the time from charge to disposal for all defendants, with a target to be specified by 31 March 2001;
—dealing with 80 per cent. of youth court cases within their time targets; and
—halving from 142 to 71 days by 2002 the time taken from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders and maintaining that level thereafter.
9. Reduce the rate of reconviction:	14,15,16,17,18	Ongoing
—of all offenders punished by imprisonment or community supervision by 5 per cent. by 2004 compared to the predicted rate; and
—of all young offenders by 5 per cent. by 2004 compared the predicted rate.
10. Maintain the current low rates of prisoner escapes including no Category A escapes.	21	Ongoing
11. Reduce the proportion of people under the age of 25 reporting the use of Class A drugs by 25 per cent. by 2005 (and by 50 per cent. by 2008).	New	Ongoing
12. Reduce the levels of repeat offending amongst drug-misusing offenders by 25 per cent. by 2005 (and by 50 per cent. by 2008).	19,20	Ongoing
13. Ensure that by 2004, 75 per cent. of substantive asylum applications are decided within two months.	28	Ongoing
14. Enforce the immigration laws more effectively by removing a greater proportion of failed asylum seekers.	New	Ongoing
15. Make substantial progress by 2004 towards one million more people being actively involved in their communities.	24	Ongoing
16. Promote race equality, particularly in the provision of public services such as education, health, law and order, housing and local government, and measure progress by the annual publication of Race Equality in Public Services, a set of race equality performance indicators across the public sector; and achieve representative workforces in the Home Office and its police, probation and prison services.	22	Ongoing
17. Ensure annual efficiency gains by police forces are worth in total at least two per cent. of overall police spending in that year.	2	Ongoing

19 Sept 2002 : Column 33W

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