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15 Jul 2003 : Column 275W—continued
Fly Tipping
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the steps the Government will take to improve detection and prosecution rates in conjunction with the planned sentencing review for fly tipping. [125126]
Mr. Morley: I have been asked to reply.
The environmental sentencing review is looking at sentencing from a broad perspective and is principally concerned with the sentence given to a particular offence, rather than preventative measures taken against it. We expect the results by the end of June.
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Specific measures to help tackle fly tipping have been proposed in the Anti-Social Behaviour Bill. If successful, the provisions will allow local authorities to stop, search and seize vehicles suspected of being used for fly tipping, and to investigate incidents to help them track and prosecute those responsible for dumping waste. The Bill will also give the Secretary of State the power to issue statutory directions to the Environment Agency and local authorities on the types of fly tipping incidents with which they deal.
Further research into fly tipping will be carried out later this year that will focus on better enforcement, prevention and deterrents.
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the Government will earmark revenue from increases to fines for fly tipping for local authorities to spend on detection of fly tipping offences and prevention measures. [125127]
Mr. Morley: I have been asked to reply.
The issue of income from fines and whether this can be recycled to enforcement bodies to fund preventative action is a matter for Her Majesty's Treasury.
Defra is however considering whether there is scope for using fixed penalty notice to help enforce duty of care legislation in particular.
Immigration Facilities
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 25 June 2003, Official Report, column 866W on immigration holding cells, which independent bodies are responsible for inspecting the police and immigration facilities listed; and when the last inspection took place in each case. [124983]
Beverley Hughes: Independent custody visiting is the new name for lay visiting, the well established system where volunteers attend police stations to check on the treatment of detainees and the conditions in which they are held. Unannounced visits are made at varying times of the day and night, with volunteers having immediate access to the custody area. Heathrow and Stansted police stations were visited most recently on 14 and 25 June, respectively.
Immigration holding rooms at ports are not at present subject to independent oversight. However, we have very recently invited Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons, which performs a similar role in relation to immigration removal centres, to take on an inspection function for immigration short-term holding facilities, including holding rooms at ports, and we will be discussing with them the arrangements by which they might do so.
Overstayers
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people leaving the UK in the last two years were found to have overstayed the duration of their (a) visa and (b) work permit. [124982]
Beverley Hughes: The information requested is unavailable.
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Passports
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total number of United Kingdom passports in circulation was in each of the last 10 years. [124974]
Beverley Hughes: The total number of five year/10 year United Kingdom passports in circulation in each of the last 10 years is shown in the table:
| Number of passports | |
|---|---|
| 1992 | 24,302,691 |
| 1993 | 25,767,518 |
| 1994 | 27,808,451 |
| 1995 | 30,465,987 |
| 1996 | 33,596,434 |
| 1997 | 36,824,681 |
| 1998 | 38,609,485 |
| 1999 | 41,591,838 |
| 2000 | 43,608,145 |
| 2001 | 45,856,658 |
| 2002 | 47,383,796 |
It should be noted that the UK Passport Service is not notified in every case of the death of a passport holder so these figures include some valid passports for deceased persons.
Police
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the targets on which basic command units in each constabulary are assessed on a (a) quarterly and (b) annual basis. [124433]
Ms Blears: The Home Office have not asked basic command units to set crime reduction targets. All police authorities have set targets for the reduction of vehicle crime and domestic burglary. In addition, the 10 police authorities involved in the street crime initiative have been asked to set targets for the reduction of robbery.
It is for individual police authorities and forces to decide whether they would like their basic command units to set targets.
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police forces in England are smaller than the City of Nottingham Division of the Nottinghamshire Constabulary. [124997]
Ms Blears: Information provided in June last year by the Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police, Mr. Stephen Green QPM, showed that Nottingham
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City Division had 789 police officers. Only the City of London Police force was smaller with 764 officers in March 2002.
Police National Computer
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements have been made to pass data from the Police National Computer to non-Home Department police forces which do not have direct access; and what procedures exist to ensure data protection requirements are complied with in such circumstances. [124945]
Ms Blears [holding answer 14 July 2002]: Access by non-Home Department police forces to the Police National Computer is either through secure police national computer terminals in those forces or through Home Department police forces.
Non-Home Department police forces have to meet the same stringent data protection procedures and requirements that apply to Home Department forces.
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which non-Home Department police forces have direct access to the Police National Computer. [124946]
Ms Blears [holding answer 14 July 2003]: The non-Home Department police force listed have direct access to the Police National Computer.
- British Transport;
States of Jersey;
Guernsey;
Northern Ireland;
Isle of Man;
Ministry of Defence;
Port of Dover;
RAF Provost;
Royal Military Police (Army Provost); and
UK Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary.
Police Numbers
Mr. Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list (a) the number of police officers, (b) the ratio of police officers to residents, (c) the amount of Government funding received, (d) the amount of Government funding per resident, (e) the precept levied on a Band D property and (f) the overall sum raised by the precept for each police authority in England in the last year for which figures are available. [116897]
Ms Blears: The information requested is provided in the table.
(40) Officers at 30 September 2002.
(41) Population per police officer.
(42) Government funding shown is revenue police and specific grants and RSG/NNDR. Police authorities also received capital grant of £117 million and supplementary credit approvals (grant supported borrowing authority) of £73 million, plus, £12 million loan charges grant as support for costs of capital incurred before 1990.
(43) Data on precepts in columns (e) and (f) provided by ODPM. The average Band D property rate (per household) is £109 for shire authorities and £84 for metropolitan authorities (excluding the GLA) in respect of 2003–04.
(44) City of London police numbers and police specific grant information is included with the Metropolitan police. Precept information relates to MPA only.
(45) Remaining specific grants funds of £201 million have not yet been allocated.
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