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Ministerial Expenses

Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Department spent on (a) maintenance, (b) renovation, (c) council tax and (d) running costs of residential properties used by Ministers and officials in each year since 1997. [191409]

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Mobile Phones

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action members of the public who see drivers using mobile phones whilst driving should take. [198500]

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up a free phone number that members of the public can ring in to give the car registration numbers of those drivers who break the law on using mobile phones while driving. [198501]

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.
 
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Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action the appropriate authorities should take when a member of the public makes a complaint against a driver who was using a mobile phone while driving. [198502]

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Motoring Offence Fines

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were issued fines for motoring offences in each year since 1997; and what proportion of those fines were paid in each year. [199270]

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Multiculturalism

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Government's strategy is further to improve integration and boost multiculturalism among young British citizens. [190134]

Mr. Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

National Offender Management Service

Mrs. Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons are for the introduction of the concept of contestability within the National Offender Management Service. [190117]

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the risk assessment that has been carried out in respect of the implementation of National Offender Management Service. [198475]

Paul Goggins [holding answer 16 November 2004]: As part of the setting up of the National Offender Management Service, a comprehensive risk management strategy has been established, providing for the assessment, monitoring and managing of risks across the change programme. In keeping with normal practice across Government, it is not intended to publish the findings from these assessments.

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what risk assessment he has carried out on (a) prison capacity and (b) workload at the National Offender Management Service; and what the outcome was. [198476]

Paul Goggins: As part of the setting up of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), a comprehensive risk management strategy has been established, providing for the assessment, monitoring and managing of risks across the change programme.
 
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The results have been agreed with the NOMS directors and reported to the NOMS board and to other governance bodies within the Home Office.

The assessments cover all aspects of the programme, including policy, implementation, people and process issues. The registers are continually updated as the programme evolves and the risks change.

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the business case in respect of the National Offender Management Service will be published. [198873]

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

National Probation Service

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons were for the delay in completing the National Probation Service Pay and Reward Review. [198026]

Paul Goggins: The Employers' Side of the National Probation Service (NPS) National Negotiating Committee (NNC) has been meeting with the Trade Union Side about the introduction of new pay and grading arrangements. The discussions have been wide-ranging and complex. Until very recently it was expected, by both sides, that the 2004–05 annual pay settlement would be subsumed within any agreement reached. This has not proved possible. Discussions will continue.

Nationality Applications

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for the granting of British nationality are waiting to be dealt with by his Department. [194137]

Mr. Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

New EU Members

Mr. Hogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizens from the new members of the European Union have registered for work in Britain in each of the last five months; and how many have registered under contractors' arrangements. [193077]

Mr. Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

OASys

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in rolling out the OASys offender assessment tool in (a) prisons and (b) probation; how many prisons have access to the system; when roll-out will be complete; and if he will make a statement. [198911]

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
 
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Offences Statistics

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were charged with offences in each month since 1 July 2003. [199150]

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Open Prisons

Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many open prisons there are in the United Kingdom; and how many prisoners have absconded from open prisons in the last year. [198351]

Paul Goggins: On 31 October 2004, there were 15 establishments in England and Wales designated as open prisons: Askham Grange, East Sutton Park, Ford, Grendon/Spring Hill, Hewell Grange, Hollesley Bay, Kirkham, Leyhill, Moorland Open, North Sea Camp, Standford Hill, Sudbury, Thorn Cross, Usk/Prescoed and Wealstun. In the 12 months to 31 October 2004 1,002 absconds were reported from open prisons.

Those prisoners who choose to abuse the trust placed in them, leaving the prison without authority, are considered to have absconded rather than escaped, because they have not had to breach significant security measures.

Information about prisons in Scotland and Northern Ireland is available from the Scottish Executive and Northern Ireland Office respectively.

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences were committed by prisoners who escaped from open prisons in the last three years. [199004]

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoner escapes there have been from open prisons in England and Wales in the last three years. [199005]

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are absent without authorisation from prisons in England and Wales; and how many were in open prisons when they absconded. [199006]

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

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