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17 Sept 2003 : Column 810W—continued

Publicly Funded Investigations

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will seek powers to ensure that the conclusions of all publicly funded investigations into the conduct of senior police officers are made public. [129718]

Ms Blears: The Secretary of State has no plans to do so.

The investigation into allegations against senior officers is a matter for the relevant police authority or where the senior officer has left the force and a criminal investigation takes place, the chief officer. They own the report into the investigation and are acquainted with the facts of the case and any decision on disclosure is a matter for them.

However, the new complaints system which is due to be introduced from April 2004, under provisions in the Police Reform Act 2002, will place a clear duty on those responsible for an investigation to keep the complainant properly informed during, and at the end of, an investigation. The presumption will be on openness, specifically allowing for the disclosure of the investigation report, subject to a sensitivity test.

Secondments (Iraq)

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many British police officers are to be sent to Iraq; for how long they will remain there; how their pay and conditions will vary from that in the UK; on what criteria the selection is made; what risk assessment has been carried out; what assessment the Department has made of the effect on crime (a) prevention and (b) detection in the UK of sending officers to Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [128319]

Ms Blears: I have agreed to a request from my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary (Jack Straw) to ask the Association of Chief Police Officers to seek up to 200 volunteers to create a pool of United Kingdom police officers for potential deployment to Iraq. The pool is intended to sustain the deployment of up to 100 United

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Kingdom officers at any one time. Some may be deployed to a third country to assist in the out of country training of the Iraqi police service.

If UK police officers are required they will be deployed for six to 12 month periods. The terms and conditions of service of police officers from English and Welsh police forces will be protected under section 26 of the Police Act 1996. Officers will be recruited according to experience and the skills required for the post. The preliminary selection procedure is a matter for each force. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will conduct the final selection process following recommendations on applicants' suitability from forces.

Every effort will be made to ensure police officers' safety while on mission. Officers will be deployed only when conditions are right. The security position will be reviewed regularly. The advice of the two secondees from the Association of Chief Police Officers presently serving in Iraq will continue to inform any decision on the timing of a deployment of United Kingdom police officers to Iraq. When we judge that conditions are right for deployment, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will approach the Home Office with proposals to draw on the pool.

I have considered the demands on domestic policing resources. The deployment of 100 UK police officers to assist Iraq is within the contingency plans for overall police contributions to peacekeeping missions that have been agreed between the Government and the Association of Chief Police Officers. Chief constables and police authorities will take account of local policing requirements before deciding whether to release officers.

Security (Royal Family)

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that the security arrangements in place for members of the Royal Family (a) while travelling and (b) while in residence are appropriate; and what plans he has to review these. [129608]

Mr. Blunkett: Security arrangements for the Royal Family while travelling or in residence are subject to continual review.

It is policy not to comment in detail on such security measures, as to do so may compromise the safety of those for whom such measures have been taken.

Sexual Assaults

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the Government will adopt the recommendations of the Home Affairs Committee on the liability of employers for sexual assaults committed by their employees. [128398]

Mr. Lammy: The Home Affairs Committee recommended that legislation should be introduced to overturn the House of Lords decision in Lister v Hesley Hall Ltd. in relation to the vicarious liability of an employer for sexual assaults by an employee. The Government do not propose to change the law in this area. The law on vicarious liability is wholly common law based, and has been developed by the courts over

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many years. It is not desirable or practicable to replace it by statute in one particular set of circumstances in which vicarious liability may be held to apply. It is preferable that the courts should continue to have the flexibility to consider all the circumstances of an individual case.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the sites of special scientific interest in the ownership of his Department or its agencies. [129346]

Fiona Mactaggart: The Home Office has seven establishments, which incorporate Sites of Special Scientific Interest. They are:

HMP Dartmoor;


HMP Frankland;


HMP Hewell Grange;


HMP and YOI Hollesley Bay;


HMP Leyhill;


HMP North Sea Camp; and


HMP and YOI Prescoed.

UK Passport and Records Agency

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed by the UK Passport and Records Agency; and what the figure was in each of the last three years. [130493]

Beverley Hughes: The number of employees within the UK Passport Service throughout the year varies to match the seasonal pattern of demand. August is traditionally a period when employment levels are at there highest. As at 31 August 2003 the UK Passport Service employed 2,429 full time equivalent employees.

In the last three financial years the average number of employees at the Passport Service has been:

2002–03—2,384

2001–02—2,426

2000–01—2,238

Work Permits

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all applications of Football League clubs for work permits for foreign players which have been refused in the last 18 months; what the grounds for issuing work permits to overseas footballers are; whether different criteria apply when considering applications from other professions; and if he will make a statement. [129109]

Beverley Hughes: The tables provide detail of the numbers of applications received from Premier and Football League Clubs in England and Scotland for overseas players. The information is broken down by season and includes, where applicable, the outcomes of any review panels held. It is not possible to provide detail of the individual applications refused for reasons of confidentiality.

Work permits are issued to international footballers of the highest calibre who are able to make a significant contribution to the development of the UK game at the highest level. A player must have played for his country

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in at least 75 per cent. of its competitive 'A' team matches for which he was available for selection during the two years preceding the date of the application. Additionally, the player's country must be at or above 70th place in the official FIFA world rankings when averaged over the preceding two years. Where an application does not meet these criteria, the club may seek a review of this decision by an independent review panel of football experts.

The criteria for work permit applications for sportspeople are agreed, sport by sport, in consultation with the respective governing bodies and are reviewed on an annual basis. The criteria which apply to any given sport reflect the stage of development of that sport in the UK and are made public via the Work Permits (UK) website.

Professional football applications for 2002–03 season—summary

	Number
Applications received (England and Scotland)	61
Applications approved	35
Applications refused	25
Applications withdrawn	1
Reviews received	21
Successful reviews	13
Unsuccessful reviews	7
Reviews withdrawn	1
Total approvals	48
Total refusals	12
Total withdrawn	1

Professional football applications for 2003–04 seasonto 1 September 2003—summary

	Number
Applications received (England and Scotland)	40
Applications approved	23
Applications refused	16
Applications withdrawn	1
Reviews received	14
Successful reviews	11
Unsuccessful reviews	3
Reviews withdrawn	—
Total approvals	34
Total refusals	5
Total withdrawn	1

Note:

No applications were received from League of Wales or Northern Ireland

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