---

7 Jun 2004 : Column 200W—continued

Secure Units

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he collects on re-offending rates for those who have been contained in secure units. [175834]

Paul Goggins [holding answer 25 May 2004]: We plan shortly to publish research on reconviction rates for juvenile offenders, including those who have received custodial sentences. Because some offenders serve their sentences in more than one type of establishment, it is not possible to give a breakdown between different types of custodial establishment.

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that children sent to secure units are contained as near to their families as possible. [175835]

Paul Goggins [holding answer 25 May 2004]: The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB) is responsible for commissioning and purchasing secure accommodation for young people who receive custodial sentences , and for placement decisions.

It aims to improve the geographical spread of places suitable for the younger and more vulnerable young people in secure training centres (STCs) and local authority secure children's homes (LASCHs). It has already expanded two STCs by a total of 64 places and a new one is due to open this summer at Oakhill, Milton Keynes. Based on modelling of the home locations of young people placed since April 2000 , the 80 places that will be provided should improve the geographical coverage, in particular for young offenders from north London.

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is the policy of the Youth Justice Board to reduce the number of beds it commissions from local authority secure children's homes; and what assessment he has made of the effects of such a policy. [175837]

 
7 Jun 2004 : Column 201W
 

Paul Goggins [holding answer 25 May 2004]: The Youth Justice Board's policy is to achieve higher standards of provision across the juvenile secure estate. This includes increasing and improving the geographical spread of places suitable for younger and more vulnerable young people in secure training centres (STCs) and local authority secure children's homes (LASCHs).

As part of this policy, in 2004–05, 80 new STC places are due to open and 64 of the LASCH places will no longer be needed.

Self-harm

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many children have used strip/safe clothing as an instrument for self-harm in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement; [175468]

(2) what representations he has received on the suitability of the strip/safe clothing worn by children assessed as being at risk of suicide and self-harm in prison; and if he will make a statement. [175469]

Paul Goggins: I am not aware of any case where a juvenile (aged 15 to 17 years) has used safer clothing to self-harm. However, such data are not collated centrally, and examination of each individual incident would involve disproportionate cost.

Prison Service policy is that normal clothing must not be removed from at-risk prisoners as a matter of course, but as necessary for the immediate safety of the prisoner, and then for the shortest time possible.

Sex Offenders

Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many probation hostels in England and Wales provide a sex offender treatment programme. [172271]

Paul Goggins: Accredited sex offender treatment programmes are run by local Probation Areas, in specially adapted facilities.

Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what specialist training is provided for staff who work with sex offenders in hostels in England and Wales. [172272]

Paul Goggins: Probation staff who work with sex offenders attend the training courses approved by the Correctional Services Accreditation Panel. For hostel workers these focus particularly on techniques for motivating the offender to address their offence behaviour together with training in risk assessment and risk management.

Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give a guarantee that sex offenders will not be resettled in approved probation and bail hostels that are situated near to schools, play areas and swimming pools. [173176]

 
7 Jun 2004 : Column 202W
 

Paul Goggins: Approved premises play a vital role in the safe accommodation and supervision of offenders in the community, and must be managed as a national resource to achieve the best level of protection to the public and to victims. Every offender is assessed before placement and due account taken of the risks posed by proximity to schools and similar facilities.

Young Offenders Institutions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children with an assessment of vulnerability have been sent to young offenders institutions in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [175466]

Paul Goggins: Youth Offending Teams make the initial assessment as to whether a child is vulnerable. The ASSET assessment tool developed by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) sets out how the Youth Offending Team (Yot) should consider vulnerability and evidence their concerns. The following factors are taken into account for each child:

Whether they are bullied, abused or neglected (behaviour of others)

Whether they are affected by separation, loss or change of care (other events)

Whether they are risk taking, including substance misuse (own behaviour)

Whether there are indications of self-harm or suicide concerns.

In deciding on the appropriate placement for each child assessed by the Yot as vulnerable, the YJB (or in some cases, the Prison Service Juvenile Group on behalf of the Secretary of State) takes into account the nature and level of the young person's vulnerability, their age and type of offence, their educational and healthcare needs and other relevant factors, such as proximity to home.

