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6 Oct 2003 : Column 1240W—continued
Paedophiles
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce minimum sentences for those guilty of paedophile offences; and if he will make a statement. [128987]
Paul Goggins: The Government have no plans to introduce a minimum sentence for those found guilty of sexual offences against children. The offences cover a wide range of behaviour and in some cases the offender may himself be a child.
However, the Criminal Justice Bill currently before Parliament will establish a Sentencing Guidelines Council, chaired by the Lord Chief Justice. The Council will be responsible for setting guidelines for the full range of criminal offences, including sexual offences against children. It will be required to consult Parliament before publishing a guideline and will commission advice from the Sentencing Advisory Panel which will consult widely.
The guidelines should ensure that there is an agreed starting point for sentences and agreed aggravating and mitigating factors. In each individual case, the judge or magistrate will continue to make a decision as to sentence as they see fit, but will be required to operate within the Council's guidelines or explain why they do not apply to the case in question.
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce legislation to increase the maximum sentence for those guilty of paedophile offences; and if he will make a statement on judicial leniency in such cases. [128988]
Paul Goggins: The new Sexual Offences Bill includes a range of child sexual offences that will cover not only unlawful sexual intercourse but also other forms of sexual touching involving a child under 16. The offences are underpinned by maximum penalties. Many of these represent significant increases on the maximum penalties available for the comparable offending at present.
The Criminal Justice Bill currently before Parliament will establish a Sentencing Guidelines Council, chaired by the Lord Chief Justice. The Council will be
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responsible for setting guidelines for the full range of criminal offences, including sexual offences against children. It is proposed that Parliament will also be consulted as a guideline is developed. In each individual case, the judge or magistrate will continue to make a decision as to sentence as they see fit, but will be required to operate within the Council's guidelines or explain why they do not apply to the case in question.
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the funding for the Special Paedophile Unit; and if he will make a statement on its role. [128989]
Paul Goggins: The Paedophilia On Line Investigation Team (POLIT) is a unit of the National Crime Squad (NCS) which administers online paedophile investigations on a national basis.
The unit is responsible for directing key investigations on behalf of forces and providing a national single point of contact for international enquiries in relation to online child sex abuse. The unit is particularly well known for the vital role it has assumed in the co-ordination of Operation Ore.
The funding of this unit is currently being considered as part of the wider funding provision for the National Crime Squad for the years 2004–05 and beyond.
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are in place to test whether a convicted paedophile is ready for release; and what plans he has to change these procedures. [128990]
Paul Goggins: Where release of a prisoner is discretionary, a variety of reports from a number of different sources are produced to assess a prisoner's suitability for release, and to inform the decision making process. These may include specific assessments designed for sex offenders. The assessment process is kept under review.
Parliamentary Questions
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many questions directed to him remain unanswered. [130763]
Fiona Mactaggart: The current number of parliamentary questions directed to the Secretary of State for the Home Department yet to be answered is 320.
Passports
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to deny visa-waived entrance to EU passport holders who carry passports without modern security features. [128661]
Beverley Hughes: Under EC law, EU nationals must be admitted to the United Kingdom if they produce, on arrival, a valid passport or national identity card issued by an EU State, regardless of the security features contained in those documents. Therefore there are no plans to introduce visa requirements for EU passport or identity card holders.
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The European Community currently has a general power that would enable it to agree provisions on security features on identity cards, residence permits and passports on the basis of unanimity. This will be reinforced under the draft Constitutional Treaty which will provide a specific unanimity legal base and will raise the profile of EU competency in this area.
This will allow the European Community to actively press for improved levels of security and quality in all member states' identity documents.
Peaceful Demonstrations
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the use of powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 in relation to peaceful demonstrations. [130221]
Mr. Blunkett: Powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 are available to police to prevent acts of terrorism, and to aid investigation into terrorist activities. The use of such powers at any demonstration should be only for these purposes.
