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31 Mar 2003 : Column 573W—continued
Cannabis
Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to legalise the use of cannabis for pain relief in disease. [105827]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: We will seek Parliament's agreement to amend the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 to permit the manufacture and use of a specified cannabis-based medicine under prescription, if the Medicines Control Agency (MCA), an agency of the Department of Health, grants marketing approval later this year to the medical preparation of cannabis developed and extensively tested by GW Pharmaceuticals. The MCA's evaluation of safety, quality and effectiveness of the preparation is one which all prospective new medicines have to go through and is designed to protect public health.
Such legislative change would not legalise the use of cannabis as such for therapeutic purposes.
The scheduling of prescribed cannabis-based medicine under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 will shortly be considered by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which will make recommendations.
Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is intended that possession of prescribed cannabis medicines will be an offence contrary to the Misuse of Drugs Acts. [106109]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: We will seek Parliament's agreement to amend the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 to permit the manufacture and use of a specified cannabis-based medicine under prescription, if the Medicines Control Agency (MCA), an agency of the
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Department of Health, grants marketing approval later this year to the medical preparation of cannabis developed and extensively tested by GW Pharmaceuticals. The MCA's evaluation of safety, quality and effectiveness of the preparation is one which all prospective new medicines have to go through and is designed to protect public health.
Chief Constable (Leicestershire)
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to meet the Chief Constable of Leicestershire. [105635]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I will be meeting the Chief Constable of Leicestershire Constabulary at regular intervals in his capacity as the Association of Chief Police Officer's (ACPO) Representative on the Lawrence Steering Group. The next meetings are scheduled for Wednesday 21 May, Tuesday 9 September and Tuesday 25 November.
Civil Service Travel
Mr. Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what grades in the Civil Service in his Department are allowed to travel by air (a) first class and (b) business class at public expense when on official duties. [104973]
Hilary Benn: The Home Office is committed to ensuring that staff use the most efficient and economical means of travel which meets the operational need.
Entitlement to first and business class air travel in the Home Office is determined by the airlines' fare structure for the flight, the grade of the member of staff travelling and the duration of the flight. Entitlements are summarised as follows.
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| (Senior Executive Officer) (or equivalent) and above | Other Grades | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | Up to 2.5 hours | Over 2.5 hours | Up to 2.5 hours | Over 2.5 hours | |
| First/Economy | Economy | First | Economy | Economy | |
| Business/tourist (or equivalent) | Business | Business | Tourist | Business | |
| First/Business/Tourist (or equivalent) | Business (Grades 1 and 1A may travel first class) | Business | Tourist | Business | |
Travel in higher classes than those set out in the table may be allowed in the following circumstances: (a) for journeys of up to 2.5 hours flying time outside the UK, but within Europe, if it is necessary to cover the outward and return flights within one calendar day; (b) the next higher class (business or first as appropriate) may be allowed where strict application of the rules might not be cost effective (perhaps because of restrictions on Tourist bookings), or when a journey of four hours or more necessarily has to be made overnight; (c) where there is a choice on particular routes, preference should be given to flights with a Business option when members of the Senior Civil Service are travelling, since this will normally be more economical; (d) where members of the Senior Civil Service travel on flights of more than four hours duration and no business tier is available; (e) when a member of staff necessarily travels in company with another entitled to a higher class of travel in order to discuss or deal with official business; (f) when a member of staff necessarily travels for official reasons in company with a person who is not a United Kingdom Civil Servant, who is travelling in a higher class.
Crime (Humberside)
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (a) what the detection rate for burglaries was in homes and (b) how many burglaries per 1,000 households there have been in the Humberside Police Authority area in each year since 1997; and what the detection rate for burglaries in homes was. [105228]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Details of numbers of domestic burglaries per 1,000 households are not available, but rates of all burglaries per 100,000 population are provided instead.
| Year | Percentage of burglaries in a dwelling detected | Number of all burglaries per 100,000 population |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 12 | 4,079 |
| 1998–99(59) | 12 | 3,862 |
| 1999–2000(60) | 10 | 3,650 |
| 2000–01 | 11 | 2,987 |
| 2000–02 | 10 | 3,006 |
(59) Years ending March from 1998/99.
(60) Change in counting rules for detections on 1.4.99.
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on crime trends within the Humberside Police Authority area. [105230]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The most recently published recorded crime figures show that in the 12 months to March 2002, overall crime levels in the Humberside Police Authority area rose by 6.5 per cent. However, taking into account the counting rule changes for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, overall recorded crime in the area in 2001/02 was 13.3 per cent. lower than in 1997/98.
