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11 Oct 2004 : Column 173W—continued
Nuclear Installations (Threat Assessments)
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many threat assessments to nuclear installations and nuclear materials in transit have been conducted by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre since 11 September 2001. [187308]
Mr. Blunkett: The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) analytical effort devoted specifically to threats to nuclear installations and nuclear materials in transit is proportionate—and varies over time in response—to the number and credibility of those threats.
Paula Higson
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the appointment date was of Paula Higson; and what her current civil service grade is. [189934]
Mr. Browne: Paula Higson took up her appointment as Senior Director for Managed Migration on 15 September 2003. Ms Higson is a member of the Senior Civil Service.
Police
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances police community safety officers are (a) issued with batons and (b) allowed to use them. [189828]
Ms Blears: The equipment issued to Community Support Officers (CSOs) is at the discretion of individual chief officers, taking into account all the relevant health and safety considerations. I am not aware of any chief having authorised the issue of batons to CSOs.
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police Community Safety Officers were issued with batons in Parliament Square on the afternoon of 15 September. [189829]
Ms Blears: The Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis has confirmed that his Community Support Officers are not issued with batons and none was issued with batons on 15 September.
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) community support officers were employed in North Yorkshire in (i) May 1979 and (ii) each May since then. [188949]
Ms Blears:
Information for police personnel strength in North Yorkshire is set out in the table. Since 1995 the frequency of the collection of police personnel data was reduced and is currently collected quarterly. To provide continuity the information in the table is for 31 March of each year from 1979.
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| Year (as at 31 March) | Police officers(48) | Community Support Officers | Police (Support) staff 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 1,342 | — | — |
| 1980 | 1,352 | — | — |
| 1981 | 1,355 | — | — |
| 1982 | 1,354 | — | — |
| 1983 | 1,366 | — | — |
| 1984 | 1,359 | — | — |
| 1985 | 1,332 | — | — |
| 1986 | 1,361 | — | 334 |
| 1987 | 1,353 | — | 329 |
| 1988 | 1,372 | — | 357 |
| 1989 | 1,370 | — | 420 |
| 1990 | 1,379 | — | 432 |
| 1991 | 1,387 | — | 448 |
| 1992 | 1,398 | — | 445 |
| 1993 | 1,393 | — | 452 |
| 1994 | 1,318 | — | 438 |
| 1995 | 1,300 | — | 507 |
| 1996 | 1,324 | — | 520 |
| 1997 | 1,338 | — | 520 |
| 1998 | 1,367 | — | 543 |
| 1999 | 1,337 | — | 541 |
| 2000 | 1,283 | — | 492 |
| 2001 | 1,305 | — | 591 |
| 2002 | 1,417 | — | 743 |
| 2003 | 1,444 | — | 723 |
| 2004 | 1,529 | (50)52 | 864 |
| 2004 (31 August) | 1,535 | 49 | Not available |
(48) Police staff strength not available before 1986.
(49) Data prior to 1996 were collected by the Police Resources Unit of the Crime Reduction and Community Safety Group of the Home Office. 1996 to March 2004 is collected by the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate (RDS). August 2004 was collected separately outside of the normal data collection arrangements and has not been subject to the same validation as RDS data.
(50) The first CSOs were appointed in May 2003 to the North Yorkshire Constabulary.
Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) violent and (b) drug-related offences there were in the Thames Valley in (i) 1997, (ii) 2001 and (iii) the latest year for which figures are available. [186004]
Ms Blears [holding answer 22 July 2004]: Police recorded violent crime comprises violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery. The available statistics for violent crime in Thames Valley are given in the table.
| Period | Number of offences |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 8,589 |
| 2001–02 | 29,201 |
| 2003–04 | 32,492 |
Note:
Numbers of recorded crimes are affected by changes in reporting and recording practice. In particular, changes to the counting rules in 1998 and the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002 led to an increase in the number of crimes recorded by the police.
In 2001–02, 25 per cent. of all violent crime recorded in Thames Valley were common assaults resulting in no injury to the victim. The equivalent figure for 2003–04 was 24 per cent.
