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12 Feb 2004 : Column 1699W—continued
Waiting Times (Breast Cancer)
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statistics are collated on waiting times for breast cancer patients other than the two-week target for general practitioner urgent referral to first outpatient appointment. [152928]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 5 February 2004]: The primary purpose of the NHS Cancer Plan is to save more lives. Reducing waiting times is key to achieving this. For breast cancer, waiting times data is collected and published on: the two week outpatient waiting time standard from urgent general practitioner referral to seeing a specialist; and since 2001, a milestone of a maximum one month from diagnosis with breast
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cancer to first definitive treatment. From 2002 data has been collected on the further milestone of a maximum two months from urgent general practitioner referral with suspected breast cancer to first definitive treatment. We have made significant progress on both counts. Data on achievement of NHS Cancer Plan waiting times targets are published on the Department's website for strategic health authorities and trusts, at http://www. dh.gov.uk/cancerwaits
Working Time Directive
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the implications of the Working Time Directive for the work of general practitioners in the Chorley South Ribble Primary Care Trust. [153488]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Working Time Directive (WTD) is an integral part of modernising and improving services at all levels. The majority of general practitioners are self employed and as such are not covered by the WTD.
Of the smaller number of GPs, those who are fully qualified have been covered by the WTD since 1998, along with other national health service staff. It is the responsibility of primary care trusts to monitor the hours worked by those GPs in their employment. This information is not collected centrally.
Yellow/red Cards
Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) yellow and (b) red cards have been issued by (i) Barnsley hospital, (ii) Doncaster Royal infirmary and (iii) all south-Yorkshire hospitals in each of the last three years. [153717]
Miss Melanie Johnson: This information is not collected centrally.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Criminal Justice Boards
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to include representatives of (a) magistrates' and (b) justices' clerks on criminal justice boards. [151775]
Paul Goggins: Both the magistracy and the justices' clerks are included in the consultative machinery that each local criminal justice board has set up. There are no plans, however, to include them in the 'core' membership of the boards.
Speed Cameras
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money was raised in fines from speed cameras in the Humberside area in the last three years. [154167]
Caroline Flint: Information on the revenue raised from speed offences detected by camera is not available.
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However the table shows, for the Humberside police force area, the number of fixed penalties ordered to be paid and the number of court fines for such offences in the calendar years 1999 to 2001 (latest available).
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Information for 2002 will be available in the spring.
Not all fines and fixed penalties will have been paid.
| Fixed penalties | Court proceedings(19) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of tickets(20) | Estimated revenue (£)(21) | Number of fines | Total amount of fine (£) | Average fine | |
| 1999 | 7,400 | 296,200 | 240 | 22,600 | 96 |
| 2000 | 15,700 | 680,500 | 27 | 2,600 | 97 |
| 2001(22) | 13,600 | 816,200 | 15 | 3,150 | 210 |
(17) Offences under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and The Motor Vehicles (Speed Limits on Motorways) Regulations 1973.
(18) Automatic cameras until 1998, all camera types from 1999.
(19) Includes cases where fixed penalty notices were originally issued but not paid and subsequently referred to court.
(20) Paid, i.e. no further action.
(21) Estimate based on £40 fixed penalty charge to October 2000. From November 2000 the penalty was raised to £60.
(22) A single month's shortfall was found for court proceedings summary motoring offences within Humberside police force in 2001.
Note:
Figures have been rounded.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money was raised in fines from speed cameras in the last year for which records are available in (a) West Sussex and (b) the East Worthing and Shoreham constituency. [154399]
Caroline Flint: Information on the revenue raised from speed offences detected by camera is not available.
Available information on the number of fixed penalties and court fines ordered to be paid within the Sussex police force area for the offence of "speeding detected by camera" in 2001 is shown in the table. It is not possible from the data collected centrally to identify the County of West Sussex and the constituency of East Worthing and Shoreham within the geographical area of the Sussex police force.
Information for 2002 will be available in the spring.
Not all fines and fixed penalties will have been paid.
| Fixed penalties | Court proceedings(24) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of tickets(25) | Estimated revenue (£)(26) | Number of fines | Total amount of fine (£) | Average fine | |
| 2001 | 10,900 | 655,100 | 720 | 57,500 | 80 |
(23) Offences under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and The Motor Vehicles (Speed Limits on Motorways) Regulations 1973.
(24) Includes cases where fixed penalty notices were originally issued but not paid and subsequently referred to court.
(25) Paid, i.e. no further action.
(26) 'Estimate' based on £60 penalty charge.
Note:
Figures have been rounded.
Airwave
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the Airwave service to be fully operational within Gwent police force. [154349]
Ms Blears: Gwent is in the process of migrating to full operational use on a division-by-division basis. It is expected that the entire force will be using Airwave by mid-June 2004.
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Airwave service will be available on a national basis. [154350]
Ms Blears: The Airwave system will be available to all forces in England, Wales and Scotland by June 2005. It is already available to 31 forces in England and Wales.
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what he expects the operational benefits to the police of the investment in the Airwave services will be; and if he will make a statement. [154351]
Ms Blears: Airwave is not simply a replacement for existing police radio systems. In addition to much improved coverage and clearer, more reliable signals there are additional features that will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the police service
Using Airwave, all police officers and police staff will be on the same system, with seamless communications nationally.
Airwave provides higher capacity than is presently available—allowing, for example, the many users attending a major incident to talk at the same time without overloading the system. Airwave also allows for flexible talk-groups, letting officers develop new ways of working together.
All Airwave transmissions are encrypted, allowing officers to pass information without criminals being able to eavesdrop.
Airwave handsets have an emergency button to summon help—improving the safety of both police officers and the public. Airwave also allows simultaneous transmission of voice and data, so that
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police officers will be able to use their radios to connect to facilities such as the Police National Computer and to file reports without the need to return to their station.
Bribery
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what occasions assets relating to bribery of a foreign public official have been confiscated under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002; and what amounts were confiscated in each case. [151519]
Caroline Flint: I understand that the Crown Prosecution Service does not keep records of the nationality of persons who are subject to a confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and that to obtain this information would involve disproportionate cost. I also understand that Her Majesty's Customs and Excise have obtained three confiscation orders under the Act, none of which relates to the bribery of a foreign public official.
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) allegations and (b) reports of bribery of a foreign public official by a UK company or individual have been forwarded to (i) the National Criminal Intelligence Service and (ii) the Metropolitan Police from the Fraud Section of the Department of Justice in the US since 1997; and on what dates they were received. [151522]
Caroline Flint: The National Criminal Intelligence Service holds no records of having received from the Fraud Section of the Department of Justice in the US, any allegations or reports of bribery of a foreign public official by a UK company or individual.
The Metropolitan Police system does not enable reports of this nature to be identified separately.
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