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17 Mar 2004 : Column 344W—continued
Criminal Records Bureau
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what compensation is given to schools that incur costs to cover classes while new teachers were awaiting Criminal Records Bureau clearance. [155610]
Ms Blears: The Criminal Records Bureau has paid no compensation to schools that incurred such costs.
Disorder Penalty Notices
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to extend the penalty notice for disorder pilot to all forces. [160063]
Ms Blears: My right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, announced on 14 May 2003 that roll out of the penalty notice for disorder scheme was to be brought forward in view of the positive early results from the pilots. The scheme will be in place in all police forces in England and Wales by 1 April this year.
DNA
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which companies act as suppliers of DNA profiles to the National DNA Database. [160550]
Ms Blears: There are five organisations which are approved suppliers of DNA profiles to The National DNA Database, they are:
- LGC;
- Cellmark;
- Tayside Police Forensic Science Laboratory;
- Strathclyde Police Forensic Science Laboratory.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how intellectual property rights relating to DNA sequences in samples stored by suppliers to the National DNA Database are assigned; and if he will make a statement. [160551]
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Ms Blears: There are no intellectual property rights relating to DNA sequences in samples kept in storage by suppliers to The National DNA Database. Intellectual property rights are associated with the techniques used to process the samples when generating DNA profiles. The samples retained in storage are the property of the individual police forces that submit them to the laboratories.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many research projects have been (a) approved and (b) refused by the National DNA Database Board since 1995. [160552]
Ms Blears: Since 1995, five research proposals have been submitted to the National DNA Database Board for consideration. Of these two were approved, two rejected and one is pending a decision.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many research projects involving (a) behavioural genetics and (b) ethnic or racial profiling have been approved by the National DNA Database Board since 1995. [160553]
Ms Blears: No research projects involving behavioural genetics have been approved by the National DNA Database Board (NDNAD). Two projects relating to identification of individuals on ethnic or familial basis have been approved by the NDNAD Board.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many research projects using the National DNA Database (a) records and (b) samples have sought the informed consent of participants since 1995. [161154]
Ms Blears: Neither of the research projects approved by the National DNA Database Board using database records, or the DNA samples collected for the database, have sought the informed consent of participants.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what suppliers of profiles to the National DNA Database have undertaken research projects using (a) the database and (b) DNA samples collected for the database since 1995. [161155]
Ms Blears: Only the Forensic Science Service have undertaken research projects using either the database or the DNA samples collected for it.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many patent applications have been (a) made and (b) granted relating to research projects approved by the National DNA Database Board since 1995. [161156]
Ms Blears: To date there have been no patent applications made relating to research projects approved by the National DNA Database Board.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide summaries of all the research projects approved by the National DNA Database Board since 1995. [161157]
Ms Blears: Arrangements will be made for summaries of the research projects that have been approved by the National DNA Database Board to be placed in the House of Commons Library once they have been completed and the reports signed-off.
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Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the merits of compiling a national DNA database including records for (a) all those convicted of an offence, (b) all those charged with an offence, (c) all those entering the UK for the purposes of employment or residence, (d) all those entering the UK for any purpose and (e) all newborn babies. [161224]
Ms Blears: The National DNA database currently holds profiles of all those charged with, informed they will be reported for or convicted of a recordable offence. From 5 April this year, when new provisions in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 come into force, the database will also hold DNA profiles from persons arrested for a recordable offence.
There are no plans at present to extend the database further.
Drugs
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hits have been recorded on the www.talktofrank.com website. [160064]
Caroline Flint: From its inception on the 23 May 2003 to the 23 January 2004, the FRANK website talktofrank.com has received 1,485,111 visits.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) calls and (b) e-mails have been received by the Talk to Frank team; and how many (i) calls and (ii) e-mails have been sent by the Talk to Frank team to members of the public. [160065]
Caroline Flint: Since the launch of the Frank drug awareness campaign on the 23 May 2003, to the end of January 2004, the Frank helpline has taken 223,310 calls. The Frank website talktofrank.com, has also received and responded to 18,934 emails. The Frank telephone advisors do not initiate calls to the public.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what public funds were spent on tackling drugs misuse in Crosby in (a) 1997–98 and (b) 2003–04. [160536]
Caroline Flint: The information is as follows:
| Sefton drugs allocation—1997–98 | £ |
|---|---|
| Local Health Authority Block contracts | 728,671 |
| JMU Database | 20,000 |
| Pharmacy costs | 100,000 |
| Social Work team | 100,000 |
| Drug Misuse special allocation from DoH | 374,000 |
In 2003–04 the total drugs allocation was £3,017,763. This figure includes new funding streams as part of the National Drug Strategy (please see following table), the two years are therefore not directly comparable. Breakdown of financial allocation to local constituencies is not available in the form requested as funding is allocated to Drug Action Team areas (Sefton).
17 Mar 2004 : Column 347W
| National Drug Strategy | 2003–04 |
|---|---|
| Partnership Capacity | 71,500 |
| Treatment Pooled Budget | 1,336,000 |
| Through Care After Care Pump Priming | 35,000 |
| Building Safer Communities(26) | 484,700 |
(26) Contains non drug elements
DrugScope
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much grant was given to DrugScope in 2003–04; and what evaluation has been made of its work. [161182]
Caroline Flint: Central Government Departments have committed a total of £988,000 to DrugScope in 2003–04. This includes grants totalling £754,000 and contracts let by the Home Office, Department of Health, Department for Education and Skills and Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Figures are based upon Departmental accounting systems and do not include all payments for consultancy work.
All grants and contracts are subject to terms and conditions that specify required deliverables and management arrangements to ensure these are delivered. The DrugScope Programme Liaison Group meets quarterly to review progress on all Government funded activity and to quality assure work. The Group comprises representatives of funding Departments and DrugScope.
Forensic Science Service
Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what occasions Serco personnel have been invited to the Forensic Science Service establishments in the last year; and for what purpose. [161231]
Ms Blears: SERCO consultants spent approximately 10 days at the Forensic Science Services (FSS) offices at Trident Court, Birmingham. They were providing advice about plans for a new commercial department to improve FSS responses to police tenders. Visits were made to the FSS premises in London for the same purpose.
In addition, as part of a programme of staff briefings, the HR Director of the National Physical Laboratory, a Government owned contractor operated by Serco, visited the FSS laboratories to provide staff with a view of the transition from public to private sector, with particular regard to arrangements for pensions and terms and conditions of service including pensions.
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