11 Oct 2004 : Column 175W
It is not possible to identify drug-related crime from the recorded crime statistics. The figure for 1997 relates to offences of trafficking only in 1997. Possession and other drug offences were added to recorded crime series in 1998–99. The available information is given in the table.
| Period | Number of offences |
|---|---|
| 1997(51) | 566 |
| 2001–02(52) | 4,903 |
| 2003–04(52) | 5,404 |
(51) Drug trafficking only
(52) Drug trafficking, possession and other drug offences.
Note:
Numbers of recorded crimes are affected by changes in reporting and recording practice. In particular, changes to the counting rules in 1998 and the introduction of the National Crime .Recording Standard in April 2002 led to an increase in the number of crimes recorded by the police.
The British Crime Survey (BCS) also provides data on the level of violent crime in England and Wales. However, due to the variability of specific offence figures at police force area level regional figures only are available. Data at regional level have been published as a rate per 10,000 adults since the 2001–02 BCS and are presented for the relevant region below.
| 2001–02 | 895 |
| 2002–03 | 826 |
| 2003–04 | 704 |
Source:
2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04 BCS Interviews
The difference in the above rates between 2001–02 and 2003–04 is not statistically significant, therefore the level of violent crime in the region has remained stable according to the BCS.
In the 2003–04 BCS, 55 per cent. of all violent crime in the South East resulted in no injury to the victim. Figures for previous years are not available.
The BCS does not have data published on the number of drug-related offences.
Prisons
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library the findings of the IG16 report into a smoking policy for prisons from 1996. [185641]
Paul Goggins [holding answer 22 July 2004]: The review of prisoner smoking indicated in Instruction to Governors 16 of 1996 did not result in the production of a report.
However in 2003 the Department of Health and the Prison Service published "AQUITTED: Best practice guidance for developing smoking cessation services in prisons". Extra funding of £500,000 has been made available for each of the three years up to 2006. The launch of "AQUITTED" was supported by a programme of training seminars for staff of prisons and
11 Oct 2004 : Column 176W
their local primary care trusts. The effectiveness of the initiative is being evaluated and a report is expected in 2005.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases involving equal pay claims against the Prison Service have been taken to an employment tribunal since 1997. [189863]
Paul Goggins: The number of claims for each year are:
| Number of claims | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 0 |
| 1998 | 0 |
| 1999 | 998 |
| 2000 | 310 |
| 2001 | 5 |
| 2002 | 359 |
| 2003 | 12 |
| 2004 | 87 |
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employment tribunals have found against the Prison Service in equal pay claims in each of the last five years; and what the financial implications of those decisions have been. [189865]
Paul Goggins: There have been findings against the Prison Service in eight equal pay claims since 1997. As these findings are currently subject to appeal by the Prison Service it is not possible to provide an estimate of the financial implications.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what appeals the Prison Service has made against decisions of employment tribunals in equal pay cases in 2004; and what the cost of those appeals has been. [189866]
Paul Goggins: The Prison Service lodged an appeal in the case of Bailey and Others v. Home Office on 26 August 2004. No date has been fixed for the hearing, and it is consequently not possible to estimate its cost.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what conclusions and recommendations have been made in the final report of the Prison Service's Safer Locals research project being conducted by Alison Liebling from Cambridge University; if he will make a statement; and if he will place a copy of the report in the Library. [190112]
Paul Goggins: Alison Liebling's final report of the Prison Service's Safer Locals research project is awaited.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which prisons prisoners can undertake (a) vocational training courses and (b) construction industry training courses. [190119]
Paul Goggins: Improving the skills of offenders and our performance in placing them in sustainable employment is central to our strategy for reducing re-offending.
Although we do not collect this information centrally, by bringing together funding for education and vocational training into one ring fenced budget we have
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given the Prison Service more flexibility to decide locally how best to use their funds to support local work-based learning initiatives.
Recent capital investment to upgrade facilities in prison workshops, the introduction of prisoner training programmes with employer involvement, and greater joint working with sector skills councils—including with the Construction Industry Training Board—will further ensure that prisoners can achieve skills and qualifications in areas and at levels needed by industry.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners, on average, attended the prison chapel in each prison per week in the past 12 months. [190120]
Paul Goggins: This information is not routinely collated and could be done so only at disproportionate cost.
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