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3 Jun 2003 : Column 147W—continued
Migrant Workers
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances lower skilled migrants admitted under new schemes to alleviate labour shortages in the food processing and hospitality sectors will be permitted to remain in the United Kingdom for longer than 12 months. [114935]
Beverley Hughes: Those entering the United Kingdom under the new Sector-Based Scheme will be permitted to stay for up to 12 months. No further extension of stay as a Sectors-Based Scheme work permit holder will be given beyond this point. Subject to meeting the relevant criteria, applicants may switch in-country into full Work Permit employment.
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures have been taken to raise awareness of the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme in countries outside the European Union. [114936]
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Beverley Hughes: The Highly Skilled Migrant Programme guidance and application form appear on the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND), Work Permits UK and UKVisas websites. A booklet, including the guidance and application form, has been issued to all British Missions abroad and they are generally on public display inside the Entry Clearance Offices. In addition Press Notices concerning the Programme have generated coverage in the media overseas.
Mr. S. Al Assadi
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a decision about the application for naturalisation by Mr. S. Al Assadi, ref: A1078595, will be made. [116613]
Beverley Hughes: A decision cannot be reached until the inquiries, which are undertaken to ensure that the statutory requirements for naturalisation have been met, are completed. I am unable to say how long these inquiries are likely to take: it may, however, be some months.
Offender Assessment
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress with the Offender Assessment System; and what discussions he has had with police and prosecution services on implementation. [115435]
Paul Goggins: We are making good progress with the implementation of the Offender Assessment System (OASys). In the National Probation Service (NPS), all areas have either implemented or are in the process of implementing OASys. The majority have already rolled out a paper based system and NPS are in the process of rolling out the IT system. The IT rollout is a stepped approach with areas about to receive release two of a four phase IT programme. The Prison Service began piloting a computer-based system in April 2003, with an 18 month rolling programme of implementation across the prison estate starting in June 2003.
Criminal justice agencies have been kept regularly informed of the development and implementation of OASys. Probation areas have held discussions locally with criminal justice agencies, including the police and Crown Prosecution Service as part of the phased implementation.
Passport Agency
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 15 May, Official Report, column 436W, on the Passport Agency, if he will make it his policy for all passports posted by the Passport Agency back to the customer to be posted by recorded delivery. [115528]
Beverley Hughes: The UK Passport Service is currently considering options for moving towards secure delivery arrangements for all passports posted back to customers. Expressions of interest to tender for the provision of a service which meets this requirement were invited through an advertisement published in the Official Journal of the European Communities (OJEC). The closing date for responses was the end of May 2003.
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All of the responses received have now been considered and formal invitations to tender will be issued by 6 June 2003. The tenders are expected to be evaluated and a decision made on the award of a contract by mid-August 2003. It is envisage that the solution would be implemented in November 2003.
The provision of any form of secure delivery has cost implications which cannot be met solely through the existing passport fee. It is therefore likely that the introduction of a secure delivery system will be linked to an increase in the passport fee.
Positive Action for Young People Fund
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Positive Action for Young People fund; and how it will benefit young people in Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East. [114308]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
The Positive Activities for Young People (PAYP) programme is designed to divert and develop those young people aged 8–19 most at risk of social exclusion and committing crime. It is being delivered across England from May 2003 to March 2006. £25 million funding is available for the first year of the programme. This funding will deliver a minimum of 22,000 full time places (this being from midday to 9 pm on each day of the school holidays). Provision will take place in all of the school holiday periods. In addition to the activities one-to-one support is available for the most at risk young people.
In Middlesborough, South and Cleveland, East areas PAYP is being delivered by Connexions Tees Valley. They have received a funding allocation of £279,000. They are working closely with local partners to ensure that areas of greatest need have appropriate provision and are consulting young people about the types of activities to offer. They are also working closely with local agencies to identify the young people to target under the programme.
Prisons (Drugs)
Ms Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, (1) how many detoxifications of prisoners took place in health care centres in each of the last five years; [115749]
- (2) what the average length of time for a detoxification of a drug abuser in prison has been in the last five years; and what the (a) longest and (b) shortest times have been; [115750]
(3) what co-ordinated prison services address the needs of prisoners with dual diagnoses; [115743]
(4) what information he has collated on the numbers of prisoners with dual diagnoses. [115744]
Paul Goggins: Information on how many detoxifications of prisoners took place in health care centres in each of the last five years is not available in the form requested. Prison Service establishments reported that 41,916 drug and alcohol detoxifications were carried out between 1 April 2001 and 31 March 2002.
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'Changing the Outlook, a Strategy for Developing and Modernising Mental Health Services in Prisons' (December 2001) emphasises that service development in prisons must take account of, and link in with, other established programmes for the clinical management of substance misusers and other drug treatment or rehabilitation programmes. The planned devolution of responsibility for commissioning prison health services to Primary Care Trusts by April 2006 will enable the development of a more co-ordinated approach to the planning and delivery of health services to prisoners. This should, in turn, help support achievement of these elements of the mental health strategy.
Information on the average length of time for the detoxification of a drug abuser in prison has been in the last five years is not available in the form requested. The current practice is to recommend nine to 10 day programmes for the clinical management of opiate withdrawal and seven-day programmes in respect of alcohol. All such recommended timescales are kept under review in the light of developments in clinical practice.
Detailed information about the co-occurrence of substance misuse and mental disorder can be found in Chapter five of "Substance misuse among prisoners in England and Wales—further analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics survey of psychiatric morbidity among prisoners in England and Wales" carried out on behalf of the Department of Health, published by the Office for National Statistics in 1999.
The survey indicated that 19 per cent. remanded men, 12 per cent. sentenced men, 21 per cent. remanded women and 15 per cent. sentenced women had four or more of the disorders surveyed (personality disorder, psychosis, neurosis, drug dependence and alcohol misuse).
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what programmes are available to (a) assess and (b) treat the drug and alcohol addictions of (i) staff and (ii) inmates at each classification of prison and offenders institution in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [115545]
Paul Goggins: When a member of staff is recognised as having a drink or drug related problem the Prison Service will offer assistance and guidance on appropriate remedial action. We will support and encourage staff who acknowledge their problem. Our Staff Care and Welfare Service will offer basic counselling and staff will be treated through the NHS facilities where appropriate. However, staff are expected to cooperate constructively and continue with remedial action to overcome their problem.
A comprehensive range of measures is available to prisoners to address the needs of drug misusers with the needs of alcohol users determined much more on a local basis.
Detoxification services are available in all local prisons and remand centres for alcohol and other drugs. The Counselling Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare (CARAT) service which deals also with alcohol as part of poly-drug use is available to all
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prisoners in England and Wales; and intensive rehabilitation programmes are available in 60 establishments.
Ms Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many of those in rehabilitation and treatment completed the programmes in each of the last five years; [115747]
- (2) how many detoxified prisoners received follow-up, and of what kind, in each of the last five years; [115748]
(3) how many CARATS initial assessments led to the full process of counselling, assessment, referral, advice and through care in each year for which figures are available. [115746]
Paul Goggins: Information on how many prisoners who undertook rehabilitation and treatment completed the programmes in each of the last five years is not available centrally. The Prison Service is looking to see what additional monitoring arrangements might be put in place.
Data are not available to show which services were accessed by prisoners following their initial assessment by the Counselling Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare (CARAT) service or on the follow-up services accessed by those who have been detoxified. However, a recent survey showed that 41 per cent. of prisoners who had accessed the CARAT service had received detoxification.
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