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Initiatives (Funding)
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what budget was allocated to the (a) Correctional Services Board, (b) National Offender Management Service, (c) Anti-Social Behaviour Action Group, (d) National Victims Advisory Panel, (e) Police Leadership Development Board, (f) National Asylum Support Forum, (g) Action Against Crime Business Group and (h) Sentencing Guidelines Council in each of the last two years; and how many staff each organisation employed in each year. [201729]
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Paul Goggins: The information requested is as follows:
(a) The Correctional Services Board ceased to exist following the creation of the National Offender Management Service on 1 June 2004. It did not have a dedicated full-time staff, the secretariat function being met by Correctional Services staff. The Board's budget of £70,000 in the financial year 2003–04 was for the expenses of its non-executive members.
(b) The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) came into existence on 1 June 2004. The total budget for the elements that make up NOMS was £3.29 billion resource and £0.31 billion capital in April 2004. As the structure of NOMS has not been finalised it is not yet possible to give the number of staff employed.
(c) The Anti-Social Behaviour Action Group had a budget of £25 million in the financial year 2003–04 and £24 million in 2004–05. On average, the Group employed 27 staff.
(d) There was no formal budget allocation for the National Victims Advisory Panel in the financial year 2003–04, but £10,000 of its non-pay running costs was found from Home Office funds. There was a budget of £20,000 for 2004–05. The Panel does not have a dedicated secretariat. Four Home Office staff oversee the administration and running of the Panel, although this is only part of their work.
(e) The Police Leadership Development Board (PLDB) was established in 2001 and is chaired by HM Inspector of Constabulary. It oversees a programme of work to promote and develop effective leadership across the police service, which is delivered by the Home Office, the police service and its training and development providers. It has no budget or staff. Programme costs are met by the Home Office.
(f) The National Asylum Support Forum is a regular meeting at which representatives from key stakeholder groups discuss current and future issues in Asylum Support. Costs to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) of contributing to not been finalised it is not yet possible to give the number of staff employed.
(g) The Anti-Social Behaviour Action Group had a budget of £25 million in the financial year 2003–04 and £24 million in 2004–05. On average, the Group employed 27 staff.
(h) The Sentencing Guidelines Council was appointed in March 2004, and shares a secretariat with the Sentencing Advisory Panel. The budget for the Council and Panel in the financial year 2003–04 was £0.546 million and during that time the Secretariat increased from three staff to the current level of 14 staff to support the new body. The budget allocated to the Council and Panel in 2004–05 is £0.909 million.
National Offender Management Service
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans have been developed for qualifications, training and career development for the National Offender Management Service. [204970]
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Paul Goggins: Planning has begun on the creation of a learning and development strategy for National Offender Management Service (NOMS). Working closely with Skills for Justice (the Sector Skills Council for the justice sector) and regional probation training consortia, this strategy will identify new learning programmes and qualifications needed to support the development of NOMS.
As the offender management model is developed, a particular priority will be to define the competencies needed to undertake that role, and hence to develop learning programmes.
The Prison Service and the National Probation Service are also developing proposals for an integrated approach to leadership and management development for managers across NOMS. An early output will be the creation of a development programme for the 10 Regional Offender Managers.
Passports
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the timescale is for the inclusion of (a) facial, (b) fingerprint and (c) iris biometrics in passports. [206618]
Mr. Browne: The UK Passport Service currently plans to commence production of chip enabled passports containing a facial image by the last quarter in 2005.
We are at present considering the benefits and impacts of the possible introduction of fingerprint and/or iris biometrics. Unlike the facial biometrics, inclusion of either or both of these biometrics will require the personal attendance of all passport applicants. I have announced that adults applying for a passport for the first time will have to apply in person from the last quarter of 2006. However to require all applicants to apply in person and to record and store their additional biometrics would have a significant impact on UKPS operations and processes and a decision will not be taken on this until later in 2005.
Police
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many stop and accounts were undertaken by the police per day on average in the last period for which figures are available. [203510]
Ms Blears: There is no data currently held centrally on Stop and Account procedures. The requirement to record all stops in line with recommendation 61 of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry becomes effective on April 1 2005.
Prison Service
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the guidance set out in HM Treasury Green Book was followed in regard to the decision to reintroduce market testing to the Prison Service. [202690]
Paul Goggins:
The guidance set out in Her Majesty's Treasury Green Book is to ensure that no programme is adopted without prior consideration of whether there are better ways of achieving the end result and better
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uses for the resources involved. In his report "Managing Offenders, Reducing Crime" published in December 2003 Lord Carter of Coles recommended that market testing should be reintroduced on the basis that contestability demonstrates value for money in the delivery of cost effective correctional services. The Government accepted this recommendation in its response published in January 2004 "Reducing Crime—Changing Lives". Value for money in respect of a prisons market test is demonstrated through the evaluation of bids submitted by the private and public sectors.
Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many employees of the Prison Service have been disciplined for improper use of official cars since (a) 1997 and (b) 2001; [203641]
(2) how many prison officers have been disciplined since (a) 1997 and (b) 2001 for dishonest claims for travel allowances. [203651]
Paul Goggins [holding answer 9 December 2004]: The information required is not held centrally and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
Prisons
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison cells were available for use at each prison establishment on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many prisoners could be housed in those cells. [206417]
Paul Goggins: The total number of prison cells and other accommodation is not recorded centrally. The standard unit of prison accommodation is the prison place, which includes cells, cubicles, dormitories, rooms or wards. When totalled, it represents the uncrowded capacity of a prison, or Certified Normal Accommodation (CNA).
The total number of prisoners that an establishment can hold in its accommodation is the prison's operational capacity. It is determined by area managers on the basis of operational judgement and experience, taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regime.
Data on prison capacity in England and Wales, as at 26 November 2004 (the last date for which figures are available), is set out in the following table.
(10) Dover and Haslar in their entirety and 112 of Lindholme's places are designated Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs), which are managed by the Prison Service on behalf of Immigration and Nationality Directorate.
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