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5 Nov 2003 : Column 715W—continued
Home Detention Curfews
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have been released from prison on the Home Detention Curfew scheme since the introduction of presumptive release. [135014]
Paul Goggins: The total number of home detention curfew (HOC) releases from 1 May 2002, when the presumptive scheme was introduced, to 30 April 2003 is recorded as 21,928, of which 11,259 were from sentences of under a year.
Immigration
Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects a decision to be made on the application by (a) Mrs. Geraldine Marchant and (b) her daughter Ms Martina Rhule, Ref:M1012795, for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom. [135311]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 30 October 2003]: A decision in respect of both applicants should be made within the next two months.
Information Technology
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Police Service spent on purchasing and upgrading IT equipment (a) in 2003 and (b) in 2002; and what this cost per police officer. [135896]
Ms Blears: The information is set out in the table.
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| Estimated expenditure on ICT equipment(20) England and Wales(£ thousands) | Estimated cost per police officer (£) | |
|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 241,358 | (21)1,8622 |
| 2003–04 | 203,826 | (22)1,5283 |
(20) Information, Communication and Technology capital expenditure includes provisions for Airwave, the new communications system.
(21) Based on police numbers in England and Wales as at 31 March 2002.
(22) Based on police numbers in England and Wales as at 31 March 2003.
Source:
2002–03 figures—CIPFA Police Statistics 2002–03 Estimates
2003–04 figures—CIPFA Police Statistics 2003–04 Estimates
John Tero
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the terms of reference are of the independent clinical review of the case of the late Mr. John Tero; [134617]
- (2) who is carrying out the independent clinical review of the late Mr. John Tero's care in prison; [134618]
(3) when he expects the independent clinical review into the case of the late Mr. John Tero to report; [134619]
(4) what evidence is being considered in the independent clinical review of the case of the late Mr. John Tero. [134620]
Paul Goggins: I was sorry to learn of Mr. Tero's death. The Prison Service has asked Dr. Joseph Blackburn, a General Practitioner and Clinical Governance lead for North Surrey Primary Care Trust, to undertake a clinical review of this. He was given the following terms of reference:
- "In respect to the care of Mr John Tero during his period in custody at Her Majesty's Prison Woodhill and Her Majesty's Prison Wymott:
Was the care post Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP) satisfactory and equivalent to care in the NHS?
Was the care of his gastric symptoms satisfactory and equivalent to care in the NHS, including with regard to:
the clinical recordings of the patient's weight.
referral and attendance at hospital appointments?
Would any of above have affected the prognosis?"
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Miscarriages of Justice
Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are waiting for admittance to the compensation for miscarriages of justice scheme. [133539]
Paul Goggins: There are currently 58 applicants waiting the determination of their eligibility for compensation under section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (the statutory scheme) or under the ex-gratia arrangements announced by the then Home Secretary (Douglas Hurd) in his statement to the House of Commons on 29 November 1985.
Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people who have served under 20 years in prison before being released due to a miscarriage of justice are waiting for admittance to the compensation for miscarriages of justice scheme. [133570]
Paul Goggins [holding answer 21 October 2003]: This information is not readily available. The length of time spent in prison following a wrongful conviction is not a matter that affects a decision on eligibility for compensation. This only becomes a factor when the level of award for a successful applicant is assessed. Consequently, those wrongfully convicted, or their representatives, do not always provide custody details with their initial applications for compensation.
Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to ensure that prompt mental health assessments are available for victims of miscarriages of justice. [133572]
Paul Goggins [holding answer 21 October 2003]: The Home Office funded Royal Courts of Justice Citizens Advice Bureau Miscarriage of Justice Project supports prisoners who have their convictions referred back to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission in the period leading up to their release and for up to six months after. This service would extend to providing advice on obtaining any necessary medical assistance.
Psychiatric and other medical reports are often provided by successful claimants for compensation for miscarriage of justice in support of the non-pecuniary loss element of their claim when it is alleged that the claimant's health/mental health has been affected by their period in prison. While the onus is on the applicant to provide such reports to substantiate the particular element of their claim, the cost in obtaining them will be considered when the final award is being assessed.
Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average waiting time for admittance to the compensation for miscarriages of justice scheme over the last 12 months was. [133573]
Paul Goggins [holding answer 21 October 2003]: In the 12 months to September 2003, the average time taken to determine eligibility for compensation under section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (the
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statutory scheme) or under the ex-gratia arrangements announced by the then Home Secretary (Douglas Hurd) in his statement to the House of Commons on 29 November 1985 was 182 days.
North Wales Police
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) staff, (b) civilian staff and (c) police officers have been recruited by North Wales Police in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [134509]
Ms Blears: The number of police officers in North Wales Police was 1,607 at 31 August 2003, an increase of 238 since March 1997. The number of police staff at 31 March 2003 was 703, an increase of 227 since 31 March 1997. Figures for the recruitment of police staff are not collected centrally. Those for police officers are set in the table.
| Police officers recruitment | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 119 |
| 2001–02 | 90 |
| 2002–03 | 1,331 |
Note:
March 2003 figures are not comparable to previous recruitment figures as data includes transfers from England and Wales forces and officers returning after a period of secondment.
Driving Offences
Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the number of penalty points required to be incurred by drivers leading to an automatic ban; and if he will make a statement. [136182]
Ms Blears: Drivers can expect to be disqualified from driving if they acquire 12 penalty points. The Government have no plans to increase this trigger level.
People Trafficking
Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the need for the introduction of safe houses in Leicestershire for (a) women and (b) children rescued from traffickers involved in the illegal sex trade. [134356]
Caroline Flint: The Government has acknowledged that provision needs to be made for the victims of trafficking, in whichever part of the country they may live. It is intended that any victim support measures should be available in due course for all victims of trafficking.
The best information we have about possible number of victims of trafficking in the United Kingdom comes from research published in the report—Stopping Traffic (2002). This estimated that anything between 140 and 1,400 were trafficked annually into the UK for purposes of sexual exploitation.
At present the majority of known trafficking cases are in London and surrounding areas—this is where the service delivery partner is based and have developed
5 Nov 2003 : Column 719W
their specialist services. Additionally pro-active policing by the Metropolitan Police is uncovering numbers of victims of trafficking in London also.
There is growing evidence to suggest this is a national problem and it seems reasonable to suppose that wherever there is a well developed vice market, there is likely to be a demand for trafficked women to work in the sex industry.
The White Paper "Secure Borders, Safe Haven"—published in February 2002—sets out our general proposals for assisting the victims of human trafficking.
On 10 March this year, we launched a pilot scheme in the London area. Under the scheme, adult female victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation whose circumstances meet the criteria set out in the White Paper are offered protection and support provided:
- The victim has been brought to the UK;
She is being forcibly exploited;
She is working as a prostitute or she demonstrates that she has escaped from the trafficker, and that in the period immediately prior to her escape she had been working as a prostitute;
She has come forward to the authorities; and;
She is willing to co-operate with the authorities.
Under the provisions of the Children Act 1989 minors are the responsibility of local authority social services Departments. It is not possible for minors to be admitted to the pilot scheme.
The pilot scheme will be evaluated to assess its impact. We will then consider what more we can do to help victims of trafficking.
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