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9 Sept 2004 : Column 1343W—continued
Tote
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the Government are prepared to sell the Tote to a body other than the Racing Trust. [188287]
Mr. Caborn:
It remains the Government's policy to sell the Tote to the Racing Trust. Only if it proves impossible to effect such a sale on fair terms will the Government pursue other options.
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DEFENCE
Detainees (Transfer to United States)
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the locations are of the detainees captured by British forces in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan and handed to the US. [183783]
Mr. Ingram: All persons apprehended by United Kingdom Forces in Iraq and transferred to United States forces, and who are still in custody, remain in Iraq.
The UK has not handed over to the US any persons apprehended in Afghanistan.
Human Rights Act
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what instructions he has issued to the Royal Military Police on the application to them of the Human Rights Act 1998 (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) abroad. [176324]
Mr. Ingram: Training provided to the Royal Military Police on the Human Rights Act relates directly to the exercise of their powers of arrest, search and seizure etc., as members of the service police. These powers, applicable only in relation to persons who are subject to the Service Disciplinary Acts, are exercisable wherever the RMP serve, whether at home or abroad.
During 2000, all RMP units received training on the implications of the Human Rights Act 1998, and changes in RMP arrest and custody procedures. Individuals joining the RMP since October 2000 have covered the same subject during their basic training, which includes relevant European Court of Justice (Strasbourg) Case Law.
Typhoon/Eurofighter
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Typhoon/Eurofighter will enter into service at RAF Leeming. [186621]
Mr. Ingram: The first two Typhoon bases will be RAF Coningsby and RAF Leuchars, the stations from which the Quick Reaction Alert (Interceptor) aircraft currently operate. No decision has been taken on a third Typhoon base.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Antisocial Behaviour Orders
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information his Department collects on the number of section 30 authorisations and dispersal orders made under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003. [187221]
Ms Blears:
The powers became operational in January 2004. We are undertaking a data capture exercise on use of the powers under section 30 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003. The data will be available in the autumn.
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Autistic People (Arrests)
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has commissioned regarding numbers of (a) arrests, (b) charges and (c) convictions of persons who are autistic or suffer from Asperger's Syndrome; and what guidelines he has issued to police forces regarding the questioning of autistic suspects. [186816]
Ms Blears: No research of this kind has been commissioned by my Department and the data collected on arrests, prosecutions and convictions do not distinguish persons with particular disabilities.
No specific guidance has been issued by the Home Office relating to persons with autism or Asperger's Syndrome. However, there are currently strands of work focused on improving police practice in relation to mentally ill individuals. These are outlined in the reply to the hon. Member's question on provisions in place to increase awareness in the Criminal Justice System of the behaviour patterns of people with communication related difficulties.
Community Support Officers
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the community support officer scheme in Great Britain is expected to cost for the next five years; and what the expenditure was over the past five years. [186762]
Ms Blears: The new Neighbourhood Policing Fund has made £50 million available for recruitment of additional Community Support Officers (CSOs) in this financial year in England and Wales. This fund will allow forces to recruit an additional 20,000 CSOs by March 2008 and details of the funding which will be made available to achieve this will be published in time for the 2006–07 planning round. Government expenditure on CSOs since they were first introduced in September 2002 amounts to £49.5 million up to the end of July 2004.
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the community support officer scheme in London is expected to cost the Government over the next five years; and what the expenditure was on the scheme in the last five years. [186764]
Ms Blears: The new Neighbourhood Policing Fund has made £50 million available for recruitment of additional Community Support Officers (CSOs) in this financial year and all chief officers in England and Wales have been invited to bid for a share of this. This fund will allow forces to recruit 20,000 more CSOs by March 2008 and details of the funding which will be made available to achieve this will be published in time for the 2006–07 planning round.
Government funding for CSOs in the Metropolitan police district amounts to approximately £23.5 million since CSOs were first introduced in September 2002.
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much training is required for community support officers; and what the training involves. [186769]
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Ms Blears: The length and scope of training for Community Support Officers (CSOs) is decided by individual chief officers. In most forces training lasts from four to six weeks and may include the use of powers, diversity, information gathering, first aid and tackling antisocial behaviour.
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much it costs on average to train a new community support officer. [186906]
Ms Blears: There is no standard cost of training new Community Support Officers (CSOs) as this varies between forces. The £50 million made available this year to fund new CSOs under the Neighbourhood Policing Fund includes £2,500 per CSO as a contribution to set up costs including training.
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what remuneration is given to community support officers. [186908]
Ms Blears: Remuneration of community support officers (CSOs) is a matter for individual forces to decide. The average amount paid to CSOs in 2003–04, including basic salary and allowances, was £19,591.
Databases
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 July 2004, Official Report, column 750W, on databases, if he will list the bulk information exchanges which have taken place in the last two years. [187337]
Caroline Flint: The Police Information Technology Information Organisation has not made any bulk exchanges with foreign Governments or agencies in the last two years. However, a list of lost/found vehicles from the Police National Computer is sent to Interpol in Lyon, France via the National Criminal Intelligence Service on a daily basis excluding weekends.
Departmental Costs
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what costs his Department has incurred on advertising and communication including contracts with public relations and advertising companies in each financial year since 1996–97. [180380]
Fiona Mactaggart [holding answer 28 June 2004]: The amount spent by the Home Office on communications including contracts was:
£5.23 million on advertising and £8.328 million on total communications. Communication spend represents 0.13 per cent. of total Home Office public expenditure of £6,416 million.
Campaigns included car crime, recruitment of special constables, fire safety and electoral registration.
£1.4 million on advertising and £3.372 million on total communications. Communication spend represents 0.05 per cent. of total Home Office public expenditure of £6,747 million.
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Campaigns included recruitment of special constables, fire safety, absent voting and electoral registration.
£1.8 million on advertising and £4.194 million on total communications. Communication spend represents 0.00005 per cent. of total Home Office public expenditure of £7,608,178 million.
Campaigns included smoke alarm, recruitment of special constables, crime partnerships and electoral registration.
£5.65 million on advertising and £10.08 million on total communications. Communication spend represents 0.000012 per cent. of total Home Office public expenditure of £7,996,184 million.
Campaigns included chip pan safety, fire safety, recruitment of special constables, European Parliament elections and electoral registration.
£28.36 million on advertising and £35.637 million on total communications. Communication spend represents 0.00039 per cent. of total Home Office public expenditure of £9,068,695 million.
Campaigns included fire safety, vehicle crime and recruitment of police officers.
£14.4 million on advertising and £25.1 million on total communications. Communication spend represents 0.00023 per cent. of total Home office public expenditure of £10,820,813 million.
Campaigns included fire safety (smoke alarms), vehicle crime, internet child protection, drugs, recruitment of police officers and special constables and postal voting.
£9.9 million on advertising and £18.3 million on total communications. Communication spend represents 0.00013 per cent. of total Home Office public spending of £13,493,081 million.
Campaigns included vehicle crimes, internet child protection, drugs, firearms amnesty and recruitment of police officers.
£12.487 million on advertising and £22.083 million on total communications. Communication spend represents 0.00017 per cent. of total Home Office public spending of £12,605,526 million.
Campaigns included vehicle crimes, internet child protection, drugs, recruitment of police officers and domestic violence.
Note:
The total public expenditure figures for 1996–97 and 1997–98 were compiled under a different accounting system to later years—and are therefore not directly comparable.
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