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Criminal Records Bureau

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the   Home Department what additional powers the Criminal Records Bureau would require to carry out checks on all people coming from abroad before they were able to take up positions working with children or vulnerable people. [165831]

Ms Blears [holding answer 19 April 2004]: Part 5 of the Police Act 1997, under which the Criminal Records Bureau operates, does not empower the Bureau to search databases outside the United Kingdom for conviction and other information shown on its Disclosures. Inquiries made about arrangements in force in other countries have shown both how varied they are and how complex it would be to introduce widespread arrangements to link up with records in a range of other countries. The Bureau has taken the initiative by establishing its overseas information service for the benefit of employers who are considering recruiting staff from outside the UK. The service provides detailed information about the arrangements for checks in other countries, including where such information can be obtained, how to go about obtaining a check, the cost and the time taken. At present, this arrangement covers 16 countries, including nine in Europe, and work is in hand to extend the service to a further 15 countries, including 14 in Europe.

Guantanamo Bay

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he made of the consistency with international law of the interrogation methods deployed by the US at Guantanamo Bay before sanctioning the involvement of MI5 in that process. [162883]

Mr. Blunkett [holding answer 22 March 2004]: The Government have a duty to protect national security. This is the context in which Security Service conducted interviews at Guantanamo Bay. All Security Service interviews were carried out in accordance with United Kingdom law.

Merseyside Police

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions a Merseyside police officer has taken a child home after 9 pm from a designated area since the inception of this power. [165921]

Ms Blears: Merseyside police tell me that they have taken home eight unsupervised children in three specific areas since these powers came into force.
 
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National Offender Management Service

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which not-for-profit organisations have been invited to comment on the proposed National Offender Management Service. [165186]

Paul Goggins: Reducing Crime—Changing Lives, which invites comments on the proposed National Offender Management Service, was sent to an extensive list of stakeholders and is available on the Home Office website. The National Offender Management Service Implementation Team is also engaged in an ongoing consultation with key stakeholders.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the   Home Department when he expects to publish legislation to introduce a National Offender Management Service; and whether he plans for it to be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny. [163105]

Paul Goggins: The National Offender Management Service will be introduced from 1 June 2004. Many of the changes needed to establish the service will not require legislation but where legislation is required this will be introduced as the legislative timetable allows.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which bodies his Department has consulted on the proposals for a National Offenders Management Service. [163107]

Paul Goggins: Copies of "Reducing Crime—Changing Lives", the Government's proposals for reform of the correctional services, were distributed to an extensive list of organisations, individuals and stakeholders and made available on the Home Office website. The National Offender Management Service implementation team is involved in ongoing consultation with key stakeholders.

Police

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what disciplinary measures have been taken against police officers as a result of the breach of security on the parliamentary estate on 20 March. [165872]

Ms Blears [holding answer 19 April 2004]: In the immediate aftermath of the incident on 20 March, the Metropolitan Police Service instigated an investigation into the incident, to ensure that they had delivered the    appropriate and professional response. That investigation continues, and I would not want to prejudge the outcome of that investigation.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons were for the decision not to charge the officers who made racist comments while filmed by an undercover journalist for the BBC documentary "The Secret Policeman". [166072]

Ms Blears: The Crown Prosecution Service makes the determination in all cases where criminal charges are being considered. The Crown Prosecution Service informs us that matters in respect of two of the 10 officers are the subject of further investigation. Once this investigation has been completed a file will be submitted for the Crown Prosecution Service's further consideration.
 
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The remaining eight officers were not prosecuted because the Crown Prosecution Service considered there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.

All 10 officers concerned were allowed to resign. Their police forces considered it in the public interest to end their relationship with the police service as quickly as possible rather than force them to remain to face police misconduct proceedings.

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change there has been in police numbers in (a) the Avon and Somerset police authority and (b) Weston-super-Mare in each year since 1997. [167504]

Ms Blears: The increase in police numbers for the Avon and Somerset constabulary for each year since 1997 is set out in the table.

	Police officer strength	Increase decrease	Percentage change
31 March 1997	2,989	—	—
31 March 1998	2,976	-13	-0.43
31 March 1999	2,999	+23	+0.77
31 March 2000	2,934	-65	-2.17
31 March 2001	2,960	+26	+0.89
31 March 2002	3,096	+136	+4.59
31 March 2003	3,149	+53	+1.71
31 December 2003	3,371	+222	+7.05
Overall increase	—	382	+12.78

Weston-super-Mare is part of the North Somerset Basic Command Unit (BCU). Information on strength at BCU level is collected annually and reflects the position at the end of March. Information on BCU strength is only available from 2002.

Between March 2002 and March 2003 police strength for the North Somerset BCU increased by 4.9 per cent. (from 203 to 213). The deployment of officers to BCUs is a matter for the Chief Constable (Stephen Pilkington QPM) and within the North Somerset BCU deployment of officers is a matter for the Divisional Commander.

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the percentage change in full-time police officers in Manchester Gorton has been since 1997. [167466]

Ms Blears: Manchester Gorton is part of the South Manchester Basic Command Unit (BCU). Information on strength at BCU level is collected annually and reflects the position at the end of March. Information on BCU strength is only available from 2002.

Between March 2002 and March 2003 police strength for the South Manchester BCU increased by 0.8 per cent. (from 954 to 962). The deployment of officers to BCUs is a matter for the Chief Constable (Michael Todd QPM) and within the South Manchester BCU deployment of officers is a matter for the Divisional Commander.

The number of police officers in Greater Manchester Police has increased by 848 since March 1997 to 7,770 in December 2003.
 
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Probation

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the   Home Department what the effect has been on probation areas in England and Wales of the 2 per cent. underspend imposed in December 2003; and how many areas have appealed against the decision. [160807]

Paul Goggins: The 2 per cent. underspend and compulsory carry forward requirement was introduced for the following reasons:

The Probation Service was heading for a forecast overspend in 2003–04 and it was necessary to reduce spending to bring expenditure back into line with budget.

The probation areas had an average 11 per cent. increase in resources for 2003–04 and the increase for 2004–05 is much lower at 3.5 per cent. It was therefore considered desirable to smooth the annual settlements by moving 2 per cent. from 2003–04 to 2004–05, therefore making the relative financial settlements 9 per cent. and 5.5 per cent.

28 areas have managed to carry forward the full 2 per cent. or more into their budget for 2004–05. A further eight areas have managed partial carry forwards.

The remaining six areas have appealed against the decision to have their budgets reduced by 2 per cent.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons were for the increase of £47.2 million for Probation Headquarters in the Spring Supplementary Estimates; and how this money will be spent. [165876]

Paul Goggins: A transfer of £30.5 million was made from the Chief Executive of the National Offender Management Service to the National Probation Directorate primarily to fund Electronic Monitoring, the Standard Technical Environment for the Probation Service (STEPS) Information Technology roll-out and Probation Loan Charges.

A further transfer of £16.7 million was made from the Criminal Justice Information Technology Group to fund the STEPS Information Technology rollout.

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