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24 May 2004 : Column 1428W—continued
Probation Service
Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the additional probation staff employed since December 1999 are trainee probation officers; and what their average caseload is. [168392]
Paul Goggins:
There have been 3,646 trainee probation officers appointed since 1998, and there are 780 projected trainee officer appointees for 2004.
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It is not possible to calculate the average caseload of a trainee because this varies significantly during the two-year programme, according to their stage of training.
Trainee probation officers are classified as supernumerary to the workforce, which means that they do not form part of the establishment for casework purposes. During their training they undertake the amount and type of cases appropriate to their experience and knowledge and identified development needs. Their casework contribution is therefore incidental to meeting their training needs.
The information previously collected and held on starters and leavers to the service is very limited in terms of the analysis that can be performed against it. With this in mind, since 1999, the number of probation staff 1 (senior probation officers, senior practitioners, probation officers, trainee probation officers and probation services officers), employed by the National Probation Service has increased by 3,089 full-time equivalents, which equates to a growth of 31.9 per cent. The proportion of this, which can be broadly attributed to growth among qualified probation staff, is 12.5 per cent. with the remainder being a growth in probation services officers.
1 These figures exclude staff employed in family Court Welfare in 1999 and 2000, as these were subsequently transferred in 2001.
Commission for Racial Equality
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what involvement his Department has had in the allocation of Commission for Racial Equality section 44 funding for 2004–05. [172864]
Fiona Mactaggart [holding answer 13 May 2004]: The responsibility for setting criteria for section 44 funding, assessing applications against those criteria and making final decisions lies with the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE). The Home Office role is to agree the level of funding which the CRE proposes to allocate. We welcome the CRE's policy of using the Getting Results programme to support any innovative project which makes a difference to race equality and good relations within its local community.
Road Safety
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many speeding fines were issued in Essex in (a) 2001 and (b) 2002; [174723]
(2) how many speeding fines were paid by motorists in Essex in (a) 2001 and (b) 2002; and how many speeding offences were detected in Essex in (i) 2001 and (ii) 2002. [174724]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 21 May 2004]: Available information showing the total number of police disposals and court proceedings for speeding offences within Essex police force area for 2001 and 2002 are given in the tables.
Information on the number of fixed penalties or fines paid for speeding offences is not collected centrally.
24 May 2004 : Column 1430W
| 2001 | 2002 | |
|---|---|---|
| Court proceedings fines issued | 9,131 | 14,570 |
| Fixed penalty notices issued | 168,885 | 199,201 |
(91) Offences under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and Motor Vehicles (Speed Limits on Motorways) Regulations 1973.
| Type of action | 2001 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|
| Court proceedings total findings of guilt | 9,208 | 14,660 |
| Fixed penalty notices issued | 168,885 | 199,201 |
| Written warnings issued | 49 | — |
| Total | 178,142 | 213,861 |
(92) Offences under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and Motor Vehicles (Speed Limits on Motorways) Regulations 1973.
Sexual Offences
Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many foreign nationals convicted by courts in the United Kingdom of being involved in the trafficking to and within the United Kingdom of women and children for sexual purposes have been sent to prison and upon their release have been, or will be, deported from the United Kingdom in each of the last five years; [173534]
(2) how many (a) male and (b) female foreign nationals convicted by courts in the United Kingdom of sexual offences and sent to prison have been deported on their release from prison in each of the last five years. [173535]
Mr. Browne: Information on the nationality of offenders convicted in the UK and on offenders deported following their release from prison is not collected centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost.
A person convicted of a criminal offence may be recommended for deportation by the court which has the power to sentence him. The Secretary of State also has the power to consider a person for deportation on conducive grounds. However, we would not seek to deport a person who had an outstanding claim for asylum.
Departmental Expenditure (Sittingbourne and Sheppey)
Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the expenditure of his Department in the constituency of Sittingbourne and Sheppey was between (a) 1992 and 1997, (b) 1997 and 2001 and (c) 2001 and 2004. [159492]
Fiona Mactaggart: The information is as follows:
Grants for policing are not hypothecated to individual areas such as Sittingbourne and Sheppey. Grants are allocated to Kent police as a whole and it is for the Chief Constable to decide how best to deploy the resources across the force area.
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Police grant distribution has been formula-based since 1995–96. Prior to that, grant was based on a proportion of forces' net expenditure.
