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29 Apr 2004 : Column 1294W—continued
Criminal Justice Database
Dr. Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 17 February, how many matches are contained wholly within the criminal justice section of the database. [165827]
Ms Blears: The National DNA Database is a criminal intelligence database and its use is restricted by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, as amended, to purposes related to the prevention or detection of crime, the investigation of an offence or the conduct of a prosecution. All of the matches referred to in the 17 February answer, either suspect-to-scene or scene-to-scene were made in the course of police investigations.
Detained Families
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the work of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate official appointed to oversee all detained family cases. [164330]
Mr. Browne:
Oversight of family cases involving children as part of the family is maintained by the Management of Detained Cases Unit within Immigration and Nationality Directorate. Their role includes reviewing the appropriateness of detention and ensuring that where detention is maintained that the cases are progressed expeditiously.
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Any cases involving concern are referred at an early stage to the Immigration Service Director designated to oversee these cases. This Director also receives any information about welfare issues from those responsible for managing the Removal Centre Estate.
In particular, the Director reviews weekly, all cases involving the detention of families with children where detention might reach 28 days, before the period of detention reaches 28 days, together with reports on all cases already subject to ministerial authorisation. The Director decides whether it is appropriate to seek ministerial authority to maintain such detention.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the last 12 months asylum seeker families with children have been detained for over 28 days. [164331]
Mr. Browne: Information on the number of occasions that families with children were detained under Immigration Act powers is not available.
Management information indicates that on 26 January 2004, 35 children were in detention who were detained solely under Immigration Act powers. Three-quarters of those had been in detention for 14 days or less and the remainder had been detained for less than four months. These individuals were all detained as part of families whose detention as a group was considered necessary.
Detention of all children beyond 28 days is now subject to ministerial authorisation.
Information on the number of people detained solely under Immigration Act powers as at 27 March 2004 will be published on the Home Office website (www. homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html) on 25 May.
Detention and Removal Centres
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who is responsible for dealing with complaints made by immigration and asylum detainees about incidents occurring while they are under escort or transit outside detention or removal centres. [157446]
Mr. Browne: All allegations of assault are taken very seriously and all complaints are investigated. If a complaint is made about an alleged assault or inappropriate use of force by either the in-country or overseas escorting contractor the Immigration Service contract monitor will refer this allegation to the police. If such a complaint is made in respect of a local escort, for example to hospital, the detainee, or his/her representative, is always advised in the first instance to go to the police.
In both cases it is a matter for the police whether a criminal investigation follows. If it is decided not to undertake a criminal investigation, and the escort was a local journey the Immigration Service contract monitor at the removal centre will carry out an investigation of the alleged incident. If the complaint was against the in-country or overseas escorting contractor, the internal investigation will be undertaken by the appropriate contract monitor.
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DNA/Fingerprint Data
Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many DNA samples taken by the police have been destroyed in each of the last five years; and under whose authority in each case. [167728]
Ms Blears: DNA samples are destroyed and the record of the profile derived from them is removed from the National DNA Database under the authorisation of the police force which submitted the DNA sample for analysis.
Prior to May 2001, DNA samples obtained from persons who were charged or prosecuted and who were subsequently acquitted or against whom charges were dropped had to be destroyed. An amendment to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 by the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 removed this requirement in respect of England and Wales but not Scotland. Samples may therefore have been destroyed and the profiles removed from the Database for one or more of the following reasons:
they are duplicate records from the same individual,
the individual has been acquitted or charges not proceeded with,
the samples were taken in error, or
the death of the individual.
The police also instruct the laboratory which carried out the DNA analysis to destroy all of the residual retained sample. Records of samples destroyed are not held centrally.
The number of subject profile records removed from the National DNA Database over the past five years was as follows:
| Number of records removed | |
|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 22,976 |
| 2002–03 | 21,229 |
| 2001–02 | 25,830 |
| 2000–01 | 77,336 |
| 1999–2000 | 59,957 |
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that the collecting of DNA and fingerprint data from individuals arrested but not charged with an offence does not lead to (a) a disproportionately high number of samples of black and ethnic minority citizens and (b) a disproportionately low sample of other races being kept. [167256]
Ms Blears: With effect from 5 April 2004 the police have the power under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, as amended, to take and retain the fingerprints and a non-intimate sample from all persons arrested for a recordable offence and detained in a police station.
The police are given guidance in Codes of Practice as to how to exercise their powers and if they act unlawfully there are existing remedies available to anyone who feels he or she has not been treated fairly or in accordance with the law. Revised Codes of Practice giving guidance on these new powers come into force on 1 May and in the meantime the police have been given advice on these powers in the Home Office Circular 20/2004.
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Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what statistics and categories of information will be kept in respect of DNA and fingerprint data on individuals who are not charged with an offence at the time the record is taken or subsequently in connection with the reason the police decided to take the sample; whether the information will be kept in a form which enables statistics on the race or ethnic origin of individuals' samples kept to be accounted for; and if he will make a statement. [166942]
Ms Blears: Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, as amended, the police have the power to take fingerprints and non-intimate DNA samples, with or without consent, from all persons arrested for a recordable offence and detained in a police station.
Limited demographic information relating to the person arrested will be kept on the National Automated Fingerprint Identification Service and National DNA Databases and fuller information, analogous to the information relating to charged persons, will be kept on the Police National Computer. This will include the name, date of birth, sex, colour (white/non-white/unknown), and ethnic appearance (white European, dark European, Afro-Caribbean, Asian, Oriental, Arab and unknown). The type of offence (or offences) for which the person was arrested will also be recorded and the circumstances which led to the arrest will be kept locally.
Eaves Housing for Women
Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the evaluation of the Eaves Housing for Women project will be (a) begun and (b) completed; what funding was committed to the Eaves Housing project for the years 2002–03 and 2003–04; what funds are committed for 2004–05; what plans he has to extend the project nationality; and if he will make a statement. [166474]
Mr. Browne: The evaluation of the POPPY Scheme, run by Eaves Housing for Women, began when the project started in March 2003 and will conclude in August. We expect to receive the findings in the late summer of 2004, with publication of the report following shortly thereafter. Funding allocated for the project in 2002–03 and 2003–04 was £33,000 and £620,000 respectively, including the costs of publicity and evaluation. Funding for 2004–05 has yet to be finalised but is expected to be at a similar level to 2003–04. Decisions about future provision and funding for victims of trafficking—including extension to other areas—will be based on evidence of need and will be taken in light of the evaluation findings.
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