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Metropolitan Police Authority

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his timetable is for the appointment of his nominee to the Metropolitan Police Authority under the terms of the Greater London Authority Act 1999; and what criteria are being used for the selection. [181565]

Ms Blears: The Home Secretary's appointee to the Metropolitan Police Authority will be in place by 8 July 2004 when the Authority holds its Annual General Meeting. Candidates were selected by fair and open competition and on the basis of their ability to become familiar with the operational issues for the Metropolitan Police and to perform an important quality assurance and value for money function on behalf of the Home Secretary.

Ministerial Red Boxes

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how Ministers use (a) Royal Mail and (b) private firms for mailing red boxes. [180417]

Fiona Mactaggart: The Royal Mail offers a special service for the transmission of official boxes and pouches addressed personally to, or sent on behalf of Government Ministers. Private firms are not used for mailing red boxes.

Ministerial Visits

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department spent on ministerial travel by (a) car, (b) train, (c) aeroplane and (d) helicopter, in each of the last 10 years. [175661]

Mr. Blunkett: My right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office has asked Nick Matheson, Chief Executive of the Government Car and Despatch agency
 
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to write to the hon. Member with details of the cost of Ministerial vehicles provided to this Department.

In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers visits overseas. Copies of lists are available in the Library. These reports contain information reaching back to 1995–96. Information for earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost and in some cases will no longer be held. Information for 2003–04 will be published in due course.

Detailed information for all Ministers in respect of UK travel is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Police

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget for the Greater Manchester Police (a) was for 1997, in capital and revenue terms and (b) is for the current financial year, in cash terms and real terms; and what the percentage change was in each year. [181757]

Ms Blears: The information is set out in the table.

	Cash (£ million)	Percentage change	Real (£ million)	Percentage change
Revenue
1997–98	352.8	—	398.7	—
2004–05	468.9	32.9	445.9	11.8
Capital
1997–98	12.0	—	13.6	—
2004–05	24.4	103.3	23.2	70.6

Note:
Real terms figures: 2002–03 = 100 (GNP deflator).
Sources:
Net revenue budget requirements: ODPM.
Capital budgets: Greater Manchester Police.

Police Remuneration

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received extending the London Weighting received by officers in the Metropolitan Police Force to officers of Essex constabulary; and if he will make a statement. [180627]

Ms Blears: We have received no representations to extend the payment of London weighting to officers of Essex Police.

Officers in Essex recruited after 1 September 1994, who do not receive a housing allowance, are paid a South East allowance of £2,000.

Re-offending

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he will measure the impact on re-offending if convicted individuals have more than one supervisor. [167522]

 
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Paul Goggins: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) will create a system of end to end management of offenders where there is a single manager for each individual offender, whether they are in custody, serving a community sentence or a combination of both.

Suffrage Supporters

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will begin the process which would lead to an unconditional free pardon for the suffrage supporters who went to prison during the campaign. [168562]

Paul Goggins: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary does not believe that it would be appropriate to use the Royal Prerogative of Mercy in these cases. Given the passage of time there would be a number of practical difficulties and in any event free pardons are designed to redress injustice and in general their use relies on innocence being established.

Although he does not feel able to recommend the use of the Royal Prerogative in these cases the Home Secretary believes that it would be appropriate for the Government to recognise and mark in some way the contribution that the women's suffrage movement made to bring about greater equality in political and public life and to the development of our democracy as we currently know it. He has therefore asked officials to look into and consider an appropriate way in which this might be achieved.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Parliamentary Communications Directorate

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Chairman of the Information Committee what plans the Parliamentary Communications Directorate has to speed up the procedure for logging onto the virtual private network for remote access to the Parliamentary Data and Video Network; and when he expects an improved service to be in place. [181716]

Mr. Key: The Parliamentary Communications Directorate (PCD) is currently evaluating new virtual private network (VPN) software, which may help to simplify and speed up the process of VPN log-on. PCD plans to begin a pilot of the new software with a limited number of active users before the summer recess, with a view to making decisions about implementation in the early autumn. I hope that a number of Members and their staff will participate in the pilot.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Business Start-ups

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent steps his Department has taken to help people start their own business. [181885]

 
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Jane Kennedy: Our support for people who want to start up their own business is targeted at long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged groups. It is delivered through the New Deals and Work Based Learning for Adults (Training for Work in Scotland) by a network of start-up specialist providers, contracted by Jobcentre Plus.

This support includes an awareness session, a period of supported business planning with a business expert, and up to 26 weeks of supported 'test trading' where participants can operate their business with expert support yet still have the safety net of receiving their benefits in the form of a training allowance. In 2003, over 11,000 people were supported to 'test trade' their business through the New Deals and Work Based Learning for Adults.

We play an active role across government to ensure there is coherence in the support Government provides in promoting enterprise. We were key contributors to "A Government Action Plan for Small Business" published last year, which sets out our strategy for promoting enterprise.

We have been working closely with the Small Business Service to ensure there is a nationally available minimum standard of provision to support potential entrepreneurs, including those not eligible for Jobcentre Plus programmes. In addition, we are working in partnership with the Prince's Trust Youth Business Programme and the Small Business Service on the production of a pre-start-up leaflet that signposts potential entrepreneurs to the range of government support available, as well as a national award scheme that recognises the significant barriers long term unemployed people have overcome to become successful entrepreneurs.

Both products will be launched to coincide with Enterprise week in November. Jobcentre Plus Districts will all be involved in initiatives during Enterprise week to highlight their support for people who may be interested in exploring self employment as an option.

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