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16 Sept 2003 : Column 657W—continued
HOME DEPARTMENT
Alcohol Reduction Strategy
Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the reasons for the delay in the publication of the National Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy; and when he expects the strategy to be published. [127147]
Ms Blears: The Government are on course to meet the target in the NHS Plan to implement the National Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy by 2004. A large scale consultation has been conducted jointly by the Department of Health and the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit. This yielded a large number of responses which have been extremely valuable in informing the development of the strategy. The Strategy Unit is due to publish its interim analysis shortly.
The Strategy Unit's final report, which will set out the cross-governmental alcohol harm reduction strategy, is due for publication during the autumn. There will then be further Government consultation on the details of implementation and the strategy will be implemented according to timetable by 2004.
Antisocial Behaviour
Mrs Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to tackle antisocial behaviour associated with drinking alcohol. [129081]
Ms Blears: The Government have already brought forward a range of legislative measures designed to help tackle anti-social behaviour associated with drinking alcohol. The Licensing (Young Persons) Act 2000 makes it an offence for any person to sell alcohol to a person aged under 18 on licensed premises, or knowingly to
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allow another person to do so. It also created the offence of buying, or attempting to buy, alcohol on licensed premises on behalf of a person aged under 18.
The Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 provides the police and local authorities with increased powers to tackle under-age drinking. The Act contains measures to make it easier for local authorities to designate areas where restrictions on anti-social drinking will apply. It also created a positive duty on licensees and their staff not to sell alcohol to persons aged under 18s.
Section 155 of the Licensing Act 2003, which came into force on 10 September 2003, extends existing police powers relating to the confiscation of alcohol from people who are drinking and causing a nuisance in public places, so as to allow for the confiscation of sealed containers, in addition to opened containers, in defined circumstances.
In addition, anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) have been used to prohibit individuals from consuming alcohol or being under the influence of alcohol in public. Such orders can also be used to prohibit individuals from entering licensed premises or off-licences and buying alcohol. ASBO prohibitions can cover any geographical area up to and including the whole of England and Wales.
For the future, the Home Office is working with the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit on their project to develop a national alcohol harm reduction strategy. The project is looking at the wide range of alcohol harms including alcohol-related crime, anti-social behaviour and community safety. A report setting out the cross-governmental alcohol harm reduction strategy for England is due for publication during autumn 2003.
Sexual Offences
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been cautioned for gross indecency in lavatories at Baker Street tube station since 1995. [128636]
Ms Blears: The information on cautions collected centrally in England and Wales does not enable areas below police force level to be identified.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the use of CCTV cameras in public lavatories to combat the problem of sexual activities. [128639]
Ms Blears: No assessment has been made of the use of CCTV cameras in public lavatories to combat the problem of sexual activities.
Accidents (Emergency Service Vehicles)
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) fatal and (b) non-fatal accidents involving (i) police, (ii) ambulance, (iii) fire service and (iv) other emergency service vehicles there were in each year since 1993, in each London borough; and if he will make a statement. [128760]
Ms Blears: The tables attached give the number of accidents in the Metropolitan and City of London police areas involving police vehicles engaged inimmediate/emergency response or pursuit at the time of the
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accident. The figures are broken down by the severity of injuries sustained by police officers and civilians. Information is not available broken down by London Borough. The Home Office does not collect data on accidents involving ambulance, fire service, or other emergency vehicles.
The Government welcomes the recognition by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) that they must work to reduce the number of collisions involving police vehicles.
ACPO are working closely with the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) to identify why they occur and how they might be avoided. Useful information can be expected from the increasing use by forces of Automatic Data Recorders (ADR) and Vehicle Accident Data Recorders (VADR). These operate in a similar way to aircraft black boxes, providing data on such issues as speed, gear changes, braking, and the use of blue lights.
| Fatal | Serious Injury | Slight Injury | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Met | CofL | Met | CofL | Met | CofL |
| 1993 | 2 | 0 | 51 | 0 | N/a | N/a |
| 1994–95 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 421 | 2 |
| 1995–96 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 297 | 4 |
| 1996–97 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 1 | 352 | 7 |
| 1997–98 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 3 | 419 | 0 |
| 1998–99 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 280 | 6 |
| 1999–2000 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 235 | 0 |
| 2000–01 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 235 | 0 |
| 2001–02 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 218 | 5 |
| Fatal | Serious Injury | Slight Injury | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Met | CofL | Met | CofL | Met | CofL |
| 1993 | 10 | 0 | 45 | 1 | N/a | N/a |
| 1994–95 | 11 | 0 | 22 | 1 | 353 | 6 |
| 1995–96 | 4 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 335 | 2 |
| 1996–97 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 189 | 4 |
| 1997–98 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 246 | 3 |
| 1998–99 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 1 | 310 | 3 |
| 1999–2000 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 220 | 0 |
| 2000–01 | 6 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 393 | 2 |
| 2001–02 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 1 | 389 | 1 |
Notes:
1. The information is provided by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, to which forces submit statistical returns
2. All figures are for financial years, except for 1993 (calendar year)
3. Figures for 2002–03 are not yet available
4. Information on fatalities and injuries is only available for accidents involving police vehicles which were engaged in immediate/emergency response or pursuit at the time of the accident.
Airwave Radio
Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Home Office expects the airwave radio to be in service in the Thames Valley
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police area; what the original estimate was for when airwave radios would be introduced into the Thames Valley police area; what changes have been made in the payment of government grant in respect of the airwave radio system in (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04; and if he will make a statement. [129423]
Ms Blears: The Airwave network became available for operational use in the Thames Valley police area on 23 July 2003.The force is expected to be fully operational on the Airwave service by August 2004. The original estimate for the introduction of the Airwave service in Thames Valley was 24 June 2002.
The payment of government grant in respect of Airwave is adjusted in each police force depending on progress of the rollout. In the case of Thames Valley, the force received payment in 2002–03 to assist with setting-up costs, but no payment was made for the service itself. Payment in 2003–04 will cover the core Airwave service and part of the extra features required by the Thames Valley Police Constabulary to ensure its specific operational needs are met.
Alcohol Restricted Zones
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what Act of Parliament anti-social drinking orders are made; and how such orders will be enforced. [128652]
Ms Blears: I believe my hon. Friend is interested in alcohol restricted zones.
Section 13 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 allows local authorities to introduce designation orders to restrict anti-social public drinking in areas that have experienced alcohol-related disorder or nuisance. The arrangements introduced by the Act replaced a previous Home Office public drinking bylaw.
The police have responsibility for enforcing such designation orders through their discretionary powers to confiscate alcohol if they reasonably believe that a person is, or has been, consuming alcohol in a designated public place. The discretionary powers are set out in section 12 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001.
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