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31 Mar 2003 : Column 578W—continued
Domestic Violence (North Yorkshire)
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures the Government is taking to tackle domestic violence in north Yorkshire. [102646]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Government is 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 it 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
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paper, Justice for All, and the ongoing work of the inter-departmental Ministerial Group on Domestic Violence, which is focussing on five priority areas for action. These are:
- Increasing safe accommodation choices for women and children;
Developing early and effective healthcare 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.
Firearms
Mr. Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to limit the number of shotguns owned by a person under a single licence. [105068]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: We have no plans at present to introduce a limit. There is a requirement under current legislation to notify transactions thereby ensuring that the police are kept informed of the acquisition of any shotguns after a certificate has been granted.
Mr. Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to relax the existing controls on the ownership of handguns for sporting purposes. [105069]
Gurkhas
Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take into account the 15 years service in this country of Gurkha soldiers when assessing applications from such soldiers for the right to settle in the UK. [105411]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 28 March 2003]: As part of Her Majesty's forces, Gurkhas are exempt from immigration control while serving in the UK, and therefore, the 1971 Immigration Act does not apply to them. Accordingly, no leave can be conferred on a Gurkha soldier during their service here. The question of conferring indefinite leave to remain upon termination of service does not arise, as Gurkhas are discharged in Nepal in accordance with their terms and conditions of service.
Heroin
Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure the security of supplies of heroin in pharmacies which may be required to prescribe it. [105828]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Diamorphine (heroin) is already one of those controlled drugs to which the Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) Regulations 1973 apply. Pharmacies are covered by these Regulations, which oblige them to hold controlled drugs in such a way as to prevent any unauthorised access.
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These Regulations require that pharmacies keep controlled drugs in a locked safe, cabinet or room, as specified in the Regulations, or alternatively, in premises certified by the local chief officer of police as providing an adequate degree of security.
Mr. Henry Olonga
Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make an immediate offer of political asylum to Mr. Henry Olonga. [105413]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 28 March 2003]: The duty of confidentiality does not allow me to disclose in a written answer whether an individual has applied for asylum, nor the actual or likely outcome of any claim. This is provided for in the Code of Practice on Access to government Information Part 2 (Sub Section 12).
Police (Retirement Procedures)
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will undertake a survey of the operation by police forces of the Home Office's non-negotiable processes of applications by officers seeking retirement on the grounds of ill-health retirement; whether he will amend the process to enable a speedier conclusion; and if he will make a statement. [105301]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Police officers are a valuable resource and one of our priorities is to ensure that their skills and expertise are retained by forces as long as practicable. Under the Police Pensions Regulations it is the responsibility of the police authority for the force concerned to decide whether to retire or retain an officer who has been assessed as permanently disabled by their selected medical practitioner. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary reviewed the management of ill-health retirement of police officers in their thematic inspection report of 1997, 'Lost Time'.
As part of the police reform process the Police Negotiating Board agreed in May 2002 ways to deliver a fair and more consistent approach towards early retirement due to ill health. Following the May Agreement the Police Negotiating Board agreed on 30 January changes to the Police Pensions Regulations to help support good practice, and joint guidance on the procedures for considering ill-health retirement. The new regulations come into force on 1 April and the joint guidance should be applied from 1 July. Under the guidance each case should be handled as expeditiously as possible consistent with a properly informed decision as to retirement or retention, with cases involving imminent death or severe disablement being given expedited treatment.
Police Numbers
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of police officers in (a) each police force in England and Wales and (b) in total on 31 March in each year since 1992. [104843]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 25 March 2003]: The information requested is set out in the table.
