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4 Oct 2004 : Column 1900W—continued
Cannabis
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the level of cannabis abuse since it was reclassified. [188289]
Caroline Flint: The British Crime Survey provides annual figures on the levels of drug use including cannabis. The figures for 2003–04 will be available in December. The level of cannabis use among 16–24 year olds has shown a decline from 28.2 per cent. having used the drug in the previous 12 months in 1998 to 25.8 per cent. in 2002–03.
Chechnya
Bob Russell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from the Chechyna region
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of the Russian Federation were deported in the past 12 months; and to which destinations in the Russian Federation they were sent. [187973]
Mr. Browne: Information on the number of people deported from the UK to the Russian Federation, including those of Chechen origin, and on the destinations to which they were deported, is not available except by examination of individual case files which would incur disproportionate cost.
Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when he will reply to the letter to him dated 26 July from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Farag Alkailani; [188002]
(2) when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 26 July from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Farag Elkailani. [188855]
Mr. Blunkett: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 23 September 2004.
Criminal Records Bureau
Tim Loughton: Criminal Records Bureau checks have revealed convictions are employed in social services departments. [188925]
Ms Blears: [holding answer 14 September 2004]: Information is not available to indicate how many people who have received a Disclosure which have revealed convictions are employed within Social Services.
The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) does not make judgements on an applicant's suitability for a position and does not therefore record such information. The Bureau's role within the recruitment process is to provide an employer, through a Registered Body, with the necessary information that enables an informed and responsible recruitment decision to be made.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in reducing the time taken by the Criminal Records Bureau to produce reports on individuals. [189307]
Ms Blears: For the period July 2003 to July 2004, the Criminal Records Bureau has achieved its service standards for processing Standard and Enhanced Disclosure applications. On average, over 90 per cent. of Standard and Enhanced Disclosures have been issued within two and four weeks respectively.
Departmental Administration Costs
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of printing headed notepaper for his Department was in (a) 1996–97 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available. [184453]
Fiona Mactaggart
[holding answer 16 July 2004]: The Home Office does not hold any figures on the cost of printing headed notepaper for the financial year 1996–97 and to obtain this information would incur disproportionate costs.
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I am able to provide details on the cost to the Home Office of printing headed notepaper for the last financial year.
FY 2003–04: £35,303
Distraction Burglaries
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to promote schemes which help prevent distraction burglaries, with particular reference to the British Gas Password Scheme. [188854]
Ms Blears: The Home Office has produced a range of booklets, audio and video tapes giving advice to individuals and to practitioners, particularly those who work with older people, on measures which can be taken to reduce distraction burglary. They were promoted at a series of 11 regional conferences between November 2001 and March 2002 and are used at national, regional and local levels to raise awareness of distraction burglary and the preventative measures that can be taken.
In particular, the leaflet 'How to beat the bogus caller' gives both the important message to 'Lock, Stop, Chain and Check' before admitting someone and highlights the fact that many utility companies operate password schemes for older and vulnerable people. To date, over six million leaflets have been distributed nationwide.
Drug Treatment
Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the work the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse has undertaken in Weston-super-Mare since its creation; and how many drug treatment centres it has inspected in the town. [188671]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
The National Treatment Agency (NTA) South West regional team, in its role of performance managing drug action team (DAT) treatment plans, carries out quarterly monitoring of the North Somerset DAT, of which Weston-Super-Mare forms a part. The NTA team has also:
given specific additional support to the DAT to improve the quality of its strategic planning;
brought in the expertise of the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) to support redesign of the local drug treatment system, focusing specifically on prescribing services; and
worked with the DAT and local drug treatment providers to reduce waiting times and improve access. This information is shown in the table.
| June 2004 | December 2001 | |
|---|---|---|
| In-patient | 1 | 31 |
| Residential rehabilitation | 0 | 31 |
| Specialist prescribing | 3 | 31 |
| General practitioner prescribing | 3 | 31 |
| Day care | 6 | 31 |
| Structured counselling | 4 | 5 |
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The NTA has not carried out any inspections of drug treatment agencies in England, as this has not been in its remit. However, The NTA is currently working with the Healthcare Commission on an inspection and review programme for drug treatment services, using the badge and authority of the Healthcare Commission and the expertise of the NTA. A pilot scheme is currently in development for roll-out in 2005–06. This will mean all treatment services in Weston-Super-Mare will be subject to a review at some point in the next three years.
