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11 Feb 2004 : Column 1511W—continued
Proceeds of Crime Act 2002
Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reports of suspicious transactions reported to the National Criminal Intelligence Service since the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 came into effect have provided information related to the offence of bribery of a foreign public official. [151380]
Caroline Flint: Under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 reports on potential money laundering, known as 'Suspicious Activity Reports', are made to the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS). NCIS do not keep information on the types of offence underlying the reports, which will often only become clear following further investigation by the relevant law enforcement agencies. The information requested about the number of Suspicious Activity Reports made relating to the bribery of foreign officials is therefore not available.
Suspicious Activity Reports would only be one source of information on such matters. A member of staff of NCIS' International Division acts as the point of contact for the monitoring of all allegations of bribery of foreign officials.
Public Servants (Wrongdoing)
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what processes are available to public servants to raise concerns about serious wrongdoings by other public servants if they have reason to believe that their disclosure is in the public interest. [153740]
Fiona Mactaggart: The Government established an arrangement under which Departments, including the Home Office and its agencies, nominate an official or officials outside line management to whom civil servants are able to report concerns in confidence, under the Civil Service Code.
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The Civil Service Code in its current form was introduced with effect from 1 January 1996, and revised and re-issued in May 1999. It offers an independent line of appeal to the Civil Service Commissioners, where an individual feels that his/her concern has not received a reasonable response.
Recruitment Advertising
Miss Kirkbride:: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on recruitment advertisements in the press, broken down by publication, by (a) his Department, (b) quangos under the Department and (c) non-departmental Government bodies under the Department (i) in the last year and (ii) since 1997. [145803]
Fiona Mactaggart: Information about the total spend on recruitment advertisements for the Home Office, including the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, for the years 2000 701, 2001–02 and 2002–03 is shown in the table. Figures for the current year are not yet available.
The Home Office uses Job Centres and a wide variety of publications to advertise posts—including local, minority ethnic and the national press. A breakdown of the publications used could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The Home Office does not routinely collect information about the recruitment advertising costs for quangos or non-departmental government bodies under the Department.
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Special Constables
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special constables there were in each London borough on 1 January of each of the last six years. [153076]
Ms Blears: There are no statistics published centrally on the number of Special Constables at local authority level or by Basic Command Unit. Statistics relating to the total number of Special Constables in the City of London and the Metropolitan Police District are given in the table.
| Strength as at31 March | London,City of | Metropolitan police | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 76 | 1,282 | 1,358 |
| 1999 | 64 | 1,138 | 1,202 |
| 2000 | 56 | 758 | 814 |
| 2001 | 43 | 774 | 817 |
| 2002 | 36 | 680 | 716 |
| 2003 | 42 | 692 | 734 |
All forces have been given funding for dedicated staff and initiatives to help implement good practice and recruit more Special Constables over the next 2–3 years. We are also running a national recruitment campaign, including television advertisements, starting on the 9 February, to coincide with the 2 National Specials Weekend on the 28–29 February.
Speed Cameras
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motorists were banned from driving for a period as a result of being caught by (a) speed and (b) red light cameras in (i) 1997, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 2002. [153668]
Caroline Flint: Information for England and Wales for the years 1997 and 2000 is given in the table. 2002 data will be available in the spring.
| 1997 | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Speed offences(22) | 675 | 1,417 |
| Traffic light offences(23) | 33 | 39 |
(21) Excludes persons disqualified under section 35 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 (penalty points system).
(22) Offences under the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 and The Motor Vehicles (Speed Limits on Motorways) Regulations 1973.
(23) Offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 and The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 1984.
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Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what differences there are in the calibration of speed cameras between police authority areas; and whether all authorities apply a 10 per cent. and 2 mph allowance over the speed limit before a fixed penalty or prosecution is initiated. [154474]
Caroline Flint: All cameras are required to detect and record the speed of passing vehicles within specified degrees of accuracy. Until July 2003 the standard was a positive error of no more than 3mph up to 100mph, and 3 per cent. above 100mph. The negative error was not greater than 5mph or 10 per cent. above 50mph. From July 2003, in line with European standards, new speed cameras will be required to be accurate to ±2mph up to 66mph and ±3 per cent. above 66mph. This has not yet been implemented for existing cameras, but we consider that all cameras are in fact already accurate to this level.
The enforcement of speed limits on the basis of information provided by the cameras is an operational matter for chief officers of police. The Association of Chief Police Officers has published guidelines on speed enforcement thresholds to support a transparent and consistent approach, while recognising that not all speeding offences are the same. The police retain discretion to take account of the particular circumstances of any particular speeding incident.
All police forces follow the guidelines, which are publicly available on the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) website (www.acpo.police.uk)
NORTHERN IRELAND
Paramilitary-style Assaults
7. Mr. Luke: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to eradicate paramilitary-style assaults on the civil population of Northern Ireland. [153161]
Jane Kennedy: The Government utterly condemn all paramilitary violence and acts of intimidation and remains resolute in its determination to see these brought to an end. We continue to call on those with influence over paramilitary groups to call a complete end to these barbaric attacks. This is also an area that the recently appointed Independent Monitoring Commission will regularly report on as part of their overall remit.
Parades Commission
8. Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the work of the Parades Commission. [153162]
Jane Kennedy: The year 2003 witnessed the most peaceful marching season for some considerable time. I pay tribute to the Parades Commission who have played an important role in tackling the difficult task in considering and issuing determinations with regard to contentious parades.
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Organised Crime Taskforce
9. Mr. Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the work of the Organised Crime Taskforce. [153163]
Jane Kennedy : The partner agencies of the Organised Crime Task Force continue to make a real impact in frustrating, disrupting and dismantling the organised crime gangs in Northern Ireland. Since 1 January 2004, the Police Service of Northern Ireland has seized cannabis valued at £2.75 million and Customs officers have seized 7 million contraband cigarettes.
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