Where specific concerns arise, I have sought reviews from the relevant force and they in turn have taken appropriate steps to review their own operational procedures.
Performance Targets (Criminal Justice System)
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the SR2002 public service agreement targets are for the criminal justice system with effect from April 2003. [128875]
Paul Goggins: The Home Office's public service agreement targets, with effect from April 2003, were agreed with Her Majesty's Treasury as part of the 2002 Spending Review. They were laid before the House, on 15 July 2002, in the White paper '2002 Spending Review: Public Service Agreements' (Cm 5571), a copy of which was placed in the Library.
These targets are shared with the Department for Constitutional Affairs and the Crown Prosecution Service.
Details of the public service agreement targets from SR2002 are also available on the Her Majesty's Treasury website www.hm-treasury.gov.uk.
Police
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were licensed to carry firearms in each year since 1997. [129940]
Ms Blears: The number of authorised firearms officers (AFOs) in police forces in England and Wales for years 1997–2002 are shown in the table.
| Number of authorised firearms officers (AFOs) | |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 6,738 |
| 1997–98 | 6,585 |
| 1998–99 | 6,308 |
| 1999–2000 | 6,262 |
| 2000–01 | 6,064 |
| 2001–02 | 5,776 |
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Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the more flexible working practices in the Police Service are that are referred to on page 46 of the 2003 Departmental Report. [130505]
Ms Blears: A number of more flexible working practices were implemented in April 2003, as part of the reforms to police pay and conditions agreed by the Police Negotiating Board in May 2002. They are:
- A national target of a 15 per cent. reduction in overtime expenditure by 2005–06, designed to give officers a healthier work life balance;
A change from annual rosters to three-month rosters;
Removal of the 16-hour a week minimum requirement for part-time working;
Removal of the requirement for job-sharing in middle and senior ranks; and
Rationalisation of the system of allowances.
Ms Blears: The Police Standards Unit's (PSU) work with police forces to address performance issues is initiated where there are gaps in performance across a range of indicators, including key volume crime indicators. The full range of indicators were set out in the National Policing Plan 2003–06. The PSU is also leading the development of the Policing Performance Assessment Framework (PPAF) which aims to provide a broader balanced score approach to performance assessment.
While each PSU project is subject to scrutiny and review, no formal assessment has been made to quantify the impact of this work on meeting specific volume crime targets in forces. PSU is making, and will continue to make, a significant impact in assisting forces to improve their performance.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made by police forces in England and Wales in emulating the best practice highlighted by the National Centre for Policing Excellence. [130506]
Ms Blears: The National Centre for Policing Excellence was launched in April 2003 to increase the professional capacity of the police by identifying and disseminating evidence-based best practice. In 2002–03, it produced a knowledge map on street robbery which has been available to all forces on the Criminal Justice Extranet. It is too early, however, to judge how effective this good practice guidance has been in improving the professional capability of the Police Service.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces in England and Wales have signed up to the best practice standards in the use of the National Intelligence Model. [130507]
Ms Blears: The National Policing Plan commits all forces in England and Wales to be National Intelligence Model (NIM) compliant by April 2004. Implementation is supported by Home Office funding. Regular
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assessments of progress are taking place and development plans are in place within forces where appropriate.
Mr. Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what appraisals of the safety and reliability records of different types of pistols are being undertaken in relation to weapons recommended for police use. [130697]
Ms Blears: All forces are required to notify the Police Scientific Development Branch (who are part of the Home Office) of any failures or defects in weapons or ammunition in order that an assessment can be made as to whether there is a need for further investigation and potential circulation of information to all forces.
Mr. Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the manufacturers of pistols used by UK police forces; and if he will indicate for each manufacturer which other Western European police forces use weapons of that manufacture. [130698]
Ms Blears: Decisions on the make of pistols used by UK police forces would be a matter for chief officers. Information on the weapons used by other European police forces is not available.
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