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The Government is also supporting a number of initiatives specifically aimed at reducing crime in Humberside. Under the safer communities initiative and communities against drugs, the four crime and disorder reduction partnerships of the Humberside Police Authority area have been allocated £343,511 and £897,900 respectively for 2002/2003. This is being used for a number of initiatives such as CCTV schemes, projects which target public disorder, drug and drink related crime and targeted policing.
There are also now record police numbers in Humberside. There were 2,114 police officers in Humberside in September 2002 (the most recent figures available)—an increase of 123 more police officers compared with September 2001.
Departmental Creche Facilities
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what crèche facilities are provided by his Department; and at what cost. [104306]
Beverley Hughes: The Department currently provides 180 nursery places for children under the age of five years. These places are available to Home Office staff (including the agencies) at a variety of locations. These arrangements involve a subsidy of up to 50 per cent. of the contractual running costs depending on local circumstances. The cost to the Department for providing these facilities is approximately £369,000 per year, depending on take up of the places available.
In addition to these facilities the United Kingdom Passport Service, the Forensic Science Service and the Police Information Technology Organisation run child care voucher and allowance schemes, which provide staff with the opportunity to receive a contribution towards professional child care fees.
Departmental Events
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) press conferences which have been sponsored by his Department and which took place on non-departmental premises in the last 12 months, broken down by title, purpose, date and cost. [104272]
Hilary Benn: Information is not held centrally on sponsored events run on behalf of the Department on non-departmental premises.
A breakdown of expenditure on this basic could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
Domestic Violence
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to seek new powers to combat domestic violence to bring more offenders to justice; and if he will make a statement. [103926]
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Mr. Bob Ainsworth: A consultation paper, setting out proposals to prevent domestic violence, deal with perpetrators and provide increased support to victims, will be published this year. The paper will build on the initial consultation on domestic violence in the "Justice for All" White Paper published last year. It will aim to generate a comprehensive response from the public, voluntary sector and others, to ensure the widest possible agreement on what needs to be done to prevent and deal with domestic violence.
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimates he has made of the need for funding to combat domestic violence against women in Surrey. [104095]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 21 March 2003]: The Government are committed to tackling domestic violence in all parts of the country. It is a serious and abhorrent crime that accounts for one quarter of all violent crime and claims the lives of two women a week. The Government will do everything they can to tackle it and ensure that victims receive support and protection.
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has announced that £14 million will be made available over the next three years to support work to develop mainstream responses to domestic violence. We will also be providing funding for a new post at the Local Government Authority (LGA) to support this work. We have also announced a consultation paper setting out proposals to prevent domestic violence, which will be published this year. This consultation will build on the initial consultation on domestic violence in the White Paper, 'Justice for All', and the on-going work of the inter-departmental Ministerial Group on Domestic Violence, which is focusing on five priority areas for action. These are:
- Increasing safe accommodation choices for women and children;
Developing early and effective health care interventions;
Improving the interface between the criminal and civil law;
Ensuring a consistent and appropriate response from the police and Crown Prosecution Service; and
Promoting Education and Awareness Raising.
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what sources of Government funding are available for councils to combat domestic violence who do not receive money under the Violence Against Women initiative. [104097]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 21 March 2003]: Government funding may be available from a variety of sources, and my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has recently announced that £14 million will be made available over the next three years to support local partnerships in developing mainstream responses to domestic violence. He also announced that the Home Office will be funding a post at the Local Government Authority (LGA) to support this work.
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In addition, for example, the Children's Fund allocates money to local partnerships which commission services which have been agreed as a local priority, and which will include support for children who are living with domestic violence. During last summer there were 158 services funded by the Children Fund that explicitly targeted children suffering from domestic violence. To provide safe accommodation for those suffering domestic violence the Homelessness Directorate has announced a £7 million capital investment programme through the Housing Corporation to extend the national network of women's refuges in England. The Directorate is planning to invest similar amounts over the course of the following two years, bringing the total amount to £21 million over three years. Initial allocations for Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) are being agreed with the Housing Corporation for 2003–04 and it is hoped that further schemes, drawn up by RSLs in collaboration with local authorities, will be supported in the following two years.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has offered every local housing authority in England an allocation to assist them in the implementation of the Priority Need for Accommodation (England) Order 2002 and they could, if they wish, utilise this money to support domestic violence projects.
Supporting people, which comes into effect from 1 April 2003, will provide £1.4 billion funding in its first year for local authorities to provide housing-related support. One of the key principles of Supporting People is that support should be offered regardless of the type of accommodation in which people live. So for people experiencing domestic violence, Supporting People may be used for housing-related support whether this is offered within a refuge, in temporary accommodation or in the home.
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