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Public Service Agreements

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of

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the public service agreements of his Department set out in the document, "Public Services for the Future 1998", have been met; and if he will make a statement. [120804]

Mr. Blunkett: Success in meeting the targets set during the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) was summarised in the chart on pages 12 to 19 of the Home Office "Targets Delivery Report" (Cm 5754), published in February 2003. More detailed information about performance is provided in the Home Office Annual Reports, covering the period 1999–2000 to 2001–02.

Responsibility for some activities, which were the subject of Home Office targets in the CSR, have transferred to other Government Departments in subsequent changes in the machinery of Government; these targets are identified in the "Targets Delivery Report".

Radical Islamic Groups (Funding)

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reports he has received about the funding of international radical Islamic groups through United Kingdom banks by (a) the International Islamic Relief Organisation, (b) al-Haramain and (c) the World Assembly of Muslim Youth. [119672]

Mr. Blunkett: I have not received any reports through United Kingdom banks concerning the funding of the International Islamic Relief Organisation, al-Haramain or the World Assembly of Muslim Youth.

Regulations/Statutory Instruments

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the regulations and statutory instruments introduced in each of the last three years in the categories (a) crime and policing, (b) drugs, (c) community and race relations, (d) criminal justice system and victims of crime, (e) prisons and probation services, (f) terrorism and (g) other responsibilities of his Department, indicating those which have a sunset clause. [119581]

Mr. Blunkett [holding answer 16 June 2003]: It is not possible to provide the detailed information requested otherwise than at disproportionate cost. However, the total numbers of statutory instruments (including regulations) made by Home Office Ministers during 2000 was 118; during 2001 was 115 and during 2002 was 114.

The following instruments included sunset clauses:

The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (Part V Exemption: Eligible Voluntary Bodies and Relevant Employers) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/1393);


The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (Part V Exemption: Relevant Employers) Order 2002 (S.I. 2002/9);


The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (Part V Exemption: Relevant Employers) Order 2002 (S.I. 2002/3025);


The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Codes of Practice) (Modification) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/2254);


The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Codes of Practice) (Temporary Modifications to Code D) Order 2002 (S.I. 2002/615);


The Charities (Exception from Registration) (Amendment) Regulations 2002.

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Regulatory Bodies

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the (a) number of staff employed by and (b) budget of each regulatory body for which his Department is responsible in each year since 1997. [117786]

Mr. Blunkett: The information is to be found in the annual publication "Public Bodies" for the respective years. Copies are available in the Library.

Stop and Search

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list (a) the time period and (b) the area covered for all authorisations for stop and search granted under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 since 1 January. [119936]

Mr. Blunkett: It is a longstanding policy of this and previous administrations not to comment on operational counter-terrorist measures. However, I can confirm that Section 44 authorisations have been approved for periods of up to 28 days, covering both specifically designated zones, and entire force areas. The total number of stops and searches by force area are provided in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin—Arrests for Notifiable Offences and the Operation of Certain Police Powers under PACE.

Tuberculosis

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons having been granted (a) residence and (b) indefinite leave to remain on the basis of suffering from (i) TB, (ii) HIV Aids and (iii) Hepatitis B in each of the last five years; and how many persons are dependent on them. [120409]

Beverley Hughes: I regret that the information requested is not available.

Information on the number of people granted leave to remain, either temporary or permanent, in the UK on the basis from suffering from any of the conditions listed is not collated centrally and so could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

Any application to stay in the UK on compassionate grounds because an applicant has a serious medical condition is given careful consideration on its individual merits. Those who are granted leave are normally given discretionary leave to remain for a limited period rather than indefinite leave, unless they qualify for settlement on some other basis, such as long residence.

Youth Court Targets

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress the Government has made in meeting its target to halve the time between arrest and sentence in the youth courts, compared with 1997; and what the average time was between (a) arrest and sentence, (b) arrest and first appearance in court and (c) conviction and sentence in each of the last three years. [120303]

Paul Goggins: In 1997 the Government pledged to halve the time from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders from 142 days to 71 days. In 2000 it

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averaged 93 days, in 2001 76 days and in 2002 68 days. The Pledge has now been met for seven consecutive quarters.

We do not break down the Pledge performance data into arrest to first appearance, and conviction to sentence, but the Department for Constitutional Affairs does have average figures for young defendants, persistent or otherwise, whose cases are completed in the magistrates courts. These are, in days:

	Arrest to first listing	Verdict to sentence	Arrest to sentence
1997	Not available	Not available	Not available
2000	18	14	64
2001	17	11	58
2002	17	7	55

WORK AND PENSIONS

Age Positive Campaign

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what plans he has to continue funding the Age Positive Campaign; and what assessment he has made of its budget requirements for each of the next three years; [120954]

(2) how many organisations signed up to be age positive champions in each of the last 12 months. [121016]

Malcolm Wicks: The Age Positive Campaign has funding for three years from April 2003. Budget requirements for future years will be considered as part of the 2004 spending review.

In the last 12 months 25 employers have voluntarily sought endorsement and received approval as age positive champions. This figure cannot be broken down on a month by month basis.

Amesbury Jobcentre

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many clients have been (a) advised and (b) placed by the Amesbury jobcentre in each of the past 12 months. [116056]

Mr. Browne: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from David Anderson to Robert Key, dated 19 June 2003:

As Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply direct to your question about how many clients have been advised and placed by the Amesbury Jobcentre in each of the past 12 months. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.

The information requested on the number of people advised by Amesbury Jobcentre is not available. Records are not kept of the number of people given employment advice. Although statistics are kept for the number of people registered as unemployed with Amesbury Jobcentre we offer advice to a wide range of people including lone parents, people claiming incapacity benefits and people already in employment. Therefore the number of registered unemployed people using the Jobcentre is not a reliable guide for the total number of these people benefiting from our services.

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The number of people placed into work by the Amesbury Jobcentre is shown in the table:

Job placements through Amesbury jobcentre

Year/month	Placements
2002
May	34
June	36
July	20
August	50
September	39
October	40
November	50
December	40
2003
January	17
February	34
March	29
April	29
Total	418

Source:

Jobcentre Plus Business Information System (BIS)

I hope this is helpful.

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