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27 Jan 2003 : Column 695W—continued
Blueprint Research Programme
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the current status of the Blueprint research programme is; and if he will make a statement. [92268]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Blueprint is a drug prevention programme for 11 to 13-year-olds based on the principles that underpin effective school-based drug education. The project aims to recruit 30 schools to the project by April 2003. Invitations to participate in the project (dated 13 January 2003) have been sent to 122 secondary schools across eight local education authorities (Birmingham, Cheshire, Derby, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Leeds, Staffordshire and Stoke). The project is on target.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Department for Education and Skills regarding the Blueprint research programme. [92269]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Blueprint is a partnership of the Home Office, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Department of Health. The Home Office is the budget holder. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health endorsed the
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programme in October 2001. Subsequently. DfES have been involved at both ministerial and official level in every stage of the project.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department show much his Department has invested in the Blueprint research programme. [92270]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The expected expenditure for Blueprint in the financial year 2002–03 is £397,117 out of a total budget of £5 million. Expenditure will continue until the end of the third quarter of the financial year 2007–08.
Caythorpe Court
Mr. Hogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when he will reply to the letter of 11 December 2002 from the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham regarding the possible use of Caythorpe Court, Lincolnshire for the accommodation of asylum seekers; [92087]
- (2) what plans his Department and its agencies have to use Caythorpe Court, Caythorpe, Lincolnshire for the accommodation of asylum seekers; and if he will make a statement. [92089]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 23 January 2003]: I replied to the right hon. Member on 17 and 20 January 2003. As I explained the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) is considering the use of Caythorpe Court as emergency accommodation for asylum seekers while their application for support and dispersal elsewhere is considered. No decision has yet been made.
CCTV
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase funding to police authorities to extend CCTV schemes. [92017]
Mr. Denham: Under the Crime Reduction Programme Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Initiative over £170 million is being spent funding 684 CCTV schemes. More than 540 of these schemes are already fully operational, with further schemes coming on line weekly.
Although this strand of funding is now closed, other opportunities for funding of CCTV schemes currently exist through the funds available to Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, on which the police are partners. Funding of £94 million was announced on January 21 as being available to partnerships for 2003–04. Potential funding is also available through the Small Retailers in Deprived Areas initiative.
General Police Grants will increase by 4.3 per cent. to £7.3 billion in 2003–04. These grants are used by police authorities and chief officers to support their policing programme and plans.
Community Beat Wardens
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of community beat wardens in helping reduce nuisance and crime. [92016]
Mrs. Roche: I have been asked to reply.
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The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister warden schemes work in partnership with local communities and are still relatively new. Robust evaluation is not yet available, but interim findings are positive and show that warden schemes can contribute to improving the liveability of neighbourhoods and the reduction of crime and fear of crime. Residents report significant improvements in community spirit and the quality of life in their neighbourhoods where wardens have proven beneficial and popular.
Community Cohesion (Lancashire)
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the police in Lancashire are taking to promote community cohesion; and if he will make a statement. [91185]
Mr. Denham: Lancashire Constabulary has conducted successful operations to deal with major criminal activities which affect the community, such as drug dealing, burglary and car crime. The Chief Constable's July 2002 Constabulary Ambition Statement for Lancashire gives priority to leadership, resource management, communication, community engagement and delivering results. All are important for the promotion of community cohesion, which is central to the work of the police across the country and particularly in areas with fragmented communities.
Specific steps being taken by Lancashire Constabulary include:
- community beat managers in strategic areas around the county, particularly in Burnley and Pendle, each with responsibility for a particular area, providing a constant link with the public, dealing with community issues and reducing crime; they are also the best link with young people, and help respond to rumours and provide reassurance. To raise their profile, they are having a new uniform insignia, and commitment is being made to continuity by not redeploying them to other duties and by maintaining individuals in post for a minimum of two years;
the proactive work of the newly-formed hate crime unit in Burnley and Pendle, which has significantly improved detection rates for racially aggravated violent crime, enhancing community confidence;
the community and race relations (CRR) strategy incorporates youth issues, responses to racial incidents and crimes, ensuring equitable service delivery and developing the recruitment, retention and progression of staff with regard to CRR and cohesion issues through training;
intelligence-led problem-oriented approaches, at all levels of policing and in all departments, which involve monitoring tension indicators and other threats to public safety and working in partnership with outside agencies and members of the public; and
community safety teams in each of the six divisions, with a central strategic team at headquarters, dedicated to working on community-based projects, particularly those that relate to minority communities; the teams work to reassure the public, provide communities with a link to the police, deal with hate crime and gather intelligence on community tensions.
