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10 Jun 2004 : Column 510W—continued

HOME DEPARTMENT

Airwave

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what level of risk the Government considers is involved in the national roll-out of Airwave. [168382]

 
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Caroline Flint: The Airwave service is already available to 35 police forces and we expect the national roll-out to complete by mid-2005 as planned. We do not anticipate any substantial difficulties in the remaining stages of the Airwave roll-out.

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 12 May, Official Report, column 352W, on Tetra, what reports he has received from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory assessments of the effects of Tetra exposure on various types of cells; and whether this research is continuing. [176449]

Caroline Flint: Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) researchers have completed their work on calcium exchanges in cells—the main concern of the Stewart report. They found Tetra exposure had no effect. Work is continuing to see if exposure to Tetra can affect electrical activity in brain cells and to assess the effects of Tetra signals on cognitive performance. Quarterly reports are available from the Home Office website at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs/tetra.html.

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 12 May, Official Report, column 352W, on Tetra, whether the research by Imperial College includes research into the health effects of (a) Airwave handsets and (b) Tetra masts. [176450]

Caroline Flint: The Imperial College national monitoring study of the health of Airwave police users is concerned with possible health effects from handsets. It does not include any work on Tetra masts.

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 12 May, Official Report, column 352W, on Tetra, what health issues are being researched by the University of Birmingham and the University of Manchester in their research into patterns of work of Airwave users. [176451]

Caroline Flint: The University of Birmingham and the University of Manchester studies do not involve any health issues. The purpose of this research is to gather information on the typical number of calls made by Airwave police users and on the duration of these calls.

Littering

Mr. Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been made for littering since the Environmental Protection Act 1990 came into force. [176041]

Paul Goggins: Information is given in the table.

Statistics for 2003 will be published in the autumn.
 
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Number of defendants prosecuted at the magistrates' courts for litter offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, England and Wales 1992—2002 1

	Environmental Protection Act 1990 s87	Environmental Protection Act 1990 s91 and 92	Environmental Protection Act 1990 s94
	Depositing litter(18)	Failing to comply with a litter abatement order or notice	Failing to comply with a street litter control notice
1992(19)	828	7	0
1993	1,170	4	0
1994	1,164	7	1
1995	1,101	5	2
1996	626	8	1
1997	505	4	1
1998	494	2	2
1999	501	0	5
2000(20)	466	2	0
2001	457	7	0
2002	332	2	1

⁽¹⁷⁾ These data are on the principal offence basis.
⁽¹⁸⁾ Litter wardens appointed by local authorities can issue Fixed Penalty Notices, currently 50, for depositing litter.
⁽¹⁹⁾ Data collection commenced in 1992.
⁽²⁰⁾ Staffordshire Police Force were only able to supply a sample of data for magistrates courts proceedings covering one full week in each quarter for 2000. Estimates based on this sample are included in the figures.

Crime Statistics (Bootle)

Mr. Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the percentage change in (a) overall recorded crime, (b) recorded violent crime (c) burglaries and (d) vehicle thefts in Bootle has been since 1997. [175913]

Ms Blears: The information requested is not available centrally.

Bootle comes within the Sefton Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area. Data at CDRP level has only been published from 1999–2000 onwards. Detailed statistics at CDRP level are available for 2002–03 on the new Home Office website: http://www.crimestatistics.org.uk

Mr. Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times powers preventing racial harassment introduced since 1997 have been used in Bootle. [175914]

Fiona Mactaggart: Figures for the number of prosecutions in Bootle for this type of offence are not centrally available. Merseyside Police figures for harassment offences (published by the Home Office under the requirements of S95 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991) show a total of 434 recorded offences of this type in the Merseyside Police area over the period 1999–2000 to 2001–02.

Asset Recovery Operations

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the 10 most successful asset recovery operations. [176641]

Ms Blears: Asset recovery operations and investigations are carried out by a range of agencies individually and collectively, including the police, Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, National Crime Squad, Assets Recovery Agency and the Inland Revenue. The
 
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Crown Prosecution Service and other prosecuting authorities are responsible for obtaining confiscation orders in the courts. Information on individual operations and investigations is not collected centrally.

In 2002–03, the last year for which we have full data, a record amount of criminal assets was recovered, totalling £47 million. The new cash seizure powers in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 have also been successful. Since they came into force in December 2002 the police and Customs have seized over £63 million, on the grounds that the money in question is derived from or intended for use in crime. Seized cash is subject to forfeiture in the magistrates courts.

The Assets Recovery Agency successfully obtained a civil recovery order in the High Court last month. This is the first such case to be settled in England, Wales and Northern Ireland under the Proceeds of Crime Act, which allows for the civil recovery of the proceeds of unlawful activity.

Child Migration

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied children arrived in the United Kingdom, broken down by (a) port of entry to the United Kingdom and (b) originating country in each of the last three years. [175952]

Mr. Browne: Information on the number of unaccompanied minors who have arrived in the United Kingdom, broken down by port of entry and originating country is not currently collected.

However the results of Operation Paladin Child on unaccompanied children arriving at Heathrow Airport were announced on 17 May. This operation ran between August 2003—November 2003 and was initiated by the Metropolitan Police Child Protection Command, with the co-operation of the Immigration Service, NSPCC and Hillingdon Social Services.

In total 1,738 unaccompanied minors were granted leave to enter in the three-month study of whom 30 per cent. were risk assessed and referred to Social Services. The operation was a valuable exercise in determining the nature of child migration to the UK and has not uncovered evidence of child trafficking at Heathrow. The full details of the operation, and possible changes to procedures and policy in the light of it, are still being assessed.

Asylum/Immigration

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the organisations with which the Home Office is negotiating to run the proposed accommodation centre for asylum seekers at Bicester. [176113]

Mr. Browne: As part of a procurement exercise carried out under the ED procurement regulations for a contract to design, build and operate the centre near Bicester, the Home Office is in negotiation with Global Solutions Limited UK.

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2004, Official Report, column 754W, on asylum and
 
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immigration, when he expects the exercise in respect of asylum seekers remaining in the UK to be completed. [175416]

Mr. Browne: Good progress continues to be made in considering the cases originally identified. The bulk has been processed for eligibility and the majority, where the applicants have responded to our questionnaire, have been decided. We remain reliant on the applicants we contact replying promptly to our inquiries. Those not doing so are being reminded. We expect the exercise largely to be complete by July.

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