Home Office police grant is one element only of the total general police grant forces received. Revenue Support Grant and National Non Domestic Rates make up the total of the general grant. These have not been included in the answer as they are administered by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM).
In line with all forces in England and Wales, Kent police will receive a general grants increase of 3.25 per cent. next year. Their allocation is £182.6 million. Kent is one of the shire forces who benefit most from this arrangement. If the formula alone had been applied, they would have received £167.9 million. Because a floor of 3.25 per cent. on top of last year's grant was given, they will in fact receive £182.6 million, £14.7 million more.
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In addition, funding is provided to forces for a number of specific programmes such as the Crime Fighting Fund, to assist the recruitment of extra police officers, and the Rural Policing Fund, to enhance policing in areas with the most widespread populations.
For the past three years via our mentoring programme the Home Office has been providing financial support to mentoring organisations throughout England. Home-Start Sittingbourne and Sheppey successfully bid for three years project funding under the Active Community Unit's Mentoring Fund in 2001–02. The project helps those families experiencing difficulties and breakdown. The organisation received revenue grants of £6,219 in 2001–02, £12,715 in 2002–03 and £13,034 in 2003–04. The organisation also received a one-off capital grant of £2,682 in 2002–03 to buy equipment to support the project. Home Office funding has (finished in March 2004) now ceased.
| Police grant (HO only) | Capital grant 1 | Crime Fighting Fund | Rural Policing Fund | DNA Expansion Programme | Airwave | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–93 | 68,815,000 | 2,491,000 | — | — | — | — |
| 1993–94 | 71,825,000 | 2,404,000 | — | — | — | — |
| 1994–95 | 76,008,000 | 2,574,000 | — | — | — | — |
| 1995–96 | 78,591,413 | 3,481,000 | — | — | — | — |
| 1996–97 | 82,321,694 | 4,803,000 | — | — | — | — |
| 1997–98 | 84,673,351 | 4,476,000 | — | — | — | — |
| 1998–99 | 91,724,083 | 2,263,000 | — | — | — | — |
| 1999–2000 | 92,098,019 | 1,853,000 | — | — | — | — |
| 2000–01 | 96,482,918 | 1,503,000 | 1,347,740 | 298,863 | 655,232 | — |
| 2001–02 | 102,643,758 | 2,003,000 | 4,505,000 | 599,342 | 1,283,474 | — |
| 2002–03 | 102,446,510 | 2,680,000 | 6,190,000 | 599,700 | 1,533,389 | — |
| 2003–04 | 106,107,422 | 3,372,000 | 7,270,500 | 595,161 | 1,494,810 | 7,153,000 |
| 2004–05 | 105,806,169 | 2,684,000 | 7,633,906 | 594,228 | 1,051,206 | 1,483,000 |
| Basic Command Unit Fund | Community Support Officers | Special Priority Payments | South East Allowance | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–93 | — | — | — | — | 71,306,000 |
| 1993–94 | — | — | — | — | 74,229,000 |
| 1994–95 | — | — | — | — | 78,582,000 |
| 1995–96 | — | — | — | — | 82,072,413 |
| 1996–97 | — | — | — | — | 87,124,694 |
| 1997–98 | — | — | — | — | 89,149,351 |
| 1998–99 | — | — | — | — | 93,987,083 |
| 1999–2000 | — | — | — | — | 93,951,019 |
| 2000–01 | — | — | — | — | 100,287,753 |
| 2001–02 | — | — | — | 1,483,554 | 112,518,128 |
| 2002–03 | — | 264,418 | — | 1,719,156 | 115,433,173 |
| 2003–04 | 1,051,206 | 871,426 | 992,100 | 2,200,000 | 131,107,625 |
| 2004–05 | 1,051,206 | (94)871,426 | (94)992,100 | (94)3,125,375 | 125,292,616 |
(93) Capital grant figures prior to 2000–01 include an element of grant specifically for major capital schemes under the Priority Planning List scheme. Figures include Premises Improvement Fund allocations (£500,000 in 2002–03 and £1 million in 2003–04). Figures exclude revenue support for capital provided by ODPM and Supplementary Credit Approvals/Supported Capital Expenditure.
(94) Estimated figures for 2004–05. Subject to change.
Sources of police grant data:
1. 1992–93 to 1994–95 figures—CIPFA Police Statistics.
2. 1995–96 to 2004–05 figures—Police Grant Reports.
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