European Weapons Directive
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of the European Weapons Directive; and what the position of the UK Government is on each of its principal recommendations. [188708]
Caroline Flint: Such changes as were necessary to meet the requirements of Council Directive No. 91/477/EEC on the control of the acquisition and possession of weapons were incorporated into domestic legislation by means of the Firearms Acts (Amendment) Regulations 1992. There are no outstanding recommendations for action although the Commission is currently reviewing the operation of the directive.
Faith Communities
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent consultations have been carried out by his Department with representatives of faith communities; and if he will make a statement. [188596]
Fiona Mactaggart [holding answer 13 September 2004]: Outlined as follows are details of recent consultations conducted by the Home Office in which representatives of faith communities have been consulted:
Counter Terrorism Powers: Reconciling Security and Liberty in an Open Society
A discussion paper was published the 25 February 2004 entitled "Counter Terrorism Powers: Reconciling Security and Liberty in an Open Society" which launched a six-month consultation process on the future of counter terrorist powers. Representatives of faith community groups have played an active and important part in this consultation process both by submitting written responses and in attending consultation events.
Needs of Faith Communities in Major Disasters
Work is currently under way to update a document originally produced by the Church of England entitled 'Needs of Faith Communities in Major Disasters'. The Cabinet Office and the Home Office, who are jointly funding the update, worked with representatives from the nine main faith communities and the British Humanist Association to update their individual entries. The document is currently out with emergency planners for consultation and will be issued in the autumn.
The Strength in Diversity pamphlet was published on 19 May 2004 and forms the framework for a robust debate on issues such as citizenship and identity, eradicating racism, tackling inequality and building cohesive communities.
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The 'Strength in Diversity' pamphlet was sent to a wide range of faith representatives including the main faith umbrella bodies and a meeting was held with faith representatives to discuss the consultation pamphlet. The consultation period ends on 17 September and the recommendations will form the basis of the Community Cohesion and Race Equality Strategy to be published in the autumn.
Burial Law and Policy in the 21st Century
A six month consultation exercise on burial law and policy in the 21st Century concluded on 31 August 2004. This gave a unique opportunity to consult with members of the public, professionals and faith representatives to establish burial legislation and policy which is streamlined, accessible and inclusive.
A number of faith representatives were included in the consultation process, including the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Office of the Chief Rabbi, National Council of Hindu Temples, Sikh Council for Inter-faith Relations, the Muslim College and the Muslim Council of Britain.
Ministers of Religion from Abroad: consultation on the English Language Requirement
In June 2004 representatives of all the major faith communities were consulted on a proposal by the government to introduce an amendment to the Immigration Rules in which individuals applying for leave to enter the United Kingdom as Ministers of Religion would be required to demonstrate that they were competent in the use of spoken and written English—proposed at level 6 of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
After listening to the views and concerns of faith groups at round table meetings the proposal was modified so that for the time being Ministers of Religion will only be required to have a basic grasp of spoken English before coming to the UK (level 4). It is intended to raise this to level 6—a competent speaker and writer—after two years. The rule change is now in effect.
The National Offender Management Service (NOMS)
The introduction of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has been subjected to two formal written consultations in which over 400 responses have been received. Many of these have been from representatives of faith communities. All responses have been analysed and continue to be used to inform the development of the new structure.
Domestic Violence Consultation Paper: 'Safety and Justice'
The Domestic Violence Consultation Paper 'Safety and Justice' was published in June 2003. Representatives of all the major faith communities were consulted (for a full list of organisations consulted see answer to written PQ 151654—30 January). In addition, the Home Office produced—and made available in both paper and electronic format—a summary leaflet, which was also translated into Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Somali, Urdu, Vietnamese and Welsh.
The Home Office received a total of 470 responses to 'Safety and Justice'. A list of organisations that responded can be found at Annex A of the 'Summary of Responses to "Safety and Justice: the
4 Oct 2004 : Column 1905W
Governments Proposal on Domestic Violence", copies of which are available in the Library and at: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crimepol/crimreduc/domviolence/publist.html.
The Prison Service Chaplaincy Council
The Prison Service Chaplaincy Council is made up of representatives from all the major faith traditions. It meets six times each year, and provides both a forum for consultation on a broad range of prison issues (policy and practice) and advice and guidance on all matters relating to prisoner faith issues.
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