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8 Sept 2003 : Column 60W—continued
Passports
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long it takes for a passport to be renewed; and if he will make a statement on charges levied to British citizens for their applications. [128094]
Ms Blears: In the week ending 20 July 2003 the average processing time for a single straightforward properly completed application made by post was four days for a renewal.
An increase in passport fees was announced on 18 July. The new fees which come into effect on 2 October 2003 are in the table.
| Partner/postal (£) | Fast track(£) | Premium(£) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | 42.00 | 70.00 | 89.00 |
| Child | 25.00 | 60.00 | 71.00 |
| Jumbo(7) | 54.50 | 71.00 | 95.50 |
| Collectives | 39.00 | N/a | N/a |
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Passport fees are set to recover the costs of UK Passport Service's issuing passports and those incurred by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on providing consular protection to British nationals in need of assistance overseas. The new fees will allow investment in enhanced anti-fraud measures and the Passport Service's customer improvement programme.
Police Staff
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) civilian support staff there were in each English constabulary in the last year for which figures are available. [127207]
Ms Blears: The latest available police officer strength figure is for 31 December 2002, that for police staff is for 31 March 2002.
The figures are set out in the table.
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Departmental Policy Areas
Mr. Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the policy areas covered by each of the activities listed in Table 5, page 173 of the Home Office Annual Departmental Report 2003. [123356]
Mr. Blunkett: The policy areas covered are as follows:
| Activity area | Policy areas covered |
|---|---|
| Reduction in crime and the fear of crime | Policing, police standards and reform, reduction of crime (including Crime and Disorder Partnerships) and the fear of crime, street crime and community safety; youth crime prevention; anti-social behaviour; football disorder; criminal records; road safety enforcement, firearms |
| Reduction of organised and international crime | Counter-terrorism, international and European law enforcement and judicial cooperation, extradition; policing of organised and financial crime, high tech crime |
| Ensuring the effective delivery of justice | Overall responsibility for reform and modernisation of the criminal justice system (CJS), including CJS IT, building confidence in the CJS, narrowing the justice gap for victims and witnesses. Criminal law and criminal policy, legislation including Criminal Justice Bill and Sexual Offences Bill, policy on criminal procedure and evidence, CJS race issues |
| Delivering effective custodial and community sentences to reduce re-offending and protect the public | Effective enforcement of the sentences of the courts; public protection, rehabilitation and reducing re-offending; managing performance of the prison, probation and youth justice services |
| Reducing the availability and abuse of dangerous drugs | Overall responsibility for the anti-drugs strategy; enforcement and criminal justice interventions |
| Regulating entry to and settlement in the UK effectively, in the interests of sustainable growth and social inclusion | Nationality, immigration and asylum, including work permits; citizenship and inward migration; UK Passport Service |
| Supporting strong and active communities in which people of all races and backgrounds are valued and participate | Race equality and community cohesion; civil renewal, active citizenship and the voluntary and community sector. Regulation and licensing of animal scientific procedures; coroners; entitlement cards. Home Office input to policy on young people and families |
| Central services | Research and statistics; human resources; finance (including departmental unallocated provision); corporate development and support |
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Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied asylum seekers under 18 received a custodial sentence broken down by (a) age, (b) sex and (c) establishment in 2002. [126968]
Beverley Hughes: I regret that the information requested is not available from existing data collection systems and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Details of the immigration status of unaccompanied asylum seekers under 18 who have received a custodial sentence are not collated centrally and will not necessarily be recorded by the courts or the Prison Service.
Information on asylum applications is published quarterly on the Home Office website at: http:/www. homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html. The next publication will be available from the end of August and will cover the second quarter of 2003.
Youth Justice Board
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review the membership of the Youth Justice Board. [126569]
Paul Goggins: In February 2003 my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary appointed two new members, Christopher Holmes CBE and Jackie Ballard. In June my right hon. Friend re-appointed three members and asked Sir Charles Pollard to serve as acting chair when Lord Warner left the board and has launched an open public competition to recruit a substantive chair.
Four other existing board members' terms of appointment expire in September 2004. My right hon. Friend will be considering future membership once we have appointed a chair.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Liberia
Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will make a statement on the political situation in Liberia; [128189]
- (2) what assessment the Department has made of the effects of the political situation in Liberia on neighbouring countries; [128226]
(3) what discussions he has had with (a) the United Nations, (b) the United States, (c) the African Union and (d) the Liberian Government on (i) the deployment of peacekeeping troops to Liberia and (ii) measures to end the civil war there. [128225]
Mr. Mullin: Liberia has been at the heart of conflict in west Africa for over 20 years. The departure of Charles Taylor, and the subsequent peace deal, presents an important opportunity to work towards lasting peace in the region. The UK is committed to working closely with the international community, to ensure that the present Multi-National Force, and the UN Mission planned for Liberia, are successful in restoring peace and security to Liberia.
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We have committed £l million to the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) Multi-National Force that deployed on 4 August and have seconded a military adviser to ECOWAS. We have also offered military advisors to the UN planning mission and Head Quarters. The UK is also working in the UN Security Council to ensure that the forthcoming Resolution authorising the deployment of a UN mission will provide a robust mandate.
We are monitoring developments in the region closely to ensure that ex-combatants do not export instability to neighbouring countries.
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the timetable the British Government has set for ratifying the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. [127962]
Mr. Rammell: The United Kingdom signed this Optional Protocol in September 2000 and intends to ratify it at the earliest opportunity. To be able to ratify, we need to introduce a range of new offences to ensure that we are fully compliant with the instrument. Several of these, relating to trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation and the sexual exploitation of children for gain, are included in the Sexual Offences Bill currently before Parliament.
The Optional Protocol also requires the criminalisation of behaviour which does not fall within the scope of the Sexual Offences Bill, such as trafficking people with the aim of: exploiting their labour; organ transfer and illegal adoptions. These measures are being pursued separately and will also require primary legislation. It is not therefore possible to say precisely when we will be able to ratify the instrument.
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