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2 Feb 2005 : Column 979W—continued
Publicity
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total expenditure by his Department on (a) advertising and (b) advertising and publicity was in (i) 1996–97, (ii) 1997–98 and (iii)2003–04; and what the estimated cost of each will be in (A) 2004–05, (B) 2005–06, (C) 2006–07 and (D)2007–08. [211561]
Fiona Mactaggart: The Home Office spend on advertising and publicity since 1996–97 is as follows:
£5.23 million on advertising in a total advertising and publicity budget of £8.328 million. Campaigns included car crime, recruitment of special constables, fire safety and electoral registration.
£1.4 million on advertising in a total advertising and publicity budget of £3.372 million. Campaigns included recruitment of special constables, fire safety, absent voting and electoral registration.
£1.8 million on advertising in a total advertising and publicity budget of £4.194 million. Campaigns included smoke alarms, recruitment of special constables, crime partnerships and electoral registration.
£5.65 million on advertising in a total advertising and publicity budget of £10.08 million. Campaigns included chip pan safety, recruitment of special constables, European parliamentary elections and electoral registration.
£28.63 million on advertising in a total advertising and publicity budget of £35.637 million. Campaigns included fire safety, vehicle crime and the recruitment of police officers.
£14.4 million on advertising in a total advertising and publicity budget of £25.1 million. Campaigns included fire safety, vehicle crime, internet child protection, drug misuse, recruitment of police officers and special constables and postal voting.
£9.9 million on advertising in a total advertising and publicity budget of £18.3 million. Campaigns included vehicle crime, internet child protection, drugs, firearms amnesty and the recruitment of police officers.
£12.487 million on advertising in a total advertising and publicity budget of £22.083 million. Campaigns included vehicle crime, internet child protection, drugs, recruitment of police officers and domestic violence.
Figures for 2004–05 will be available shortly after the end of the financial year. We do not have estimated advertising and publicity costs for future years—this will be subject to ministerial approval on an annual basis.
Research and Development
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much and what percentage of the expenditure of each agency sponsored by his Department went on research and development in each year between 2001–02 and 2003–04. [207000]
Fiona Mactaggart: The Home Office currently sponsors the following agencies:
The Home Office also provides grant funding for a further 15 external organisations which hold the status of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). These organisations have been included in the response to the question raised as they are organisations that are sponsored by the Home Office.
The Home Office agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) use their own accounting system and they have provided the information relating to research and development costs for their own organisation.
The information relating to the amount and percentage of research and development costs for agencies sponsored by the Home Office is shown in the table.
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Rural Policing
Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will encourage (a) police authorities and (b) police forces to give higher priority to rural policing when allocating resources. [210671]
Ms Blears: It is a matter for each chief constable and police authority to decide how best to deploy the available resources across the force area, taking into account operational priorities and objectives.
We established the rural policing fund in 2000–01 in recognition of the additional costs incurred in delivering effective policing to the most sparsely populated areas in England and Wales. The fund remains a discrete £30 million pot each year, above main formula grant arrangements, to be spent at local discretion to improve policing in rural areas.
Sex Abuse (Historical Cases)
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of individuals wrongly convicted of historical sex abuse have been awarded compensation in each of the last five years. [207326]
Paul Goggins: Records of cases in which compensation has been paid for wrongful conviction, under either the statutory or ex gratia schemes, are not kept in such a way that would enable the information required to be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the findings of the joint Metropolitan Police Service and the Institute of Psychiatry research project to assess the veracity of historical allegations of childhood sexual abuse made by adults. [207333]
Ms Blears: The Home Office had not been apprised of this research. Detective Chief Inspector Parker of the Metropolitan Police Service informs that he is conducting some research in conjunction with the Institute of Psychiatry as part of a doctorate but has yet to publish it. I also understand that he gave evidence to the Home Affairs Committee in 2002 about the aims of his research, but it has yet reach conclusions.
Sikh Community
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will revise the statutory code of practice to ensure that all public bodies separately recognise and monitor Sikhs for the purposes of the Race Relations Act 2000. [211291]
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Fiona Mactaggart: I do not intend to revise the current Statutory Code of Practice on the Duty to Promote Race Equality. In the Statutory Code public authorities are encouraged to use the same ethnic classification system as the one used in the 2001 census. This approach ensures consistency, allowing comparisons to be made over time and across different areas. However, the Statutory Code provides public authorities the flexibility to adapt the categories to fit local circumstances, provided these are the same as, or similar to, those used in the 2001 census.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the Indian High Commission concerning India's opposition to the separate recognition and monitoring of British Sikhs by public bodies in the UK. [211292]
Fiona Mactaggart: To date I have not received any representations from the Indian High Commission expressing their opposition to the separate recognition and monitoring of British Sikhs by public bodies in the UK.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government plan to undertake a comprehensive review of the proscription of the International Sikh Youth Federation. [211293]
Fiona Mactaggart: As a matter of policy, the Government does not comment on whether a particular organisation is being considered for proscription or de-proscription under Section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2000. Such decisions are only taken after the most careful consideration and on the basis of the best possible security advice.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will meet representatives from the (a) Sikh Federation (UK), (b) National Council of Gurdwaras, (c) Young Sikhs and (d) Sikh Secretariat to discuss matters of concern to the Sikh community. [211290]
Fiona Mactaggart: I met with the Council of Sikh Gurdwaras on 14 January 2005.
I have also met representatives of the Network of Sikh Organisations and the British Sikh Consultation Forum.
I agree that it is important that the Government engages with a wide range of organisations and views within the community, and have therefore asked officials in the Cohesion and Faiths Unit in the Home Office to undertake a series of meetings with Sikh Organisations. I will be keeping in close touch with my officials about Sikh issues and I have already signified
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my willingness to consider hosting a round-table meeting with a broad range of Sikh groups in due course.
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