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20 Jan 2003 : Column 173W—continued
Capita Group
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the contracts that have been awarded to the Capita Group by his Department. [89970]
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Mr. Blunkett: The list of contracts awarded to the Capita Group by the Home Department since 1997 is as follows:
| Contract | |
|---|---|
| Capita(28) | Designing and Managing Building Projects |
| Capita EC | Environment/Space Planning |
| Capita Business Service | Recruitment of General Managers |
| Capita Training | Conferences and Training |
| Capita Business Service | Consultancy Support |
| Capita Business Service | Productions of Purchase Manual Efficiency Review |
| Capita Business Service | Her Majesty's prison Blakenhurst Bid Team |
| Capita Business Service | Quantum Project |
| Capita | Criminal Records Bureau |
| Capita | Recruitment |
| Capita | Recruitment |
| Capita | Management Recruitment Scheme |
| Capita | Civil Service Short Answer Test |
| Capita(28) | Finance related work—Central Police Training and Development Authority |
| Capita(28) | Provision of Human Resources Staff |
| Capita Group Contract | Multi-Disciplinary Term Commission |
(28) Contracts for which Capita was not the prime contractor
Christmas Expenses
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many departmental Christmas cards he and his Ministers intend to send in 2002; how much these cards will cost (a) to buy, (b) to post and (c) in staff time to sign, address and place in envelopes; and if she will place in the Library a sample copy of the official Christmas card she has sent this year. [88115]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 19 December 2002]: A total of 971 cards have been sent by Home Office Ministers at an approximate cost of 68p each. An approximate £211 was spent on postage with 21 hours of staff time involved in processing. A copy of the official Christmas card has been forwarded to the Library.
All expenditure incurred in the purchase and despatch of official Christmas cards is made in accordance with the departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government Accounting.
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much will be spent on (a) entertaining, (b) Christmas decorations and (c) other festive activities this Christmas season by his Department and government agencies answerable to his Department; and of this sum how much will be spent in Ministers' (i) private offices and (ii) official residences. [88130]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 19 December 2002]: A breakdown of expenditure as requested could be supplied only at disproportionate costs.
However, any expenditure incurred on decorations, entertainment and any other festive activities is strictly for official purposes only, and is made in accordance with the departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government Accounting.
Community Support Officers
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what Government support is
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available to police authorities that are considering introducing community support officers or accredited community safety organisations; [89479]
- (2) how many accredited community safety organisations have been established in England and Wales, broken down by local authority area. [89481]
Mr. Denham: On 23 September 2002 my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, announced a fund of £19 million for the recruitment of more than 1,000 community support officers (CSOs) in England and Wales this financial year. All 27 forces who made bids for this funding were successful. We are committed to the development of CSOs throughout England and Wales and continue to work with all interested parties to drive forward this important strand of the police reform programme. General guidance on issues relating to CSOs, including the powers available to these officers, was placed on the police reform website on 2 December last year.
Police forces who recruit CSOs under this year's funding initiative will receive full salary and direct on costs from the Home Office during the next financial year and substantial assistance for the following two years. We are also planning to invite all forces to bid for a share of a further tranche of CSO funding available in the next financial year as the next step towards reaching our target of 4,000 CSOs by the end of 2005.
Under Section 40 of the Police Reform Act 2002, the Chief Officer of any police force may establish a community safety accreditation scheme in their force area for the purpose of accrediting suitable individuals with certain low level police powers to deal with anti-social behaviour and environmental problems in the local communities in which they work.
No accreditation schemes have been established yet but we have commenced discussions with individual forces and the Association of Chief Police Officers to take this forward.
Coquelles Refugee Centre
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has received on the (a) establishment and (b) capacity of the residential refugee centre in Coquelles, France. [91991]
Beverley Hughes: There is no residential refugee centre in Coquelles. A detention centre with 80 places was opened in Coquelles on 2 January 2003. This is to hold people who have already been through French proceedings and are in the process of being removed. This expansion in capacity has been planned since June 2002. It forms part of French improvements to their asylum and immigration procedures, which we welcome.
Correspondence
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Nottingham, North of 29 May, 9 September and 6 November on Mr. A. Cobbinah, ref. 18289/2. [88719]
Beverley Hughes: I wrote to my hon. Friend on 16 January 2003.
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Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 11 November from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Miss H. U. Abdi. [89238]
Mr. Blunkett : I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 20 January 2003.
