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Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Croydon South (Richard Ottaway), of 12 December 2003, Official Report, column 480W, on the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, how many letters were sent to members of the public where a passport could not be traced in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999 and (d) to date in 2003. [112148]

Beverley Hughes: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the Integrated Casework Directorate's (ICD) Return of Passport Unit, which was set up in October 1999, issued 97 lost passport letters in the year 2000, 103 in 2001, 390 in 2002 and 251 so far this calendar year.

I have already now instituted new measures to ensure that in future (a) much fewer passports are held by IND and (b) where a passport does need to be retained it is for as short a period as possible and in a dedicated secure place.

Northumbria Police

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences involving (a) drugs, (b) alcohol abuse, (c) violence and (d) disorder were reported in each command or division of the Northumbria police area in each year from 1998 to 2002. [113073]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Information on the total number of recorded crimes in some main offence groups, including violent crimes, has been collected and published at the Basic Command Unit level since 1 April 1999. The number of violent crimes recorded in Basic Command Units in the Northumbria police area is given in the table. Details for 2002/03 are not yet available.

Number of violent offences recorded by the police in Northumbria police force area by police Basic Command Unit

	Violence against the person
	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02
Gateshead East	1,156	989	1,787
Gateshead West	667	668	666
Newcastle Central	1,077	908	999
Newcastle East	778	639	709
Newcastle North	776	720	842
Newcastle West	948	1,052	1,224
North Northumberland	430	339	325
South Tyneside	1,282	1,483	1,687
South-East Northumberland	1,324	1,499	1,493
South-West Northumberland	398	313	429
Sunderland City	1,643	1,574	2,292
Sunderland West	642	646	827
Tynemouth	890	810	954
Wallsend	600	450	475
Washington	952	872	928

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Number of violent offences recorded by the police in Northumbrian police force area by police Basic Command Unit

	Sexual Offences
	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02
Gateshead East	97	79	123
Gateshead West	55	36	61
Newcastle Central	58	43	40
Newcastle East	52	52	58
Newcastle North	67	74	88
Newcastle West	89	60	90
North Northumberland	17	23	19
South Tyneside	83	98	103
South-East Northumberland	131	113	113
South-West Northumberland	20	13	7
Sunderland City	78	68	76
Sunderland West	54	44	42
Tynemouth	59	53	96
Wallsend	68	79	60
Washington	55	56	54

Number of violent offences recorded by the police in Northumbrian police force area by police Basic Command Unit

	Robbery
	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02
Gateshead East	153	152	177
Gateshead West	80	94	81
Newcastle Central	140	114	96
Newcastle East	85	87	74
Newcastle North	101	93	109
Newcastle West	152	138	146
North Northumberland	5	1	10
South Tyneside	154	168	129
South-East Northumberland	55	80	72
South-West Northumberland	4	4	11
Sunderland City	163	169	196
Sunderland West	43	48	53
Tynemouth	118	102	92
Wallsend	74	74	67
Washington	62	57	74

Recorded crime figures do not include details of whether drugs and alcohol are an aggravating factor in offences. The requested details of drug offences, alcohol abuse and disorder are not available.

Oakington Reception Centre

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to (a) change the composition of asylum applicants housed at the Immigration Reception centre, Oakington and (b) increase the maximum length of stay of residents. [112424]

Beverley Hughes: The Oakington fast track facility enables asylum claims which, upon initial screening, appear to be straightforward and suitable for speedy decision making, to be determined in about seven to 10 days. If the decision is to refuse, the claimant may be removed, moved to a Removal Centre or released temporarily.

There are no plans at present to alter this. Our aim at Oakington is to fast track claims as rapidly as possible. In some instances it may be considered necessary to detain at Oakington beyond the decision stage, non-suspensive appeal (NSA) cases where Judicial Review of a 'clearly unfounded' certificate is sought for example. It is not our intention to detain at Oakington any longer than is necessary.

14 May 2003 : Column 253W

Oakington is a designated place of detention and may also be used to house other persons under the published detention criteria.

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many residents are housed at the Immigration Reception Centre, Oakington; and from which countries. [112427]

Beverley Hughes: On 12 May 2003 there was a total of 302 persons detained at Oakington. They were from the following countries: (listed in order of the highest number): Turkey, Jamaica, Serbia and Montenegro, India, Albania, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Moldova, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Romania, Czech Republic, Poland, Nigeria, Ukraine, Cameroon, China, Uganda, Latvia, Tanzania, South Africa, Rwanda, Macedonia, Brazil, Botswana, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Cyprus and Bulgaria.

Police

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training police officers receive in how to deal with victims of (a) child abuse and (b) rape; and whether there is an officer at every police station who has received this training. [112106]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: There is currently no national training for police officers on dealing with victims of child abuse and rape. Individual forces are responsible for determining the training required by their officers.

Centrex (the Central Police Training and Development Authority) is reviewing the training needed by police officers in relation to the investigation of sexual offences in the light of recommendations made in the report of a joint inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate. The review will result in a new learning requirement which will define what officers need to learn and the standards to which they should be trained and will be aligned with the National Occupational Standards for the police service.

The Home Office, together with the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Police Skills and Standards Organisation, Centrex and others, is considering how to take forward the recommendations of Lord Laming in the report of his inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbié. The Government are committed to implementing Lord Laming's recommendations, which included several concerning the training of police and other practitioners involved in child protection work.

The deployment of officers following training is entirely a matter for the chief officer of the force concerned.

Mr. Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the costs were of policing the annual party political conferences in 2002; and how these costs were met. [111163]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Information is only available about the additional costs for policing at the Labour Party and Conservative Party's annual conferences. The additional cost of policing the Labour Party conference in Blackpool in 2002 was £1.52 million. The additional cost for policing the Conservative Party conference in Bournemouth last year was £0.89 million.

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Forces are assisted with their additional costs through a special grant for the Home Office. For 2002, these grants met the police authorities additional costs in full.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Business Support

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support her Department is providing to indigenous and inward investing supplier companies to (a) locate and (b) expand their business in the United Kingdom. [113023]

Alan Johnson: Invest. UK in London and overseas promotes the UK as the top inward investment location in Europe and works in partnership with all of the UK's Development Agencies to attract the maximum level of inward investment. Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) is available to indigenous and international inward investors located, or planning to locate, within the UKs assisted areas. RSA provides grants to help support business expansion and create and safeguard jobs.

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