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24 Jun 2003 : Column 730W—continued
Tax Credits
Mrs. Calton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are taken to ensure that claimants for tax credits whose claims have not been settled are told how to obtain interim payments. [119515]
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Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to my statement of 28 April 2003, Official Report, column 53, and to my comments during the debate in Westminster Hall on 4 June 2003, Official Report, column 122WH.
LEADER OF THE HOUSE
Government Reshuffle
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Leader of the House if he will make a statement on the location of the office of his Department following the reshuffle. [121461]
Peter Hain: The office of the Leader of the House of Commons is currently located at the Privy Council Office, 2 Carlton Gardens, SW1 and in the House of Commons.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Government Agencies
Vera Baird: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans there are to relocate Government agencies and departments to (a) Teesside and (b) Tyneside. [120740]
Mr. Boateng: The scope for relocating Government activity is being considered by Sir Michael Lyons. His review was announced in the Chancellor's budget statement on 9 April. Details of the review, including the consultation launched on 19 June, can be found on the HM Treasury website at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk
HOME OFFICE
Protection Against Cruel Tethering Act
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there have been in each of the last five years in England under the Protection Against Cruel Tethering Act 1988. [118989]
Caroline Flint: The Protection of Animals Act 1911 is classified as a whole on the Home Office Court Proceedings database so that it is not possible to distinguish offences of cruel tethering from other offences of cruelty to animals. There were 975 persons proceeded against for all offences under the Protection of Animals Act 1911 in England and Wales in 2001, 754 of whom were found guilty.
Air Weapons
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents there have been in each of the past 10 years of air weapons having been taken from young people between the ages of 14 and 17 in (a) public places and (b) private places. [120749]
Caroline Flint: The information requested is not kept centrally. However, the following table shows the number of people under 17 years of age convicted or cautioned between 1992 and 2001 (the last year for which figures are available) for having an uncovered air weapon in a public place.
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| Convicted or cautioned | |
|---|---|
| 1992 | 448 |
| 1993 | 361 |
| 1994 | 462 |
| 1995 | 396 |
| 1996 | 301 |
| 1997 | 297 |
| 1998 | 284 |
| 1999 | 251 |
| 2000 | 202 |
| 2001 | 146 |
Anti-drugs Strategy
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which targets have been (a) abandoned, (b) retained and (c) newly adopted following the updated drug strategy; and how progress on targets is to be (i) monitored and (ii) reported. [120807]
Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
We have not abandoned our targets.
The review found that although the broad thrust of the strategy was right, it needed a greater focus on the most dangerous drugs, the most damaged communities and problematic drug users—those whose addiction and chaotic lifestyles caused the most harm to themselves and others. The targets also needed to be revised to ensure that they were challenging but achievable. The Home Affairs Committee in its inquiry, "The Government's Drugs Policy: Is It Working?", supported these findings.
The SR2000 and SR2002 targets are set out in the list. The targets are monitored and delivered by Departments working closely together, although each target has a lead Department which co-ordinates delivery. These are also indicated in the list.
The Updated Drug Strategy, published in December 2002, sets out progress made, the new targets and the range of policies and interventions planned to achieve them. A copy is in the Library.
We will continue to report publicly on our progress through general reports on the strategy and through specific statistical bulletins. As with previous targets, more detailed information on how the new targets will be measured is set out in technical notes available on departmental websites.
The Technical Notes can be found at:
- http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs/sr2002psa tn.pdf, for the Home Office (HO);
http://www.doh.gov.uk/psa/index.htm, for the Department of Health (DH); and
www.hmce.gov.uk/about/excellence/cetechnotes-03.pdf, for Her Majesty's Customs and Excise (HMCE). Please note that this note is currently being revised.
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Young People (HO lead):
SR2000 target: reduce the proportion of people under the age of 25 reporting the use of class A drugs 25 per cent. by 2005 and by 50 per cent. by 2008.
New target: reduce the use of class A drugs and the frequent use of any illicit drug among all young people under the age of 25, especially by the most vulnerable young people.
SR2000 target: reduce the availability of Class A drugs by 25 per cent. by 2005 and 50 per cent. by 2008.
New target: reduce the availability of illegal drugs by increasing:
- the proportion of heroin and cocaine targeted on the UK which is taken out;
the disruption/dismantling of those criminal groups responsible for supplying substantial quantities of class A drugs to the UK market; and
the recovery of drug-related criminal assets.
SR2000 target: reduce the levels of repeat offending among drug misusing offenders by 25 per cent. by 2005 and 50 per cent. by 2008.
New target: reduce drug-related crime, including as measured by the proportion of offenders testing positive for arrest.
SR2000 Target: increase the participation of problem drug users in drug treatment programmes by 55 per cent. by 2004 and by 100 per cent. by 2008.
New target: increase the participation of problem drug users in drug treatment programmes by 55 per cent. by 2004 and by 100 per cent. by 2008, and increase year-on-year the proportion of users successfully sustaining or completing treatment programmes.
Coalfield Communities
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many official visits were made to coalfield communities by Home Office ministers in 2002. [119264]
Mr. Blunkett: Home Office Ministers undertake a wide programme of visits. In 2002 the ministerial team visited for example Doncaster, Aberdare, Gwent, Stoke-on-Trent and Wakefield.
A number of our Ministers live in or on the edge of such communities.
Corporate Killing
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to increase the criminal liability of individual directors on corporate killing. [118733]
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Paul Goggins: The intention of the proposals on corporate killing will be to address the failure of the criminal justice system to deal successfully with systemic corporate management failure, particularly in relation to large companies, which results in death. It is not our intention to target the criminal liability of individual directors. Where the failure is on the part of an individual, he should be prosecuted. The present gap is where the failure is collective.
Correspondence
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 6 May 2003 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mohmed Abushema. [121431]
Mr. Blunkett: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 17 June 2003.
Crack Cocaine Addiction
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has commissioned into treatment for crack cocaine addiction; and if he will make a statement. [120916]
Caroline Flint: The National Treatment Agency (NTA) has carried out a review of available evidence on crack cocaine treatment and has issued guidance to service providers and commissioners to support service development, as part of the National Crack Plan, published in January 2003.
The evidence suggests that cocaine misuse is treatable and many approaches already familiar to drug services in Britain work well, though none are specific to the treatment of crack dependence. The NTA guidance makes use of this research by identifying issues that local commissioners need to consider in developing effective treatment services.
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