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for Bolton, South-East will receive responses to his letters of 6 June, 6 August, 4 October, 4 November and 4 December 2002 regarding the case of Mr.Siraj Ismail Patel (HO ref P386124). [90628]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 14 January 2003]: I wrote to my hon. Friend on 16 January 2003.
Criminal Records Bureau
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to measure (a) the effects that the Criminal Records Bureau has had on local volunteer development agencies and (b) costs caused by delays. [87250]
Hilary Benn: From the outset of work on the development of the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), we have been anxious to involve the voluntary sector in the process in order to ensure that the arrangements were appropriate to the needs and circumstances of those within the sector. In order to take this further, now that the CRB is operational, we have established a Voluntary and Community Sector Working Group to provide a specific forum for discussion between the sector and the CRB. The Group has already begun to address issues identified by the sector, including ensuring that there are appropriate and cost-effective arrangements to access the Disclosure service.
The Criminal Records Bureau has a settled policy on the payment of compensation, and, where appropriate, claims for compensation are resolved by an ex gratia payment. Such payments will not be made as a result of delays in processing applications. There must be an element of maladministration in dealing with an application. Ex gratia payments will be made only to applicants and not to employers, potential employers or others.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been assessed by the Criminal Records Bureau; and how many applications are pending. [88522]
Hilary Benn [holding answer 7 January 2003]: Since 11 March 2002 the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) has received 1,164,784 disclosure applications and has issued over 938,981 disclosures. Many of the total number of applications outstanding, currently 225,803, were returned to applicants to provide missing information. Over the last six full weeks before Christmas the CRB has been averaging around 45,000 dDisclosures per week, which is over double the weekly output issued by the police under the previous arrangements.
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Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the proportion of Criminal Record Bureau checks (a) carried out and (b) awaiting completion, broken down into the five most frequently active areas. [88703]
Hilary Benn [holding answer 7 January 2003]: The information is not available in the form requested as there are no information technology (IT) procedures at present to extract this data from the Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) database. It is expected that this capacity will become available in future IT upgrades to the CRB computer system. Since 11 March 2002 the Criminal Records Bureau has received 1,164,784 disclosure applications and has issued over 938,981 disclosures. Over the last six full weeks before Christmas the CRB has been averaging around 45,000 disclosures per week, which is over double the weekly output issued by the police under the previous arrangements. Approximately, 80 per cent. of applications for standard disclosures are now being issued within three weeks and 70 per cent. of applications for enhanced disclosures within six weeks.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement about the Criminal Record Bureau's organisational preparedness to introduce basic disclosure; [90112]
- (2) what recommendations have been presented to him by Patrick Carter in his interim report into Criminal Records Bureau checks; and if he will place a copy of the report in the Library; [89992]
(3) when he expects to publish the final report by Patrick Carter into the Criminal Records Bureau; [89981]
(4) when he will publish the interim report from Patrick Carter regarding the performance of (a) Capita and (b) the Criminal Records Bureau. [89986]
Hilary Benn: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary appointed Patrick Carter to lead a team of three to conduct an independent review of the Criminal Records Bureau so as to identify the longer-term measures needed to ensure that the Bureau is able to meet the demand for Disclosures. The team provided some initial oral feedback to Ministers in September and reported their final conclusions and recommendations at the end of the year. These took the form of advice to Ministers, including advice on matters that are commercially confidential; as such they are not in a form suitable for publication. We shall be considering the review team's findings and recommendations very carefully and are minded to publish a summary document, together with the Government's response, in due course. A judgment will be reached on Basic Disclosures in the light of the team's findings.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment (a) his Department and (b) the Criminal Records Bureau have made of the gaps in coverage by umbrella registered bodies. [90114]
Hilary Benn: The Criminal Records Bureau maintains a record of umbrella registered bodies by geographical area which shows that there are good numbers of such bodies in each, with the exception of mid and north Wales where numbers are lower. Up to 10 January, a total of 1,199 bodies had so registered, included 520
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who are prepared to act as "open" umbrella—i.e., countersign applications at the request of others outside their own circle or sector (but, in some cases, subject to a geographical restriction stated by the umbrella body on registration). Organisations seeking the services of an umbrella body are not restricted to using those in their own area. Any organisation needing to find an umbrella body should access the Bureau's website www.disclosure.gov.uk which has a search facility, or contact the CRB direct on 0870 90 90 90 811.
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