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10 Jun 2003 : Column 819W—continued

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam's written questions tabled for answer on 7 May on the Criminal Records Bureau. [113535]

Paul Goggins: The hon. Member's questions were answered on 21 May 2003, Official Report, columns 865–67W, 22 May 2003, Official Report, columns 986–88W, and 28 May 2003, Official Report, column 92W, and on 2 June 2003, Official Report, columns 140–43W.

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Police

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers based in the London borough of Wandsworth have been subjected to physical attacks during the last 12 months. [117157]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The requested information is not available centrally.

Police Response Vehicles

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police response vehicles are available (a) in each London borough and (b) to the British Transport Police; and if he will make a statement. [117689]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The number of police response vehicles available in each London borough is set out in the table. The three British Transport Police operational areas covering London (which police an area larger than that covered by the London boroughs) have 21 response cars and 17 response motorcycles.

London borough	Instant response vehicles	Area cars	Total
Barking and Dagenham	5	4	9
Barnet	20	3	23
Bexley	8	2	10
Brent	15	2	17
Bromley	11	3	14
Camden	12	5	17
Croydon	12	4	16
Ealing	9	2	11
Enfield	5	5	10
Greenwich	12	5	17
Hackney	11	5	16
Hammersmith and Fulham	8	3	11
Haringey	10	3	13
Harrow	7	2	9
Havering	8	4	12
Hillingdon	10	4	14
Hounslow	12	2	14
Islington	12	4	16
Kensington and Chelsea	6	2	8
Kingston	9	1	10
Lambeth	21	6	27
Lewisham	9	3	12
Merton	7	3	10
Newham	10	5	15
Redbridge	12	4	16
Richmond	8	2	10
Southwark	21	6	27
Sutton	6	1	7
Tower Hamlets	10	4	14
Waltham Forest	9	5	14
Wandsworth	14	4	18
Westminster	17	4	21
Heathrow	7	—	7
Total	353	112	465

Note:All the above vehicles are classed by the Metropolitan police as 'response vehicles'. However, there are many other vehicles used in Boroughs that also respond to calls e.g. vans, panda cars, CID cars.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police response vehicles have been in road accidents while on operational duty in (a) 2001 and (b) 2002; and if he will make a statement. (20617)

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Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The number of accidents in England and Wales involving police vehicles which were engaged in immediate/emergency response or pursuit at the time of the accident, are as follows:

	Number of accidents
2000–01	6,019
2001–02	4,985

Notes:

1. The information is provided by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, to which forces submit statistical returns.

2. All figures are for financial years.

3. Figures for 2002–03 are not yet available.

4. Two forces did not submit a return in 2001–02.

The Government welcome the recognition by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) that they must work to reduce the number of collisions involving police vehicles.

ACPO are working closely with the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) to identify why they occur and how they might be avoided. Useful information can be expected from the increasing use by forces of Automatic Data Recorders (ADR) and Vehicle Accident Data Recorders (VADR). These operate in a similar way to aircraft black boxes, providing data on such issues as speed, gear changes, braking, and the use of blue lights.

Police Standards Unit

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evaluation has taken place of the Police Standards Unit since its inception; and if he will make a statement. [117335]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The work of the Police Standards Unit (PSU) is assessed regularly and its contribution to the Department's Public Service Agreements scrutinised. In addition, its programme of work is subject to management monitoring through regular programme board meetings on accepted programme management procedures. Its major projects, including, for example, performance improvement work with forces and the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and the Policing Priority Areas projects, are the subject of rigorous independent evaluation providing an assessment of success against objectives. Where appropriate, such evaluation produces good practice models for promulgating to the police service.

Police Vehicle Accidents

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many accidents police vehicles have been involved in, in each year since 1997. [116920]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The total number of police vehicle accidents in England and Wales since 1997 are as follows:

	Number
1997–98	16,946
1998–99	17,338
1999–2000	18,068
2000–01	19,266
2001–02	16,826

Notes:

1. The information is provided by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, to which forces submit statistical returns.

2. All figures are for financial years.

3. Figures for 2002–03 are not yet available.

4. The figures include all incidents in which a police vehicle sustains damage, including those where no other vehicle is involved. They encompass a very wide range of incidents from the very serious to the trivial, such as a scratched vehicle in a police yard.

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Policing Costs

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces applied for the special grant available to meet additional policing costs arising from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee; how much each police force applied for; how much was granted; and if he will make a statement. [117329]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Police authorities are expected to make financial provision to deal with unusual or infrequent events. Where exceptional additional costs cannot be met from existing police authority reserves it is open to forces to apply for a special grant. Any such applications are considered within existing departmental provision for special grants.

The only force to make application for additional grant in connection with the costs of policing the Golden Jubilee was the Metropolitan Police Service which subsequently received an additional £49 million to counter increased risks of terrorism, including funding to cover the Golden Jubilee costs.

Prison Officers

Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much counselling is given to prison officers following serious incidents in order to allow recovery. [116949]

Paul Goggins: Counselling is available to staff following a serious incident in the Prison Service. The Prison Service Staff Care and Welfare Service (SCWS) provides an externally sourced, specialist service for those staff who are assessed as requiring counselling. BMI Health Services, the occupational health advisors to the Prison Service also assess and where appropriate, recommend treatment designed to support staff as part of their return to work programme.

In the last 12 months, over 400 prison staff have been provided with an average of seven counselling sessions per person following incidents in establishments. The counselling budget available to SCWS has been significantly increased in the current financial year recognising the importance that the Prison Service places on staff support services.

Additionally, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), a specialised service for staff suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been introduced. Between January and April 2003 three staff have been referred for EMDR treatment. Contact has also been made with 'Combat Stress', an armed forces welfare society for ex-forces staff. They provide specialist support services for those staff that are found to be suffering from PTSD, which has been specifically linked to incidents experienced while on active service. A fast track psychological referral system

10 Jun 2003 : Column 823W

is also being piloted in two Prison Service areas for staff suffering from work related stress, anxiety and depression. Funding for this activity is being provided by area managers.

Appropriate use is also made of counselling services provided by general practitioners and specialist treatment services available within the NHS.

Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what facilities exist for prison officers to be moved to non-inmate contact work following stress related incidents in the Prison Service. [116950]

Paul Goggins: Support for staff following stress related incidents is managed by the establishment at which they work. There are a number of options in each establishment to deploy officers on non-prisoner contact duties. Such duties are given for a time bound period to assist in rehabilitation and recovery from a stress related incident.

The individual needs of an officer are considered in each case and the decision to offer alternative work is guided by medical and support service advice. Establishments have full access to occupational health advice. It is a mandatory requirement to seek occupational health advice in serious stress related illness cases. Staff care and welfare services will also provide additional support and counselling services.

While the non-prisoner contact duties will vary between prisons, they would normally include training, gate duties, administration or non-contact security work. Officers may also be relocated outside of the prison at which an incident occurred.

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