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10 Jan 2005 : Column 331W—continued
Offenders (Reports)
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reports his Department has commissioned regarding (a) sentencing and (b) the management of offenders since 1997; on what dates these reports were commissioned; who carried out the reviews; at what cost; and when his Department received each report. [199525]
Paul Goggins [holding answer 29 November 2004]: Since 1997, the Home Office has commissioned two major reports on sentencing and the management of offenders. The first of these was the Halliday Report ("Making Punishments Work"), which was launched in May 2000 and reported in July 2001. The author was John Halliday. The total cost of the report was £56,301.
The second was the Carter Report ("Managing Offenders, Reducing Crime") commissioned by the PM, Treasury and Home Secretary on 17 March 2003. The author was Patrick Carter (now Lord Carter of Coles). The report was received on 11 December 2003 and published on 6 January 2004. The cost of Patrick Carter's review was met by the three commissioning Departments. The Home Office contributed staff resources via seconded staff, and contributed £55,997 to the costs of expenses, research support and publication. The total cost of the Carter report is not readily available.
In addition to these two major projects, the Home Office has either commissioned or published an estimated 143 projects relating to more specific issues within the area of sentencing or offender management since 1997. These mostly comprise one-off research projects, and exclude the Home Office's series of statistical publications in those areas. Some of these projects have already been completed and published, others are still in progress. These projects have been carried out by a variety of external research teams (usually from universities or commercial research organisations) and in some cases by research development and statistics staff. It would be disproportionately costly to provide information on their total costs or the dates on which they reported.
Office of Government Commerce
Mr. Oaten:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department has
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received from the Office of Government Commerce on the timing of Gateway Zero consultations in respect of projects and programme development. [201439]
Paul Goggins: The Office of Government Commerce was fully consulted and the time scale of Gateway Zero Review was agreed with them.
Operation Blunt
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers have been used to (a) X-ray and (b) stop and search individuals suspected of carrying knives at Hammersmith bus station as part of "Operation Blunt"; and how many individuals have been arrested for knife crimes as a result. [206615]
Caroline Flint: The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police informs me that a metal detecting scanner was used at Hammersmith bus station as part of "Operation Blunt". Individuals were only searched if the officer had grounds to do so under Section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. Three individuals were arrested as a result of the operation for offences connected to the possession of knives.
Operation Safeguard
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police forces are on standby for Operation Safeguard. [201036]
Paul Goggins: There are no plans to activate Operation Safeguard. No police forces have been placed on standby for the routine use of police cells.
Overseas Bribery
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many meetings representatives of the law enforcement agencies have had with representatives from the Confederation of British Industry and other industry groups to discuss enforcement of overseas bribery offences in the last year; and on what dates. [201629]
Paul Goggins: Law enforcement authorities operate independently of Government and we do not have this information.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many meetings officials from his Department have had since October 2003 with the
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Confederation of British Industry at which legislation on overseas bribery was discussed; and on what dates. [201647]
Paul Goggins: One, on 27 October 2004.
Passports
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people born in the UK to a British father and a foreign mother applied for a British passport (a) in the last year and (b) in the last three years; how many were successful in each case; and if he will make a statement. [200481]
Mr. Browne: British passports are issued to British nationals as defined under the appropriate legislation. Between 2003–04 the UKPS issued 5,910,154 passports, and between 2001–04 they issued 17,0123,386 passports. It is not possible to determine how many of these passports were issued to a person born in the UK to a British father and a foreign mother.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people he estimates will (a) purchase a passport for the first time and (b) renew their passport in each of the next 10 years. [202993]
Mr. Browne: The table outlines the UK Passport Service's 10-year forecast of demand for adult and child new passports and adult and child passport renewals.
These figures do not include applications for replacement lost or stolen passports or amendments to existing passports.
Mr. Salmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the current EU proposal to mandate biometric passports for its citizens is in an area
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the UK has opted out of as part of its opt out from the Schengen Acquis; and whether the UK will be required by the EU to introduce biometric passports under current proposals. [203708]
Mr. Browne [holding answer 9 December 2004]: The recitals to this draft Regulation confirm that the UK is not bound by it. We are, therefore, not required by the EU to introduce biometric passports. We do, however, have plans to introduce a biometric passport independent of this Regulation.
Police Injuries
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been victims of (a) fatal injuries, (b) serious injuries and (c) slight injuries resulting from (i) gun crime and (ii) knife crime in each year since 1997. [205357]
Caroline Flint: The available information relates to the number of police officers injured by a firearm while on duty and is given in the table. With regard to knife crime, information is only available for police officers who suffer fatal injuries where the apparent method of killing was a sharp instrument. Two police officers have suffered a fatal injury in these circumstances during the period requested, one in 1997–98 and one in 2002–03.
(5507180099) A serious injury is one which necessitated detention in hospital or involved fractures, concussion, severe general shock, penetration by a bullet or multiple shot wounds
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