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5 Nov 2002 : Column 176W—continued
Asylum Costs (Dumfries and Galloway)
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been paid to Dumfries and Galloway constabulary in respect of costs incurred in processing asylum applications in each of the last three years. [78499]
Beverley Hughes: The Immigration Service has paid Dumfries and Galloway constabulary the following:
| # | |
|---|---|
| 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2000 | 1,950.97 |
| 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2001 | 2,889.50 |
| 1 April 2002 to 31 October 2002 | 32,437.26 |
The figures for asylum applications are not available. These figures relate to costs related to dealing with immigration offenders.
Correspondence
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letters of 17 June and 9 September to the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells regarding Yuriy Urchenko, a constituent. [76664]
Beverley Hughes: My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office wrote an interim reply to the hon. Member on 4 October in response to his earlier correspondence. In light of the circumstances of this case, I have asked officials for a full report and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
Drugs Trafficking
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to establish a new crime fighting fund to target the illegal drugs trade; and if he will make a statement. [77497]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 28 October 2002]: The financial provision for the law enforcement authorities includes in 2002–03 #376 million for reducing availability of drugs. There are no plans to establish a separate new fun specifically for the purpose.
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In addition to that provision, in 2002–03 #70 million has been made available under the Communities Against Drugs scheme for fighting drugs and drugs related crime and for strengthening communities and a significant proportion of the Recovered Assets Fund of #11.7 million will go towards anti-drugs projects.
Recovered Assets Fund
Mr. Soley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many bids were submitted for funding in the second round of the Recovered Assets Fund; how many of these were recommended for funding; how the selection of bids was made; and if he will make a statement on when the next round of bidding will begin. [79536]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: A total of 330 bids were received in round two (compared to 130 in round one) of which 27 (21 in round one) with a total cost of #11.5 million (#3 million in round one) were recommended for funding.
The bids selected for an award of grant were those which were assessed as best able to meet the objectives of the Fund and as far as possible ensured coverage of a wide geographical area.
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and I are currently reviewing the future use and operation of the Fund. Future bidding rounds will be dependent on the outcome of the review on which I hope to make an announcement before the end of the year.
Retail Crime
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many incidences of retail crime there were in each of the metropolitan boroughs in the last 12 months for which figures are available; [78138]
- (2) how many incidents of (a) shoplifting, (b) armed robbery and (c) assaults in high street shops there were in the past 12 months; [77981]
(3) how many incidents of recorded crime in the last three years have been classed as retail crime, broken down by police force; [77980]
(4) how many cases of violent assault there were against (a) rail workers, (b) benefits agency staff and (c) retail staff in the last 12 months for which figures are available; [77978]
(5) how many instances of violence to retail staff were recorded in the last 12 months for which figures are available; [78134]
(6) what percentage of violent crime was against shop staff in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [78130]
Mr. Denham: Recorded crime statistics do not normally identify the location of offences, or the occupation of victims. The one recorded crime which can be identified as retail crime is theft from a shop, and figures for each police force area for the last three years are given in the table. The figures may have been affected in comparison to the previous year as a result of changes to recording practices. Some police forces implemented the principles of the National Crime Recording
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Standard (NCRS) in advance of its national implementation on 1 April 2002. This had the estimated effect of uplifting total recorded crime figures by 5 per cent. this year.
Figures on the location of firearms robberies indicate that there were 1,323 robberies in shops in the 2000–01 financial year. This includes offences where air weapons, imitation weapons and unidentified firearms were used.
The Home Office, together with the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) and Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), will shortly be undertaking a major cross-Government survey of crime that affects retail and manufacturing premises across England and Wales. More than 3,000 premises will be surveyed in each of these sectors. The survey will collect detailed information on the circumstances of crime against business, levels of concern about crime, the overall social and economic impact of crime on businesses and levels of satisfaction with police response and advice on crime.
(4) Numbers of recorded crimes will be affected by changes in reporting and recording (NCRS).
(5) There was a boundary change on 1 April 2000 in which some parts of the Metropolitan police area were transferred to Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey, so that the police force areas followed county boundaries thereafter. The figures for these forces before and after this date are therefore not directly comparable.
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Yarl's Wood
Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if the events leading up to the outbreak of fire at Yarl's Wood Detention Centre on 14 February, with particular reference to the reasons why sprinklers had not been fitted at the centre, formed part of the inquiry of Stephen Moore into the incident; and if he will make a statement; [79254]
- (2) if he will list witnesses interviewed by Stephen Moore in respect of his inquiry into the Yarl's Wood fire of 14 February. [79255]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 4 November 2002]: Information about witnesses interviewed by Stephen Moore will be made available when his report is published.
Stephen Moore's terms of reference require him to inquire into the events at Yarl's Wood Removal Centre on the night of 14–15 February 2002 and their causes and to make recommendations. His terms of reference also require him to take full account of inquiries being undertaken by the Bedfordshire police and the Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, neither of whom has yet concluded their investigations.
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