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1 Sept 2003 : Column 963W—continued
Extradition Agreement
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the extradition agreement between the USA and UK. [126867]
Caroline Flint: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Carmichael) on 16 June 2003, Official Report, column 28W.
Absconding Prisoners
Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 24 June 2003, Official Report, columns 736–38 on prisons, how many absconding prisoners committed a further offence, for which they were charged, during their absence from prison, in each year; what assessment he has made of the basis for selecting prisoners for transfer to Kirkham open prison; and how many prison officers were in post at each open prison in each year. [125794]
Paul Goggins: Offences committed by prisoners who are unlawfully at large, following their abscond from an open prison, and for which they were subsequently charged, is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The categorisation procedures use an algorithm to indicate a provisional security category for each individual prisoner. This is then accepted or rejected following a consideration of the medical and mental health of the prisoner, and previous custodial experiences. This is a national system and is applied to all prisoners who are transferred to Kirkham. Additional local criteria means that prisoners with any history of sexual offences are excluded from Kirkham. A fundamental review of the categorisation of all prisoners is currently under way. This does include the procedures by which prisoners are considered as suitable for open conditions.
The following table shows the number of uniformed prison discipline staff at each of the prisons referred to in the answer of 24 June 2003.
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Antisocial Behaviour Orders
Ms Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the results of the pilot schemes for antisocial behaviour orders. [126503]
Caroline Flint: There were no pilot schemes for antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs). They were introduced across the whole of England and Wales under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 on 1 April 1999. In the period to 31 March 2003, the courts reported 1,112 ASBO's had been made.
The West Midlands has seen the second highest number of ASBOs in the country with 120 between 1 April 999 and 31 March 2003.
The Police Reform Act 2002 introduced interim orders, orders on conviction in criminal courts and orders in county court proceedings, enabled the British Transport Police and registered social landlords to apply for ASBOs and extended the area an ASBO can cover to any defined part or the whole of England and Wales.
Communities are already experiencing the benefits as agencies on the ground use their new powers. Interim orders in particular are already widely in use across the country and orders have also been made to stop individuals from antisocial acts across the whole of England and Wales. Over a quarter of the 200 orders granted since the introduction of the Police Reform Act 2002 changes have been orders on conviction. Orders were introduced into the county court in April this year and we are aware that some have already been granted.
The Anti-Social Behaviour Bill has been published and is going through the House. It refines ASBOs by:
- Allowing persons other than the defendant in proceedings in the county court whose anti-social behaviour is relevant to be joined to those proceedings for the purpose of seeking an order against them;
Giving relevant authorities access to youth court hearings of ASBO breaches;
Attaching parenting orders to parents of any child receiving an ASBO;
Allowing local authorities to prosecute ASBO breaches;
Ensuring the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) asks for orders on conviction; and
Allowing Housing Action Trusts (HATs) to apply for ASBOs.
Appointments
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the people appointed to ad hoc posts within his Department bearing the titles of advocate, tsar, adviser, champion and comparable titles since May 1997; what their job title is or was; what their role is or was; whether they were or are being paid; what the total cost of each such person was in each financial
1 Sept 2003 : Column 965W
year, including expenses and benefits; what the expected cost of each such person is in 2003–04; to whom they are accountable; and if he will make a statement. [112466]
Mr. Blunkett: Details of numbers of Special Advisers and their salaries are published annually for the Government as a whole. This includes Special Advisers in the Home Office. I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to my hon. Friend the Member for Croydon, Central (Geraint Davies) on 16 July 2003, Official Report, column 328W. All Home Office Special Advisers are accountable to me.
Arson
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the detection rate for arson in England and Wales was in each year since 1997; and what the detection rate for all crime was in each year. [125743]
Ms Blears: The available information from police recorded crime data on detection rates for arson and all recorded crime in England and Wales for the years since 1997 are as follows:
| Arson | All recorded crime | |
|---|---|---|
| 1997(85) | 16 | 28 |
| 1998–99(86) | 10 | 29 |
| 1999–2000(87) | 9 | 25 |
| 2000–01 | 8 | 24 |
| 2001–02(88) | 8 | 23 |
(85) Calendar year, and years ending March thereafter.
(86) There was a change in counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, which may have affected detection rates.
(87) There was a change in the counting rules for detections on 1 April 1999, which will have had an effect on detection rates.
(88) Detection rates may have been affected by some police forces adopting the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard in advance of its national implementation on 1 April 2002.
Asylum Centres
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was to his Department of monitoring the contracts for each asylum centre in each of the last five years. [118611]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 11 June 2003]: I refer the hon. Member to the letter I wrote on 3 July 2003.
Asylum Seekers
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his officials at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will issue status papers granting indefinite leave to remain to a constituent of the hon. Member for Vauxhall (number: M616441) as indicated in a letter from his Minister of State, dated 17 March. [125678]
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Beverley Hughes: I wrote to my hon. Friend on 18 July 2003.
CCTV Cameras (Daedalus Site)
Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the purpose was of the recent installation of CCTV cameras near to the Daedalus site at Lee-on-the-Solent. [126958]
Beverley Hughes: A traffic survey was commissioned as part of our on-going assessment of the suitability of a site at Her Majesty's Service Daedalus as an accommodation centre for asylum seekers. This survey involved the temporary deployment of mobile cameras during the week beginning 7 July 2003.
Chief Constables
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Chief Constables he has met since 2001. [125524]
Ms Blears: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and I meet police officers of all ranks, including chief officers, as often as possible. These meetings are at a variety of formal and informal events, including visits to police forces, police association conferences and working groups.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued to chief constables concerning (a) contact between hon. Members and their local chief constable and (b) answering correspondence from hon. Members. [125525]
Ms Blears: I have issued no guidance to chief officers on contact with hon. Members or on answering correspondence from them. These are matters for the chief officers themselves.
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle) on 9 April 2003, Official Report, column 281W.
I would expect a chief officer to offer every courtesy to hon. Members on matters affecting his or her constituency.
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