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Circles Programme

Dr. Kumar To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department where the Circles programme has been introduced; what assessment he has made of its effects; and what plans there are to introduce it elsewhere. [201498]

Paul Goggins: Circles of Support and Accountability are being run in the Thames Valley and Hampshire areas. In addition the Lucy Faithfull Foundation are operating in a number of areas using Circles, initially to support former residents of the Wolvercote Clinic.

The Home Office is in the process of evaluating the scheme and a report is due in March 2005. This report will help to inform any future expansion of the scheme.
 
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Contracted Prisons

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when he will publish cost and statistical data on the performance of each contracted prison against key performance indicators; and if he will make a statement; [200966]

(2) when he will publish the Annual Report and Accounts for the office of contracted prisons for 2003–04. [200967]

Paul Goggins: Information on key performance indicators for contracted prisons was included in the written ministerial statement I made on 21 July 2004, Official Report, column 42WS.

I am also able to provide a list of costs and related information for contracted prisons following the publication of the Home Office Accounts.

	Certified normal accommodation	Average population	Expenditure (£)	Cost per prison place (£)	Cost per prisoner (£)
Altcourse	614	996	32,739,936	53,322	32,871
Ashfield	407	278	13,662,084	33,568	49,144
Doncaster	771	1,110	19,097,051	24,769	17,205
Dovegate	860	849	23,584,223	27,424	27,779
Forest Bank	800	1004	21,783,463	27,229	21 ,697
Lowdham Grange	504	522	13,004,116	25,802	24,912
Pare	788	980	32,529,421	41,281	33,193
Rye Hill	600	656	14,935,111	24,892	22,767
Wolds	310	344	6,776,755	21,861	19,700
Total	5,654	6,739	178,112,160	31,502	26,430

The office for contracted prisons is not required to publish an Annual Report or Accounts as it is part of the main Home Office and not an Agency.

Correspondence

Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 8 October from the hon. Member for Spelthorne, about a constituent, Mr. P. Duckworth. [203570]

Mr. Browne [holding answer 9 December 2004]: I wrote to the hon. Member on 11 January. The delay in responding was due to the letter being addressed to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and only being transferred to the Home Office after the hon. Member tabled his question.

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his officials at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will reply to the letter of 10 March about a constituent of the hon. Member for Vauxhall, Home Office reference: W1009436. [205261]

Mr. Browne: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to my hon. Friend on 5 January 2005.

Crime Statistics (York)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) burglaries of dwellings, (b) vehicle crimes, (c) crimes in total and (d) arrests there were in the City of York between (i) April and December 2004 and (ii) April and December 2003; what the detection rate was in each category in these periods; and what the percentage change in each was between the two periods. [205948]

Ms Blears [holding answer 10 January 2005]: Information on the number of recorded offences for the City of York relates to the York Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area. Statistics at CDRP level are only published on a calendar basis. Figures covering 2002–03 and 2003–04 are available on the Home Office website at:

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/cdrptabs.xls

Detections data is available at Basic Command Unit (BCU) level but not at CDRP level. The City of York comes within the Central BCU and the statistics are only published on a calendar year basis. They are available on the website at:

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/bcu1.xls

Arrests data is only collected at police force area level and by offence group only.

Custody Plus

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional funds will be made available to the prisons and probation services to implement custody plus; and when the measure will be implemented. [205686]

Paul Goggins: Implementation of the custody plus provisions will be funded from within the Department's spending review settlement. No final decision has yet been taken on the timing of commencement of these provisions.
 
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Domestic Violence

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the contribution of local Women's Aid and other refuge services to the effectiveness of other agency responses to domestic violence, with particular reference to advocacy services. [206042]

Paul Goggins [holding answer 20 December 2004]: The Crime Reduction Programme (CRP) Violence against Women Initiative (VAWI) was an evidence based programme which aimed to find out which approaches and strategies were effective in supporting victims and tackling violence against women. In July 2000 27 domestic violence projects and seven rape and sexual assault projects were independently evaluated. The domestic violence projects were all multi-agency partnerships and many of the partner organisations involved in delivering interventions were voluntary groups such as Women's Aid, The projects worked in a variety of contexts and, while most provided some type of advocacy and support, the aims of the projects differed. The findings from the evaluations have been collated, and a series of research reports and concise practitioner guides have already been published. The research findings from those projects which specifically provided advocacy and support to victims are planned to be published, along with two concise practitioner guides, early in 2005.

The evidence of the CRP VAWI—and recent evaluations of specialist domestic violence courts which make clear that advocacy services are a key part in their success—show the important role advocacy services have to play in supporting victims of domestic violence. Local partnerships responsible for crime and disorder are currently Identifying the need for domestic violence services in their local communities. Once identified, the appropriate organisation to meet that need is selected by local commissioning groups and their effectiveness monitored against criteria set out in their service level agreements.

Environment Department Buildings

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent from public funds on maintaining the offices of the former Department of the Environment buildings from the time it ceased to be working departmental offices to its demolition. [205351]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The Home Office took on responsibilities for the management and repair of the 2 Marsham Street buildings on 1 April 1999. The building was also used as a shelter for the homeless during one winter. The maintenance costs required to keep the building and site safe from 1 April 1999 to the commencement of demolition on 27 March 2002 was £1.7 million excluding VAT.

Erkin Guney

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Mr. Roy Clark, formerly of the Independent Police Complaints Commission, has been excluded from participation in,
 
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or oversight of, the inquiry into the conduct of the police in relation to the wrongful conviction of Erkin Guney; and if he will make a statement. [205534]

Ms Blears: Roy Clarke is the present Director of Investigations at the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and I am advised that he has not participated in any way in the investigation into the conduct of the police in relation to the conviction of Erkin Guney.

The IPCC has advised that it will always take care to avoid the involvement of any Commissioner or member of staff in a case on its behalf who has had previous involvement in cases which might raise a conflict of interest.

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