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Burnley. This has been taken forward by a multi-agency forum with local authorities and other agencies, with a view to ensuring effective partnership working.
Correspondence
Mr. Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department intends to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Manchester, Central dated (a) 28 August 2002, regarding Mr. KK, reference 17982/2, (b) 11 September 2002, regarding Mr. YMY, reference 18812/2, (c) 20 September 2002, regarding Ms NM, reference 19649/2, (d) 7 October 2002, regarding Mr. MA, reference 21454/2, (e) 9 October 2002, regarding Mr. NAM, reference 20892/2, (f) 9 October 2002, regarding Mr. AH, reference 21152/2, (g) 11 October 2002, regarding Miss GM, reference 21144/2, (h) 15 October 2002, regarding Mr. MM, reference 21484/2, (i) 16 October 2002, regarding Mr. FM, reference 21379/2, (j) 16 October 2002, regarding Mr. IK, reference 21489/2, (k) 24 October 2002, regarding Mr. RBZ, reference 23242/2 and (l) 28 October 2002, regarding Mr. SARR, reference 23136/2. [91055]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 16 January 2003]: The information is as follows:
- (a) I wrote to my hon. Friend on 16 January 2003.
(b) My noble Friend (Lord Filkin) wrote on 9 January 2003.
(c) I wrote to my hon. Friend on 23 January 2003.
(d) I wrote to my hon. Friend on 9 January 2003.
(e) I wrote to my hon. Friend on 23 January 2003.
(f) I wrote to my hon. Friend on 23 January 2003.
(g) I wrote to my hon. Friend on 23 January 2003.
(h) I wrote to my hon. Friend on 23 January 2003,
(i) I will write to my hon. Friend shortly.
(j) I wrote to my hon. Friend on 23 January 2003,
(k) I wrote to my hon. Friend on 23 January 2003.
(l) I wrote to my hon. Friend on 10 January 2003.
Czech Roma
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Roma from the Czech Republic have (a) sought and (b) been granted asylum in the UK in each year since 1997. [91869]
Beverley Hughes: It is not possible to say how many asylum applicants from the Czech Republic are of Romany origin. Data on the ethnic origin of asylum seekers are not collated centrally and are therefore not available; the number of those who applied would be available only by examination of individual case-files at disproportionate cost.
The tables show the number of applications and initial decisions of nationals of the Czech Republic from 1997 to September 2002.
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| Applications(48) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Czech Republic | Total | Port | In Country | Total initial decisions | Grants of asylum | Grants of ELR |
| 1997 | 240 | 220 | 20 | 210 | — | — |
| 1998 | 515 | 490 | 25 | 180 | — | — |
| 1999 | 1,790 | 1,750 | 40 | 275 | * | — |
| 2000 | 1,200 | 1,135 | 65 | 1,800 | 10 | 10 |
| 2001(49) | 880 | 795 | 85 | 895 | — | 5 |
| 2002(50) | 1,290 | 1,220 | 70 | 975 | — | |
| Initial decisions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Czech Republic | Total refusals(51) | Certified refusals | Other refusals | Third country refusals(52) | Non-compliance refusals(53) | Grants of ELR under backlog criteria(54),(55) | Non compliance refusals under backlog criteria(54),(56) |
| 1997 | 210 | 105 | 25 | 70 | 10 | — | — |
| 1998 | 180 | 170 | 10 | * | * | — | — |
| 1999 | 275 | 115 | 120 | 10 | 30 | * | — |
| 2000 | 1,775 | N/a | 1,495 | 5 | 205 | * | — |
| 2001(49) | 890 | 325 | 475 | — | 90 | — | — |
| 2002(50) | 970 | 320 | 535 | * | 110 | — | — |
(46) Figures rounded to nearest 5, with '*' = 1 or 2
(47) Information is of initial determination decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions
(48) May exclude some cases lodged at Local Enforcement Offices between January 1999 and March 2000
(49) Provision data
(50) January-September 2002—provisional data
(51) May include some refusals under non compliance grounds
(52) Refused on the grounds that the applicant had arrived from a safe third country
(53) Paragraph 340 of Immigration Rules. For failure to provide evidence to support the asylum claim within a reasonable period, including failure to respond to invitation to interview
(54) Cases decided under pragmatic measures aimed at reducing the pre-1969 asylum backlog
(55) May include a small number of cases where asylum has been granted
(56) May include a small number of vases where asylum has been refused on substantive grounds
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