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Crime (North-West)

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the recorded crime figures were for the north-west in each year since 1992. [134899]

Ms Blears: The requested information is given in the table. The north-west region is comprised of the following police force areas: Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside.

Total number of crimes recorded by the police for the north west region

	Number
1992	801,832
1993	765,664
1994	719,653
1995	720,732
1996	702,372
1997	649,310
1998–99	726,730
1999–2000	736,381
2000–01	720,055
2001–02	777,809
2002–03	795,024

Note:

Up to 1997, offences were recorded on a calendar year basis, and on a financial year basis thereafter.

There was a change of counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, which had the effect of increasing the number of crimes counted. Numbers of offences for years before and after this date are therefore not directly comparable.

The National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) was introduced across England and Wales in April 2002. Some police forces adopted the Standard prior to this date. Cheshire and Merseyside police forces introduced the Standard in April 2002, Greater Manchester in January 2002, Cumbria in April 2001, and Lancashire in August 2000. Broadly, the NCRS had the effect of increasing the number of crimes recorded by the police. Therefore, following the introduction of the Standard, numbers of recorded crimes are not comparable with previous years.

Ministerial Travel

Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was to his Department for (a) ministerial cars and drivers, (b) taxis, (c) train travel, (d) the use of helicopters, (e) airline tickets and (f) chartered aeroplanes in each year since 1997. [123076]

Fiona Mactaggart: Information on the costs of categories (a) ministerial cars and drivers and (f) chartered planes, in respect of ministerial travel, is being provided centrally by the Cabinet Office in a parallel question.

With regard to the departmental cost of taxi, train and air travel since 1997, the detailed information requested is not held centrally within the Home Office and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. All official travel undertaken by Home Office employees is in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service

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Management Code. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the "Ministerial Code" and "Travel by Ministers".

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the (a) foreign and (b) UK visits he has made since 1 April; with the cost to public funds of each; whom he met; and the gifts received. [126899]

Mr. Blunkett: The Government publishes an annual list of gifts received by Ministers valued at more than £140. The information for 2003–04 will be published after the end of the financial year.

The Government also publishes on an annual basis the cost and details of all Ministers' visits overseas. The information for 2003–04 will be published after the end of the financial year.

Detailed information for all Ministers in respect of UK travel is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All travel is undertaken fully in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are in the Library.

Entitlement Cards

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Southwark, North and Bermondsey (Simon Hughes) of 7 April 2003, Official Report, column 36W, on entitlement cards, when the summary of responses to the consultation on entitlement cards will be published. [133969]

Beverley Hughes: We would prefer to publish the summary of responses to the consultation alongside an announcement of how the Government intends to proceed. This is currently being considered by Ministers.

Ministerial Allowances

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there is a ministerial allowance for mobile phone costs. [135785]

Fiona Mactaggart: There is no ministerial allowance for mobile phone costs. Ministers have access to mobile phones for ministerial duties should they require them.

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the financial allowances that Home Office Ministers are allotted; and how much each Home Office Minister has spent of their allowance so far this financial year. [135918]

Fiona Mactaggart: Ministers are not allotted financial allowances.

People Trafficking

Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the number of (a) women and (b) children being trafficked into (i) the UK and (ii) Leicestershire through the illegal sex industry in the last 24 months. [134354]

Caroline Flint: The nature of trafficking means that it is a hidden crime. The only available estimates of the levels of trafficking are based on a Home Office research

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study 'Stopping Traffic' (Police Research Series 125, published in 2000), which indicated that there was intelligence to suggest that some women and children are trafficked into the UK for the purposes of sexual exploitation. This was estimated at between 140 and 1,400 per year but it was impossible to make a more accurate assessment of numbers. The report concluded that there was no evidence to suggest that this was on a large scale compared with other European countries.

However, the very nature of the crime demands that it is treated very seriously, which is why the Government have introduced criminal sanctions covering traffickers and has tasked the Reflex group with coordinating the response to this problem. Leicestershire Constabulary are engaged with Reflex in building up intelligence and multi-agency working to tackle trafficking at a regional and national level. Reflex is sponsoring a major Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) conference on 13 November on this issue.

The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act received Royal Assent in November last year, and sections 145 and 146 of it came into force on 10 February 2003. Data on numbers of prosecutions under these sections will be collected in the usual way and published in Home Office Criminal Statistics. Given that the powers came into effect recently there is not any information yet held centrally about numbers of prosecutions.

Local Policing (New Earswick)

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the experiment in local policing at New Earswick; and if he will make a statement. [135336]

Ms Blears: Any assessment of the local policing experiment in New Earswick is for the Chief Constable of North Yorkshire to make. Nonetheless, the Government encourages the principle of local people's involvement and participation in delivering police services for their communities.

The Government published on 4 November a consultation document on police reform, which seeks views on involving communities in shaping and delivering their policing services.

Police Force (Racial Discrimination)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he intends to take in relation to racial discrimination in the police force. [135384]

Ms Blears: I am committed to driving out racist attitudes wherever they are found. We are engaged with the leadership of the Police Service in addressing diversity and racism in recruitment, training and development and in the conduct of officers and staff. I welcome the service's determination to confront racism, as evidenced by Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO's) seven point programme. I welcome too the Commission for Racial Equality's investigation announced on 30 October and their wish to work consultatively with Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

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We have developed new selection processes which test candidates' attitudes towards race and diversity vigorously through interviews, role play and written assessment. These processes are already in place in 13 forces and will be implemented in the remainder of the service by summer 2004. Those candidates who do not meet the standard are not recruited, regardless of performance elsewhere in the assessments.

Fundamental changes to the way in which probationer constables are trained are under way. The focus will be in delivery of practice-based training within the local community rather than in residential police training centres. This new approach is already being piloted in several areas of the country. A new curriculum is being designed which will reinforce high professional standards and respect for race and diversity. Engagement with the community will be a key element in the new programme. The training of trainers and tutor constables in race and diversity awareness will also be addressed. The new programme will start to be trialled from April 2004.

A review of the delivery of Community and Race Relations training in the Police Service was published by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in March 2003 and the recommendations of that report are being taken forward. The strategy for the next phase of the training will call for leadership at all levels to drive cultural change.

There are procedures under the Police Act 1996 and the Police (Misconduct) Regulations 1999 to deal with conduct which falls below the required standard. These procedures can be invoked by way of a complaint from a member of the public or a report or allegation from any other person. This includes any complaint or allegation of racial discrimination or attitudes. The Police Reform Act 2002 introduces a new complaints system to come into force on 1 April 2004, under which serious racial discrimination is a category of a complaint that must be referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which will decide how such a complaint will be dealt with.

It is important that attitudes within the service change and that staff themselves are confident to bring forward evidence of racism. I do not wish to rely on revelations by the media but on proper investigation, analysis and decisive action by senior officers when they are made aware of such evidence.

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