Data on the number of children who were assessed as vulnerable by a Yot and subsequently placed in a Prison Service Young Offender Institution since April 2000 ¹ , are shown in the table.

¹ Figures are only available from April 2000 as this was when the juvenile secure estate was established.

April to March	Remanded	Detention and Training Order	Section 90/91 1	Total
2000–01	132	280	20	432
2001–02	872	946	57	1,875
2002–03	1,399	1,347	157	2,903
2003–04	1,635	1,529	173	3,337

⁽⁴⁹⁾ Powers of the Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000.

The Prison Service is committed to ensuring that the children in its care, particularly the more vulnerable, are properly protected and safeguarded. All establishments in the Prison Service juvenile estate have child protection committees and have put in place child protection policies, anti-bullying strategies and procedures for identifying and caring for those at risk of harming themselves.
 
7 Jun 2004 : Column 203W
 

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the countries which now have troops stationed in Afghanistan; and how many troops are deployed in each case. [175150]

Mr. Ingram: There are 32 nations contributing to the ISAF Multinational Brigade which operates within Kabul (although temporary deployments outside the city are authorised) and totals approximately 5,900 personnel. The nations are, Albania Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, The United Kingdom, The United States and Afghanistan. The UK commitment is approximately 360. ISAF also includes a German led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Konduz. The exact numbers deployed for each of these nations are a matter for the nations concerned.

In addition to ISAF, the US led coalition operates across Afghanistan and includes the UK led PRT at Mazar-e-Sharif numbering approximately 100 personnel and a New Zealand PRT at Barman. While its area of operations covers the whole of Afghanistan it is focused mainly on the South. We do not hold details of all contributors to the coalition or the exact numbers available to the coalition forces commander. That information is a matter for the individual coalition contributors.

Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what recent representations he has received from the NATO Secretary-General regarding the security situation in Afghanistan; [176360]

(2) what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts regarding the security situation in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [176362]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 27 May 2004]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence routinely discusses the security situation in Afghanistan with the NATO Secretary General and Alliance Defence Ministers.

Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the results of the force generation conference held in Brussels in March with the aim of manning and equipping the First Stage of the expansion of NATO's role in Afghanistan. [176363]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 27 May 2004]: A conference to generate forces to proceed with the further expansion of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was held at the Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers Europe, in Mons on 11 March 2004. The conference was broadly successful and the United Kingdom, in conjunction with Denmark, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Norway, Romania and Sweden, has pledged sufficient forces to implement the first phase of the ISAF's expansion. Some shortfalls remain, however, that predominantly relate to aspects of the
 
7 Jun 2004 : Column 204W
 
ISAF's continuing mission in Kabul: we are working actively with our partners in NATO and the ISAF to resolve these issues.

Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the countries contributing to the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan; and what the current contribution of each country is. [176364]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 27 May 2004]: There are 32 nations contributing to the International Security Assistance Force Kabul Multinational Brigade which totals approximately 5,900 personnel. The nations are, Albania Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, The United Kingdom, The United States and Afghanistan. The UK commitment is approximately 360. ISAF also includes a German led Provincial Reconstruction Team in Konduz. The exact numbers deployed for each of these nations are a matter for the nations concerned.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money his Department spent in Afghanistan in each of the last three years; and if he will provide a breakdown of that expenditure by main heading. [176598]

Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence identifies the costs of operations in terms of the net additional costs it has incurred. The costs that the Department would have incurred regardless of the operation taking place, such as wages and salaries, are not included. Savings on activities that have not occurred because of the operation—training exercises for example—are taken into account in arriving at the net figures.

The net additional cost of operations in Afghanistan from 2001–03 by main heading are as follows:

	£ million
2001–02 outturn
Operating costs	188
Capital expenditure	34
Total	222
2002–03 outturn
Operating costs	236
Capital expenditure	75
Total	311

It is still too early to say what the final outturn for 2003–04 will be but a total of £55 million was voted at spring supplementary estimates for Afghanistan comprising £40 million for operating costs and £15 million for Capital Expenditure. Final audited figures will be published in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts in September.

---