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Badger Baiting

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the number of badgers killed illegally by badger baiters in each of the last five years. [195349]

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

Binge Drinking

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the steps that have been taken by the brewing and licensed trade industry to combat binge drinking. [199192]

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

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the (a) usefulness and (b) accuracy of the British Crime Survey. [196701]

Ms Blears: The British Crime Survey (BCS), is the most authoritative source for assessing crime levels. It measures the crimes most people experience most of the time and measures peoples' direct experiences of crime. It is not affected by reporting or recording changes and has consistently measured crime the same way since it started in 1981.

Within Government it is used to inform and monitor policy and to assess performance. Police forces use BCS results to measure statutory performance indicators and target performance. They also compare their local data with BCS findings and use the survey as a tool for designing their own surveys.

The BCS is an internationally renowned reference work that is used in academia.

The Home Office has ensured that the survey data are available through the ESRC data archive, and it has also awarded grants for analysis by external academics.

About 50 external academics have published articles based on BCS data, and more have used it without leading to peer-reviewed publications.

Statistics from the BCS are released quarterly under the national statistics protocol which means they are assured for quality, timeliness and freedom from political interference. The BCS was reviewed in 2000 (Lynn and Elliot) and all recommendations from the review have been implemented.

Burglaries (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many burglaries there were in each London borough in (a) each year since 2001 and (b) each month to date in 2004. [199241]

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

Business Case Assessments

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department has received from the Cabinet Office on the timing of business case assessments in respect of major projects. [198870]

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

Car Thefts (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many car thefts there were in each London borough in (a) each year since 2001 and (b) each month to date in 2004. [199242]

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

Child Pornography

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the steps that have been taken by credit card companies to combat the purchasing of child pornography on the internet. [199194]

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

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further steps his Department intends to take to ensure that credit card companies do all they can to combat the purchasing of child pornography on the internet. [199195]

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

Church of England Charities

Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how long he expects Church of England charities to remain excepted charities. [199114]

Fiona Mactaggart: The draft Charities Bill would end the system of exceptions from the requirement to register. Initially, excepted charities with an annual income above £100,000 would be required to register. Any decision to lower that threshold would be made only after further consultation with key stakeholders, including the Church of England. Before any plans are drawn up to lower the registration threshold for excepted charities the Government intend to monitor and report on the actual costs and benefits of the registration of those charities with an annual income above £100,000.

Civil Servants (Yorkshire)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent jobs (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies had in (i) Yorkshire and the Humber and (ii) the City of York in (A) 1997 and (B) the latest year for which figures are available. [191852]

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

Closed Circuit Television

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what schemes exist to provide financial assistance for the extension of closed circuit television in town centres. [198610]

Ms Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.
 
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Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the level of funding for CCTV security cameras was in Bournemouth in each year since 1997; and how many CCTV security cameras were switched off in Bournemouth in each year since 1997. [197973]

Ms Blears: Between 1997 and 2001 the Home Office provided Bournemouth with £100,463 for Closed Circuit Television systems. Between 2001 and 2004, they received an additional £255,000 for crime reduction initiatives from miscellaneous Home Office funding streams, providing for 176 CCTV cameras.

The operation of CCTV cameras is a matter for Bournemouth borough council and Dorset police.

Commencement of Legislation

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what pieces of legislation passed in the last 30 years that the Department is responsible for remain to be brought into force, broken down by year of enactment. [195621]

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

Community Support Officers

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account the maximum funded cost for a community support officer takes of higher police pay in London. [192536]

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

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 2 November 2004, Official Report, column 188W, on community support officers, for what reasons each of the 31 detentions under the detention power pilot resulted in release after the arrival of a police officer; and if he will make a statement. [199056]

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

Consultancy Projects

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many consultancy firms or companies have been retained by the Department since June 2001; what the projects are for which each has been retained; and what the total is of the fees paid or incurred in each case. [193429]

Fiona Mactaggart [holding answer 25 October 2004]: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

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