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12 Oct 2004 : Column 197W—continued
Departmental Recycling
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the latest available 12 month figures are for the proportion of the Department's redundant documentation, waste paper and card that is recycled; and if he will make a statement on the Department's recycling policy. [188689]
Fiona Mactaggart: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. All areas of the Department participate in recycling but the way in which it is carried out and the types of materials recycled varies. For the central London estate the waste is sorted by specialist contractors after collection and waste paper and card, among other materials, are extracted for recycling. The overall recycling rate is around 25 per cent. Confidential waste paper is collected separately, shredded and then recycled.
We are currently developing a strategy in response to the waste targets recently published under the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate. This strategy will cover how we will centrally collect waste data. A summary of the strategy will be published on the Home Office website by the end of October.
Journalists
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government have to ensure journalists are able to protect their sources. [186756]
Estelle Morris [holding answer 13 September 2004]: I have been asked to reply.
Section 10 of the Contempt of Court Act protects people, including journalists, from revealing their sources. In addition, the industry's voluntary Code of Practice, administered by the Press Complaints Commission, recognises that journalists have a moral obligation to protect confidential sources of information. The Government have no plans for further legislation in this area.
Name that Tag Campaign
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have called Crimestoppers in connection with the Name that Tag campaign; what the duration of the campaign was; how many tags were published over the course of the campaign; how many police investigations are under way as a result; and what the total cost of the campaign was. [190046]
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Ms Blears: In addition to approximately 130 calls to Crime Watch UK when name that tag was first publicised, 35 actionable calls have been made to Crimestoppers in connection with the Name that Tag campaign.
The campaign, with posters displaying 12 tags, initially ran for three months beginning in November 2003 but it has been left open-ended as the posters have generated more information and they are in fact still on display. Since my hon. Friend Paul Goggins' answer to the hon. Member on 7 September 2004, Official Report, column 813W two people have been arrested as a result of the campaign. A further nine people are at various stages of investigation relating to the published tags, and a further seven prolific taggers are also under police investigation. The initiative cost to the Home Office was £3,000.
Police
David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed (a) directly and (b) indirectly, by (i) the Police Complaints Commission for England and Wales and (ii) HM Inspectorate of Constabulary for England and Wales. [189664]
Ms Blears [holding answer 11 October 2004]: It is assumed that the Police Complaints Commission for England and Wales referred to is the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) which was established under the Police Reform Act 2002 and commenced operations on 1 April 2004. This body replaced the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) which ceased operations on 31 March 2004.
The information requested is as follows:
| Indirectly employed (secondees and public appointees) | Directly employed (all other staff) | |
|---|---|---|
| IPCC | 30 | 239 |
| HMIC | 63 | 66 |
Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police stations have (a) opened and (b) closed in Avon and Somerset in each year since 1979. [188667]
Ms Blears: The management of the police estate and allocation of resources are matters for each Police Authority and the Chief Officer.
The Chief Constable for Avon and Somerset Police informs me that reliable information, available only from 1992–93, is as follows:
| Financial Year | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|
| 1992–93 | 0 | 1 |
| 1993–94 | 0 | 13 |
| 1994–95 | 0 | 6 |
| 1995–96 | 0 | 14 |
| 1996–97 | 0 | 13 |
| 1997–98 | 2 | 1 |
| 1998–99 | 3 | 0 |
| 1999–2000 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000–01 | 2 | 0 |
| 2001–02 | 2 | 0 |
| 2002–03 | 1 | 1 |
| 2003–04 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
1. A police station is defined as an operational police facility with a public enquiry counter open during the day.
2. In March 2004, there were 43 police stations in Avon and Somerset.
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In addition to the station openings above, Avon and Somerset have recently introduced six mobile police stations.
The closure of police stations in the early 1990s was part of a force modernisation programme. Divisional boundaries were reviewed, assets were streamlined, and a number of local beat stations were closed. Sale proceeds increased the police capital programme, including further enhancement of district stations to improve service.
