---

19 Apr 2004 : Column 114W—continued

Project Funding

Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) solely state-financed and (b) public-private partnership and private finance initiative projects for which his Department is responsible have been launched in each region in each of the last 10 years. [160961]

Fiona Mactaggart: The information is as follows.

(a) The number of major projects that are recorded as being solely state financed based on central information held since July 2002 is 24. Major projects are considered to be those projects with a whole life cost greater than £40 million or which are considered to be novel, contentious or high risk. These are considered to be national projects and not specific to regions.

(b) I would refer my hon. Friend to the Signed PFI Projects List, which can be found on the HM Treasury website www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public    private   partnerships/ppp   pfi   stats. In addition, the following projects are classed as public-private partnerships:

	Project	Region
2000	Airwave	National
2000	Criminal Records Bureau	North West

Promotion

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the introduction of assessment centres for promotion to HEO and G7 grades cost his Department in each year since its introduction. [163630]

Fiona Mactaggart [holding answer 31 March 2004]: Assessment Centres were introduced in February 2002 for two key grades: Higher Executive/Chief Immigration Officer (HEO/CIO) and Grade 7. Estimated total resource costs for running the Assessment Centres were as follows:

Grade	Numbers assessed	Estimated resource cost (£)
2002
Grade 7	288	365,000
HEO/CIO	1,208	865,000
2003
Grade 7	939	1,078,000
HEO/CIO	2,342	1,159,000

School Buses (Sex Offenders)

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the   Home Department pursuant to the answers of 17 March, Official Report, columns 350–1W, on school buses (sex offenders), if he will list the instances in which
 
19 Apr 2004 : Column 115W
 
Criminal Records Bureau checks have been made mandatory under legislation other than the Police Act 1997. [163243]

Ms Blears: The principal provisions currently in force in England as regards those working with children include:

the Protection of Children Act 1999 (all persons applying for a childcare position with a childcare organisation—as defined);

the Children's Homes Regulations 2001 (all providers, managers and employees);

the Fostering Services Regulations 2002 (all providers, managers and employees); and

the Voluntary Adoption Agencies and the Adoption Agencies (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2003 (all providers, managers and employees).

Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consolidate the obligation to register with the new scheme for accession countries by those nationals admitted to the UK to work with the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme. [164036]

Mr. Browne: Nationals from the eight Accession States who join the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS) scheme before 1 May will not be required to register with the Worker Registration Scheme. The SAWS card will be valid as a registration certificate until 31 December 2004. If a SAWS participant wishes to take any additional work or new employment, he or she will be required to register with the Home Office.

Sentencing (Women)

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Department's plans to review sentencing for women. [165137]

Paul Goggins [holding answer 1 April 2004]: While it is for the courts to decide the appropriate sentence in individual cases, custodial sentences should be reserved for serious, dangerous and persistent offenders.

The Home Office is taking forward the Women's Offending Reduction Programme over the next three years which seeks to address the range of factors that have an impact on women who offend. A primary focus will be on encouraging greater use of community-based interventions that are better tailored to the needs of women. The Judicial Studies Board will be invited to review training and guidance for sentencers to ensure that it includes gender specific issues; and the Sentencing Guidelines Council will consider the impact of the new Criminal Justice Act 2003 sentencing powers on female as well as male offenders.

Sex Abuse Guidelines

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the terms are of the code of practice on unhelpful or intrusive reporting on cases of historical sex abuse; [148883]

(2) what discussions he has held with media representatives to assess how unhelpful or intrusive reporting of historical sex abuse cases can be avoided; and what the outcome of these meetings was; [148884]
 
19 Apr 2004 : Column 116W
 

(3) what meetings he plans to hold with media representatives to assess how unhelpful or intrusive reporting of historical sex abuse cases can be avoided; and when these discussions will take place. [148885]

Paul Goggins: I have held discussions with representatives of the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) with regard to the anonymity of suspects in sexual offence cases.

The Government believes that self regulation through the effective use of media codes is the best way to ensure pre-charge anonymity and the PCC is examining its code of conduct to see how it can be strengthened.

Shopkeepers (Harassment)

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persistent offenders of violence against and intimidation of shop workers have been convicted in each year since 1997. [163607]

Paul Goggins: Data are not readily available at this level of detail.

Substance Abuse

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have taken place under the Cigarette Lighter Refill (Safety) Regulations 1999; and what the resultant penalties were in each case. [165760]

Paul Goggins: Information collected centrally by the Home Office does not separately identify offences under the Cigarette Lighter Refill (Safety) Regulations 1999.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the legislation relating to substance abuse; and what plans he has to amend the legislation. [165761]

Caroline Flint: Volatile Substance Abuse is controlled by the Intoxicating Substances (Supply) Act 1985, which regulates the general sale of abusable products by making it an offence for any such substance to be knowingly supplied for the purpose of intoxication to someone under 18. The Cigarette Lighter Refill (Safety) Regulations 1999, banned the sale of butane gas lighter refills to under 18s.

The Government continues to be concerned about the level of misuse of volatile substances by young people. However, it thinks that at present enforcement of current provisions is sufficient and has no plans to amend the legislation.

Sudbury Prison

Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the maximum capacity of HMP Sudbury is; and how many inmates are being held at Sudbury. [163746]

Paul Goggins: As at 26 March 2004, the operational capacity of HMP Sudbury was 559 and the prisoner population was 554.
 
19 Apr 2004 : Column 117W
 

Temporary Promotions

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in his Department are on temporary promotion; and how many of these have been on temporary promotion for more than (a) 12 months and (b) two years. [163629]

 
19 Apr 2004 : Column 118W
 

Fiona Mactaggart [holding answer 31 March 2004]: Figures for (i) less than 12 months (ii) between one and two years, and (iii) more than two years are to be found in the table.
Staff on temporary promotion

	Less than 12 months	More than 12 months (between one-two years)	More than two years	Total
Forensic Science Service (FSS)	13	13	2	28
Central Home Office (excluding Immigration and Nationality       Directorate (IND), including Merseyside Office)	359	184	155	698
IND	684	393	210	1,287
Prison Service Agency (PSA)	897	326	194	1,417
United Kingdom Passport Service (UKPS)	95	29	4	128
Total Home Office Staff	2,048	945	565	3,558

Contributions have been received above from the Agencies (FSS, UKPS and PSA); figures for the Central Home Office and Immigration and Nationality Directorate are provided centrally.

---