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21 Mar 2003 : Column 965W—continued
Prison Health Care
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget is for prison health care services; and what the total funding allocation to primary care trusts is for 2003–04 for the cost of taking over prison health care services. [103385]
Jacqui Smith: There has not, historically, been a separate budget for health care within overall prison service expenditure. A recent survey of prison establishments established that the full-year revenue cost of health care in English prisons in 2002–03 was around £113 million, excluding privately run prisons.
The Department will assume overall financial responsibility for prison health services from April 2003. However, the Government do not plan to devolve full financial responsibility for these services to primary care trusts (PCTs) until April 2006. Until then, the majority of funding for prison health services will be passed back to the prison service to secure services as now. Allocations to PCTs for 2003–04 take account of existing national health service responsibilities for securing secondary care services for prisoners, along with the development of mental health in-reach teams under the NHS Plan.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what budget provision has been made for the screening of prison inmates for Hepatitis C. [103387]
Jacqui Smith: Prisoners in England and Wales are not routinely screened for Hepatitis C, although individuals may ask to be tested for evidence of the infection. Allocations made to primary care trusts include provision for the costs of such services.
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in which prisons condoms are available to prisoners (a) through the prison doctor, (b) through the prison shop and (c) from other sources; and if he will make a statement. [102470]
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Jacqui Smith: This information is not available centrally. Prison doctors have been advised that they can make condoms available to individual prisoners on application where, in their clinical judgment, there is a risk of infection from HIV.
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people suffering from reflex sympathetic dystrophy in the United Kingdom. [103569]
Jacqui Smith: The Department does not collect statistics on the incidence of individual conditions so we are unable to offer an estimate of the number of people suffering from reflex sympathetic dystrophy in the United Kingdom.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Security Service
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the operational responsibilities are of the Security Service in Northern Ireland; to whom the Security Service is accountable for its operations and activities in Northern Ireland; and what role Her Majesty's Government has in directing the operational activities of the Security Service in Northern Ireland. [103414]
Mr. Blunkett: The functions of the Security Service are set out in the Security Service Act 1989 as amended by the Security Service Act 1996.
Under the 1989 Act, the Director General of the Security Service controls its operations. While the Security Service acts ordinarily under the authority of the Home Secretary, it will report to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for its operations there.
The hon. Member will be aware that it is the longstanding policy of successive Governments not to comment in any way on the operational activities of the Security Service. Such information is outside of the scope of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Traffic Wardens
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many traffic wardens were employed in each year since 1997. [102254]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The total number of traffic wardens employed by police authorities in England and Wales for the last three years are given in the following table:
| Traffic warden strength | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 2,801 |
| 2000–01 | 2,538 |
| 2001–02 | 2,280 |
Figures for the years prior to 1999–2000 are not recorded centrally.
The number of traffic wardens has been falling over recent years because increasingly the offences with which they formerly dealt have been decriminalised and dealt with by local authority employees.
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Asylum Application Processing Centres
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on Government progress in persuading non-EU countries to host British asylum application processing centres. [104239]
Beverley Hughes: We are still developing our ideas on how we want to advance new international approaches to asylum processing and protection. While there has been media speculation of possible locations for transit processing centres we have not started discussions with any country on the potential as host for such centres.
Chemical Agent Monitors
Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hand-held chemical agent monitors are available in each police force. [102517]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The ability of police forces to respond to a terrorist incident involving the use of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) materials is being strengthened through the increased provision of specialist police training and equipment. Home Office funding is being made available to meet the full running and equipment costs involved. It would not be appropriate, on security grounds, to give more specific information regarding the CBRN detection capability in each police force.
Civil Defence
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress made to update the national civil defence and anti-terrorist emergency plans. [100077]
Mr. Blunkett: I refer my hon. Friend to the Written Ministerial Statements I made on 3 March 2003, Official Report, column 72WS, and 20 March 2003, Official Report, column 51WS.
Correspondence
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 28 January from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Nariman Rauf Salih. [103745]
Mr. Blunkett: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 20 March 2003.
David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall, North of 4 February regarding a constituent, ref 3664/3. [104350]
Beverley Hughes: My noble Friend Lord Filkin wrote to my hon. Friend on 19 March 2003.
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Distraction Burglaries
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what budget he has allocated to efforts to tackle distraction burglary in the financial years (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04. [102733]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: In 2002–03, we will have spent nearly £328,000 centrally on work to combat distraction burglary, including funding for a project targeting distraction burglary in Leeds, and the work of Distraction Burglary Task Force.
Crime Reduction funding for 2003–04 has mainly been distributed directly to Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships to use to tackle local priorities. There is no central Home Office budget dedicated to distraction burglary.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress against the National Distraction Burglary Task Force's action plan. [102734]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The National Distraction Burglary Task Force drew up a two year action plan in 2000. It set out a wide range of activities which reflect the Task Force's aim, which is
"To tackle distraction burglary and thereby improve the quality of life of vulnerable communities through a co-ordinated national partnership initiative within England and Wales".
The Task Force held 11 regional conferences which were well attended and positively received. The report on the conferences has been published and sent to those who attended, others who work with the elderly and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships.
The Task Force has also produced a range of materials to raise awareness of the issue of distraction burglary among a range of organisations, and to disseminate good practice. Nearly 7,000 toolkits, comprising a copy of a Good Practice Guide, two videos and samples of useful items for making homes more secure were produced for use by those working with the elderly and vulnerable. A leaflet highlighting the message "Stop ... Chain ... Check" has been produced and a series of newsletters for practitioners has been published.
Funding has been provided for two substantial research projects on distraction burglary. These are investigating key factors that affect vulnerability and the ability to resist attempted offences. We hope to publish the report of this research in May 2003.
From April 2003, offences deemed to be distraction burglary will be included in the recorded crime series; incorporated as a sub-heading within the Burglary Dwelling category.
Although the original action plan has been substantially completed, work to reduce distraction burglary is continuing and the Task Force has set up three sub-groups, to consider Communications, Prevention and Partnership. They will look at ways to develop key actions, such as offering advice and training, liaising with utility companies, police forces
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and others in order to improve the prevention and detection of this crime, and ways of further developing the existing guidance and materials.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to create a new, separate classification of distraction burglary for the purposes of recording crime statistics. [102735]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: With effect from 1 April 2003, we will be collecting centrally from police forces numbers of offences of distraction burglary. These will be recorded as a sub-group of the domestic burglary category and published in the recorded crime statistics.
The definition of distraction burglary we have agreed is:
- "Any crime where a falsehood, trick or distraction is used on an occupant of a dwelling to gain, or try to gain, access to the premises to commit burglary."
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reported incidents of distraction burglary there were in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the number of incidents of distraction burglary that go unreported each year. [103736]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: In 2002–03, we will have spent nearly £328,000 centrally on work to combat distraction burglary, including funding for a project targeting distraction burglary in Leeds, and the work of Distraction Burglary Task Force.
Crime reduction funding for 2003–04 has mainly been distributed directly to Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships to use to tackle local priorities. There is no central Home Office budget dedicated to distraction burglary.
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