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27 Jan 2004 : Column 266W—continued
Medicines (Disposal)
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been in the last five years for the offence of theft of (a) controlled drugs and (b) time-expired pharmaceuticals from sites disposing of NHS waste. [150440]
Caroline Flint: The information collected centrally on court proceedings does not allow the theft of drugs to be distinguished from other thefts, nor are details of the location of thefts collected.
Penalty Points
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether an individual can receive penalty points in respect of more than one driving offence committed on the same day. [148949]
Caroline Flint: Where more than one offence involving obligatory endorsement is committed on the same occasion, the total number of penalty points to be attributed is the number that the most serious offence would attract. Two or more offences committed on the same day but not on the same occasion would attract points separately. It would be for the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and courts to decide whether the different offences amounted to separate incidents or whether they were part of the same continuing incident.
Police Guidelines
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether amendments made by the Association of Chief Police Officers to their media and disciplinary guidelines are publicly available; [143464]
- (2) what amendments have been made, following agreement with the Association of Chief Police Officers, to the media and disciplinary guidelines issued to police forces. [143480]
(3) whether anonymity will be granted to those accused of sexual offences if they have learning difficulties. [143481]
Paul Goggins: This matter was debated during the passage of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
The Government believe that informed and strengthened guidance to the police and the media is preferable to legislation.
Following discussions between the Association of Chief Police Officers and officials the updated Media Advisory Group Guidance Notes have given greater prominence to this issue. They underline that suspects should not be named before charge and go on to highlight the possible dangers of doing so. The Guidance Notes are available to the public and can be viewed on the website www.acpo.police.uk.
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Prisons (Foreign Nationals)
Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are in place to ensure that the Immigration Service (a) monitors the sentences of foreign national prisoners, with particular reference to those liable to deportation and (b) takes action to ensure repatriation or deportation takes place as soon as a prisoner's sentence has expired. [151082]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 26 January 2004]: HM prisons are instructed to notify the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) of all foreign nationals sentenced to a term of imprisonment, together with their release dates once calculated.
IND then considers whether a person should be deported or removed and it is our aim, wherever possible, to remove such persons in line with their release from custody.
There are, however, reasons why this may not happen in a particular case. These may include such factors as the need to consider an appeal or application for leave to remain, the non-availability of travel document, difficulties with travel arrangements or other matters which have to be considered or addressed before the deportation or removal can be effected.
IND and the Prison Service work closely together and with individual inmates to keep any delays in effecting removal to a minimum.
Racist Incident Reporting Form
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the standardised multi-agency racist incident reporting form. [150875]
Fiona Mactaggart [holding answer 26 January 2004]: The minimum data content for the standardised multi agency racist incidents reporting form is in the Code of Practice on reporting and recording racist incidents. This is currently in stock in the Library.
Risk of Sexual Harm Orders
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons his Department deems it unnecessary to be required to report to Parliament the numbers of risk of sexual harm orders that are issued on an annual basis. [150126]
Paul Goggins: The Home Office will monitor the use of risk of sexual harm orders (RSHOs) but, as was stated in the response to the Home Affairs Committee's report on the Sexual Offences Act 2003, we do not feel that there is any need for the number of such orders to be reported annually to Parliament. In common with the other civil preventative orders in Part 2 of the Act, statistics will be collected on the number of RSHOs taken out each year and this information will be available if requested.
Terrestrial Trunked Radio
Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which recommendations of the
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National Radiological Protection Board report on health and safety issues of terrestrial trunked radio have been implemented. [149177]
Ms Blears [holding answer 22 January 2004]: The Home Office took expert advice from the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation (AGNIR) on the health aspects of TETRA technology. The AGNIR experts concluded that on the basis of current evidence, it was unlikely that TETRA posed a hazard to health. They also made a number of recommendations for further research on remaining areas of uncertainty. No research on masts was suggested. The AGNIR recommendations have been taken forward by the Mobile Telecommunications Research Programme and by the Home Office. Regularly updated information is available at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs/tetra.html.
Terrorism
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 15 January 2004, Official Report, column 894W, on the Terrorism Act, if he will break down, by region, the stops and searches carried out since 2001 under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000; what reasons were given for using these powers; and what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increases. [150329]
Mr. Blunkett: A breakdown of stop and searches by Police Force area under section 44(1) and section 44(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000 for the financial years 2001–02 and 2002–03 is provided in the table. This is taken from information published in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin.
Stop and Searches under Section 44(1) or (2) may only be exercised for the purposes of searching for articles of a kind which could be used in connection with terrorism. The decision to authorise use of the powers is made against the background of the current threat level and the assessment of the risk to any designated or whole force area.
The increase in stops and searches can be attributed to an increase in general security throughout the year following September 11 (2001).
(8) Stops and searches of vehicles and occupants and pedestrians are not separately available for 2002–03
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Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings have been held since 25 June of the pilot group tasked with taking forward the recommendation adopted at the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels on 28 and 29 November 2002 in relation to terrorist profiling; and what was discussed at those meetings. [143380]
Caroline Flint: The informal pilot group held its second workshop on terrorist profiling at the headquarters of Europol on 24 November 2003, with United Kingdom representation. This meeting was essentially a stock take, as the research needed to inform this long-term and complex project is ongoing.
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