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Business Insurance Premiums

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated financial cost in terms of higher insurance premiums for businesses was in each of the last three years as a result of crime. [130473]

Ms Blears: The Government does not make any estimates of the increase in insurance premia for business as a result of crime. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) publishes annual information in their "Insurance Statistics Yearbook" on trends in total premium income but this does not identify the overall impact of crime on insurance premiums.

The Home Office has published estimates of the economic and social costs of crime (Home Office Research Study 217). This study includes the cost of "insurance administration", that is the resources used in administering and processing premiums and claims, based on information in the ABI "Yearbook". The study estimates the total cost to society of insurance administration in England and Wales in 1999–2000 was £200 million for crime against the commercial and public sectors.

CCTV

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the installation by private individuals on their property of CCTV cameras to monitor public areas. [129245]

Ms Blears: While the Home Office supports the installation by private individuals of CCTV cameras, and other appropriate security measures, to protect their property, we do not support the installation by private individuals of cameras that monitor or overlook public areas.

Chemical Agents

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which chemical agents are deployed for law enforcement and riot control purposes in the UK; what delivery devices are used; how much of each agent has been deployed in the last 12 months; and which institutions have received the agents. [128867]

Ms Blears [holding answer 11 September 2003]: CS is currently the only chemical irritant authorised for use by police forces in the UK. The CS is available in a number of different delivery systems.

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The Police Service retains a tactical option to use CS agents to disperse a riotous assembly in life-threatening situations; subject to prior authorisation by the relevant chief officer. The CS is pyrotechnically discharged in the form of a cloud of smoke from a hand-thrown or weapon-launched grenade. The option has only been used once in a public disorder situation in Toxteth, Liverpool, in 1981. A small stock of such devices is retained by some forces.

CS in the form of an incapacitant spray is also issued to individual officers by the majority of police forces in the UK as a piece of personal defensive equipment for routine carriage. The method of delivery of CS in this case is by a discriminate aerosol spray with a range of up to four metres. Recording of the use of the spray is the responsibility of each individual force.

CS is also available to police forces in the form of 'barricade penetrating rounds' fired from a shotgun. These rounds rapidly disperse micronised CS in a cloud form within enclosed premises; the tactic is used, in extremis, to create a distraction or to encourage individuals to leave the premises. The rounds are only deployed on the authority of a senior officer for use by specially trained firearms officers in firearms/siege type situations.

Child Abuse

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to tackle child pornography on the internet. [127791]

Paul Goggins: The Government are committed to tackling child pornography on the internet. We are determined to ensure that there are effective measures to combat this exploitation of children. In January 2001, we raised the maximum penalties for taking, making, distributing or showing indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children to 10 years (from three years), and the maximum penalty for simple possession of such material to five years (from six months). There are proposals in the Sexual Offences Bill currently before Parliament that these offences should apply to photographs and pseudo-photographs of children up to the age of 18.

We have made substantial investment in law enforcement to enhance the capability of the police to investigate serious and organised crime committed via computers or computer networks, such as the internet. In April 2001, the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit was established, within the National Crime Squad, to investigate or support the investigation of such serious criminal activity, including the production and distribution of child pornography.

In March 2001, the then Home Secretary established a Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet. The Task Force includes representatives from internet service and communication providers, PC and software retailers and manufacturers, child welfare organisations, the main opposition parties, law enforcement agencies and academics. The Task Force has brought forward proposals for legislation to tackle paedophile 'grooming' activity on and off-line. In addition, sub-groups of the Task Force are looking at a

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range of issues including the evaluation of rating and filtering systems, and the impact of 3G mobile telephones.

Officials and members of the Taskforce have also produced a single document covering separate models of good practice relating to chat services, instant messaging and web services, which was published on 6 January 2003. We consider that these models are a significant step forward in making the internet a safer place for children. We will be reviewing the models and their impact in the near future.

Internationally, the Government actively support efforts within the European Union, and more widely, to combat child pornography on the internet. In November 2001, we signed April 2001, the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit was established, within the National Crime Squad, to investigate or support the investigation of such serious criminal activity, including the production and distribution of child pornography.

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has given to law enforcement agencies on combating child prostitution. [127785]

Paul Goggins: It is a tragedy for any child to become involved in prostitution. Children involved in prostitution are primarily victims of abuse and adults who take advantage of them, whether by exploiting them as pimps or by buying sexual services from them, are child abusers.

The Government issued guidance for law enforcement agencies and other agencies working with children entitled "Safeguarding Children in Prostitution" in May 2000. This was followed by "The National Plan for Safeguarding Children from Commercial Sexual Exploitation", which was published in September 2001.

The key message of both documents is that those under 18 who engage in prostitution are almost invariably victims and must be treated as such. A further key message is that wherever possible criminal justice action should be pursued against those who abuse children through prostitution or seek to exploit them as prostitutes.

The Sexual Offences Bill currently before Parliament proposes new offences to tackle the sexual exploitation of children, which will carry severe penalties. The proposals cover the exploitative and abusive activities associated with child prostitution and the involvement of children in pornography.

The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 introduces a new offence of trafficking persons to control them in prostitution. This offence carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. The Sexual Offences Bill includes more comprehensive trafficking legislation to re-enact and replace these provisions, again carrying a maximum penalties of 14 years imprisonment. We have also developed and published a 'toolkit' on victims of trafficking, which is a guide for immigration officers, police and others potentially dealing with trafficking victims. We hope that the

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toolkit will raise awareness of the difference between trafficking and smuggling, and help them to treat trafficking victims fairly.

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has to criminalise all forms of child trafficking in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [129085]

Beverley Hughes: The UK is committed to tackling the trafficking of children for sexual exploitation. Our strategy on trafficking is set out in the White Paper Secure Border Safe Haven and focuses on strengthening the law through new offences covering trafficking; providing appropriate support to victims of trafficking in the UK; tackling the criminals through intelligence and enforcement operations through the Reflex taskforce; EU co-operation and prevention in source and transit countries in partnership with Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department for International Development (DFID).

The new Sexual Offences Bill sets out new wide-ranging offences covering trafficking for sexual exploitation to replace the stop-gap offence of trafficking for the purpose of prostitution, introduced in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. The offence of trafficking for sexual exploitation carries a tough maximum penalty of 14 years. In addition to this, the Bill also introduces a new offence of commercial sexual exploitation of a child, which will protect children up to 18. It covers a range of offences, including buying the sexual services of a child, (for which the penalty ranges from seven years to life depending on the age of the child); and causing, facilitating or controlling the commercial sexual exploitation of a child in prostitution or pornography, for which the maximum penalty will be 14 years imprisonment.

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