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20 Oct 2003 : Column 418W—continued
Timber
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the inquiry into the use of Indonesian rainforest timber at 2 Marsham Street will be completed; and if he will place a copy of the report in the Library. [131677]
Fiona Mactaggart: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms Walley) on 1 September 2003, Official Report, column 985W. The report was prepared for internal use. An edited version is being placed in the Library which omits text covered by the exemptions in Part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. The recommendations have been and are being implemented. Arrangements for monitoring construction timber purchased by the developer for their own use have now been put in place. This is in addition to the previously planned arrangements for monitoring timber that will be part of the new building. Despite extensive inquiries the developer has been unable to establish precisely the source of the timber used to manufacture plywood previously supplied to the site.
Juvenile Prisoners (Strip Searches)
Dr. Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether the guidelines for strip searching juvenile prisoners are the same as for strip searching children in (a) local authority secure children's homes and (b) secure training centres; [130240]
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- (2) whether the guidelines for strip searching juvenile prisoners are the same as for adult prisoners; [130241]
(3) whether force may be used to strip search a juvenile prisoner. [130242]
Paul Goggins: The Prison Service Security Manual gives instruction to all prisons on how to strip search prisoners in line with Prison Rule 41 and Young Offender Institution Rule 43. The frequency with which this is carried out is generally decided by the prison governor and the area manager, except for certain activities where there is mandatory routine strip searching, such as reception.
There is no equivalent central guidance issued by local authority secure children's homes. Each home operates its own policy according to their security needs. Some homes do not strip search any young persons in their care, while others may strip search all new arrivals. Strip searching may also be carried out where there is suspicion that illicit items are being concealed, sometimes with the assistance of the police. The methods used to perform a strip search are also decided by each centre without central guidance.
The Secure Training Centre (STC) Rules 1998 and the Operational Procedures of the companies that run the three STCs provide guidance that must be followed by staff involved in strip searching. These techniques are similar to those used by the Prison Service.
The current Prison Service Policy on strip searching in the Security Manual (Prison Service Order 1000) applies to all categories and types of prisoner. This includes instructions on techniques and frequency of strip searching.
The Prison Service recognises the sensitivities around the strip searching of young prisoners, and separate guidance has recently been issued to Governors of prisons holding juvenile prisoners emphasising the need for staff to be aware of specific child protection issues.
Training modules for new entrant officers also include specific advice for staff involved in conducting strip searches of young prisoners. Officers conducting strip searches are expected to be aware of the ways in which searches, and the way they are conducted, may affect young people.
Young Offender Rules and the Prison Service Security Manual allow force to be used where a young person refuses to comply with a lawful order to submit to a strip search. No more force than is necessary will be used and it will be used only as a last resort.
Community Policing
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police forces operate a system of named local police officers. [131657]
Ms Blears: The Home Office does not have information centrally on those police forces that operate a system of named local police officers. Community policing is emphasised to different degrees by different police forces.
Citizen focused policing prioritises the need to access, understand and engage with communities by ensuring that the citizen perspective is embedded within their
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decision making, policies, practices and service delivery, in order to improve police effectiveness. We want to see all police forces putting more effort into actively engaging with their local communities. The Community beat officer is a vital link between the police service as a whole and the local community.
Probation Services
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there will be a shortfall in the (a) National Probation Service and (b) National Probation Directorate budget for 2003–04. [131164]
Paul Goggins: The 2003–04 settlement added £70 million to the probation budget. An overspend on this budget is projected but this is not unusual at this time of the financial cycle and by the end of the year it is anticipated that the budget will be in balance.
Terrorism Act
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many stops and searches have been carried out during 2003 by each police force in the UK under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000. [131585]
Mr. Blunkett: Figures on stops and searches under Section 44(1) and Section 44(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000 are published annually in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin. The latest published figures are for the financial year 2001–02. These are set out in the table. Figures for 2002–03 are due to be published in November this year. Figures for 2003–04 will be published when the relevant data has been collated and verified.
(5) Formerly section 13A and 13B of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 and repealed under the Terrorism Act 2000 which came into force on 19 February 2001.
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Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those stopped and searched during the current year under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 have been (a) arrested, (b) charged with an offence and (c) charged with a terrorism offence. [131586]
Mr. Blunkett: The data collected on stops and searches made under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 is not automatically cross-referenced by the forces with the data they hold on arrests or on those charged. This information could therefore be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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