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| March | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Police force | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 |
| Avon and Somerset | 3,081 | 3,068 | 3,033 | 3,000 | 2,981 | 2,989 |
| Bedfordshire | 1,093 | 1,188 | 1,151 | 1,126 | 1,128 | 1,094 |
| Cambridgeshire | 1,250 | 1,265 | 1,263 | 1,261 | 1,238 | 1,302 |
| Cheshire | 1,874 | 1,908 | 1,902 | 1,932 | 1,998 | 2,046 |
| Cleveland | 1,477 | 1,478 | 1,429 | 1,438 | 1,420 | 1,459 |
| Cumbria | 1,179 | 1,196 | 1,174 | 1,167 | 1,115 | 1,144 |
| Derbyshire | 1,706 | 1,830 | 1,820 | 1,797 | 1,763 | 1,791 |
| Devon and Cornwall | 2,898 | 2,910 | 2,914 | 2,877 | 2,899 | 2,865 |
| Dorset | 1,289 | 1,302 | 1,297 | 1,288 | 1,263 | 1,284 |
| Durham | 1,389 | 1,381 | 1,383 | 1,353 | 1,401 | 1,461 |
| Essex | 2,898 | 2,936 | 2,937 | 2,921 | 2,884 | 2,961 |
| Gloucestershire | 1,174 | 1,149 | 1,159 | 1,163 | 1,133 | 1,133 |
| Greater Manchester | 7,061 | 7,060 | 6,967 | 7,037 | 6,938 | 6,922 |
| Hampshire | 3,211 | 34275 | 3,270 | 3,256 | 3,347 | 3,452 |
| Hertfordshire | 1,695 | 1,700 | 1,682 | 1,703 | 1,712 | 1,759 |
| Humberside | 2,026 | 2,032 | 2,039 | 2,029 | 2,041 | 2,045 |
| Kent | 3,074 | 3,146 | 3,145 | 3,117 | 3,120 | 3,260 |
| Lancashire | 3,198 | 3,207 | 3,170 | 3,212 | 3,171 | 3,247 |
| Leicestershire | 1,845 | 1,805 | 1,825 | 1,839 | 1,908 | 1,949 |
| Lincolnshire | 1,196 | 1,200 | 1,205 | 1,199 | 1,145 | 1,196 |
| London, City of | 808 | 825 | 893 | 885 | 869 | 859 |
| Merseyside | 4,621 | 4,669 | 4,693 | 4,659 | 4,411 | 4,230 |
| Metropolitan | 28,154 | 27,867 | 27,699 | 27,480 | 27,343 | 26,677 |
| Norfolk | 1,414 | 1,440 | 1,447 | 1,395 | 1,401 | 1,432 |
| Northamptonshire | 1,158 | 1,199 | 1,170 | 1,156 | 1,153 | 1,177 |
| Northumbria | 3,464 | 3,563 | 3,598 | 3,606 | 3,668 | 3,677 |
| North Yorkshire | 1,398 | 1,393 | 1,318 | 1,300 | 1,324 | 1,338 |
| Nottinghamshire | 2,331 | 2,327 | 2,328 | 2,319 | 2,318 | 2,323 |
| South Yorkshire | 3,008 | 3,032 | 3,023 | 3,040 | 3,073 | 3,159 |
| Staffordshire | 2,176 | 2,179 | 2,208 | 2,231 | 2,209 | 2,211 |
| Suffolk | 1,218 | 1,241 | 1,208 | 1,191 | 1,138 | 1,180 |
| Surrey | 1,706 | 1,693 | 1,669 | 1,676 | 1,644 | 1,620 |
| Sussex | 2,984 | 3,008 | 3,009 | 2,931 | 3,074 | 3,085 |
| Thames Valley | 3,772 | 3,840 | 3,908 | 3,854 | 3,674 | 3,695 |
| Warwickshire | 990 | 1,020 | 1,046 | 1,013 | 979 | 926 |
| West Mercia | 2,034 | 2,054 | 2,059 | 2,046 | 2,017 | 2,040 |
| West Midlands | 6,941 | 6,953 | 7,014 | 7,019 | 7,145 | 7,113 |
| West Yorkshire | 5,087 | 5,037 | 5,046 | 5,050 | 5,142 | 5,209 |
| Wiltshire | 1,221 | 1,265 | 1,264 | 1,261 | 1,218 | 1,154 |
| Dyfed Powys | 947 | 967 | 965 | 976 | 991 | 1,005 |
| Gwent | 1,009 | 1,004 | 993 | 997 | 1,044 | 1,243 |
| North Wales | 1,347 | 1,360 | 1,352 | 1,366 | 1,378 | 1,369 |
| South Wales | 3,168 | 3,176 | 3,131 | 3,014 | 3,027 | 2,976 |
| Total 43 forces | 125,570 | 126,128 | 125,806 | 125,180 | 124,844 | 125,051 |
| Total England and Wales | 127,627 | 128,290 | 127,807 | 127,222 | 126,901 | 127,158 |
Note:
Total for England and Wales includes secondments to NCS, NCIS and central services.
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Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent research his Department has undertaken on the proportion of police resources deployed for frontline use compared to other countries; and if he will make a statement. [104431]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Home Office Public Service Agreement 2 involves assessing the proportion of time spent on front line duties by forces in England and Wales.
Work to agree a definition of duties and their measurement is being undertaken. International comparisons are not currently available.
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