Between 2000–01 and 2003–04 Avon and Somerset Police Authority invested over £11 million directly in Land and Buildings 1 .
Avon and Somerset also provide public access through Beat Surgeries in public buildings such as libraries and community centres and in busy shopping centres.
1 Source:
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) Police Statistics.
Mr. Ivan Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the changes in police officer numbers in Essex has been since 1997. [186317]
Ms Blears [holding answer 7 September 2004]: On 31 May 2004 Essex police had 3,130 police officers, a record number and 169 more than in March 1997. The table shows strength for each year since March 1997.
| As at 31 March) | Police number(6) | Change in strength | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 2,961 | — | — |
| 1998 | 2,928 | -33 | (-1.1) |
| 1999 | 2,891 | -37 | (-1.3) |
| 2000 | 2,806 | -85 | (-2.9) |
| 2001 | (7)2,887 | +81 | (+2.9) |
| 2002 | 2,946 | +59 | (+2) |
| 2003 | (8)2,989 | +43 | (+1.6) |
| 2004 | 3,098 | +109 | (+3.6) |
| 2004 (31 August) | 3,106 | +8 | (+0.26) |
(6) Source for 1997 to March 2004 is 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.
(7) Boundary changes with the Metropolitan police on 1 April 2000 contributed to the increase in police officer strength during 2000–01.
(8) This corrects information provided in the Official Report, column 876, where "all officers" for 31 March 2003 had been provided in error, rather than "all officers (excl. career brakes and maternity leave)".
12 Oct 2004 : Column 200W
Prisons
Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many equal pay cases have been taken against the Prison Service in England and Wales in each year since 1997. [187958]
Paul Goggins: The number of claims for each year are:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 0 |
| 1998 | 0 |
| 1999 | 998 |
| 2000 | 310 |
| 2001 | 5 |
| 2002 | 359 |
| 2003 | 12 |
| 2004 | 87 |
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what rationale underlay the decision to permit prisoners serving life sentences to buy national lottery tickets; and if he will make a statement. [188575]
Paul Goggins: No one, including those serving a life sentence is permitted to buy national lottery tickets while they are in prison. The ticket purchased recently by a life sentence prisoner who won the Lotto (the National Lottery) was purchased while that individual was released from prison on temporary licence.
Temporary licences are granted as part of the resettlement process for those prisoners who are reaching the end of their sentence and are preparing for release. Under the terms of a temporary licence, a prisoner is bound by certain conditions aimed at preventing further offending and any antisocial behaviour. If these conditions are broken, they are recalled to prison immediately. The purchase of lottery tickets is not prohibited by the licence conditions.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the pay scales are for (a) administrative officers in the Prison Service and (b) prison officers; and what job evaluation exercises have been carried out by the Prison Service in respect of administrative posts in the past five years. [189867]
Paul Goggins: The pay scale for Administrative Officers in the Prison Service is £12,502-£15,415. That for Prison Officers is £16,896-£24,868, with Long Service Increments rising to £25,788.
The Prison Service introduced Phase 1 of its review of pay and grading in July 2000. This affected 2,500 middle and senior managers, including those in administrative and operational disciplines, and replaced more than 150 existing grades with a seven-payband common.
Development of Phase 2 of the review, which would have included administrative posts, was halted in April 2002, with the project work subsumed within pay modernisation.
To date, the Prison Service has carried out 507 individual job evaluations. The system evaluates the job and not the individual job-holder, so it is not possible to identify how many of these jobs were held by administrative grades without incurring disproportionate cost.
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Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 22 July 2004, Official Report, columns 610–11W, on prisons, if he will make it mandatory that prison staff who wish to become prison healthcare officers obtain the relevant qualifications before taking up the posts; and if he will make a statement. [187477]
Paul Goggins: There are no present plans to do so. However, the Prison Service continues to discuss with stakeholders the future options for healthcare officers, including training.
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