| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
28 Feb 2005 : Column 1002W—continued
Electronic Devices
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many electronic devices are owned by the Department, broken down by type. [207684]
Fiona Mactaggart: Information on the number and type of electronic devices owned by the Department is not held centrally and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
Human Rights Act
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases have been brought against his Department under the Human Rights Act 1998; and what the cost has been in (a) legal fees to defend cases and (b) compensation payments. [200772]
Paul Goggins: It is not possible to provide a detailed answer without incurring disproportionate expense. The Home Office deals with over 200 judicial review cases a month.
Many applicants rely on the Human Rights Act in addition to their other claims.
Our records do not distinguish cases where the Human Rights Act is invoked from cases where it is not. Consequently we are not able to attribute particular fees or costs to such cases.
International Student Visas
Mr. Plaskitt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average administration cost of granting an extension to an international student visa is. [218601]
Mr. Browne: The costs of processing student leave to remain applications are based on approved Treasury cost recovery guidelines.
This means taking the full cost of providing the leave to remain service, including overheads, and dividing it by the volume of applications in order to arrive at a fee per application.
National Offender Management Service
Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate has been made of the effect on the number of civil service posts of the introduction of the National Offender Management Service. [201676]
Paul Goggins:
12 new posts have been created to manage the change programme and 10 new Regional Offender Managers have been appointed. The new National Offender Management Service (NOMS) headquarters is being redesigned by April 2005.
28 Feb 2005 : Column 1003W
Although there may be temporary increases in civil service posts over the next two years, NOMS remains committed to reducing civil service posts by almost 900 to reach a target of 2,540 posts by March 2007. To date, 50 per cent. of this reduction has been achieved.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether an independent Chair will be appointed for each regional offender management area in England and Wales. [204964]
Paul Goggins: There are no such plans.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how duplication in terms of the provision of services and policies will be avoided following the creation of two arrangements for the employment of staff for the Probation Service under the National Offender Management Service arrangements. [204972]
Paul Goggins: No decision has yet been taken on the future employment status of offender managers or those providing interventions. In the fully developed National Offender Management Service model, it is expected that providers of services to offenders will be drawn from the public sector, private sector and the voluntary and community sector. Core policies and commissioning standards will be set centrally.
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultation on the role of the National Offender Management Service with trade unions he plans to undertake. [216371]
Paul Goggins: Consultation with trade unions on the role of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is taking place within the NOMS Joint Consultative Council (JCC). Three JCC meetings have taken place since November 2004 and a programme of meetings has been arranged for 2005.
Consultation is taking place separately with employee representative bodies through the established Her Majesty's Prison Service, Central Home Office and Probation Service consultative arrangements.
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the National Offender Management Service Programme Board last met; and what plans it has to meet. [216408]
Paul Goggins: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) Programme Board met on 15 February 2005 and is scheduled to meet every fortnight.
Northamptonshire Police
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers, (b) community support officers and (c) wardens were employed by Northamptonshire police in (i) 1997–98 and (ii) 2003–04. [211283]
Ms Blears: There were 1,169 police officers in Northamptonshire police at the end of March 1998 and 1,239 at the end of March 2004.
Community Support Officers (CSOs) were introduced by the Police Reform Act 2002 and were not recruited by Northamptonshire police before March 2003. At the end of March 2004 there were 12 CSOs in the force.
28 Feb 2005 : Column 1004W
Wardens are generally employed by local authorities and not by police authorities. I am told that the Northamptonshire police authority is currently providing funding towards the employment of two wardens in Northampton as part of the Crime and Antisocial Partnerships Initiative.
People Trafficking
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2005, Official Report, column 1153W, on people trafficking, what administrative procedures would need to be put in place to collect this information; and if he will take the necessary steps to collect it. [216456]
Mr. Browne: In order to provide the requested information, we would need to set in place administrative and staffing arrangements to enable us to conduct a review of all relevant individual case files for the period. This would represent a disproportionate cost. I regret therefore that I will not be able to put these procedures in place.
Pieter Minnard
Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what investigations have been conducted into the decision to transfer Pieter Minnard to Leyhill open prison. [216571]
Paul Goggins: The Prison Service has looked into the circumstances surrounding Mr. Minnard's transfer to Leyhill open prison. Mr. Minnard received an appropriate risk assessment and was found to meet the criteria for open conditions before his transfer to Leyhill prison.
Police
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the chief constable of the Essex constabulary about plans to merge the Southend and Rayleigh police divisions; and if he will make a statement. [217155]
Ms Blears [holding answer 21 February 2005]: Deployment of police resources and the structural configuration to support policing issues is an operational matter and therefore falls firmly within the remit of the chief constable. This is not therefore an issue which the Secretary of State would normally involve himself.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much total Government grant per capita was given to each police force in England in each year since 1997. [207337]
Ms Blears: The information is set out in the table.
Government funding for police authorities is chiefly allocated using a funding formula that distribute resources on the basis of relative policing need. The formula is currently being reviewed to ensure it reflects modern policing needs. Funding is not, and never has been, distributed on a per capita basis.
28 Feb 2005 : Column 1005W
(23)Government funding includes general grant (Home Office police grant, ODPM/Welsh Assembly Government Revenue Support Grant and National Non-Domestic Rates). It also includes specific grants: Crime Fighting Fund, Rural Policing Fund, Basic Command Unit funding, Community Support Officer funding (including, for 2004–05, funding from Round 1 of the Neighbourhood Policing Fund), Airwave, DNA Expansion Programme, Counter Terrorism funding (MPS only), Street Crime Initiative, Special Priority Payments and capital grants.
(24)Source for resident population figures: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Welsh Assembly Government as used in the calculation of the police funding settlements.
(25)The Home Office also funds 75 per cent. of the cost of the London and south-east allowances for all qualifying officers. These figures are not included within the totals.
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total number of police force staff based in Milton Keynes was in each year since 1997. [217693]
Ms Blears:
Information on police personnel strength at Basic Command Unit (BCD) level is collected annually and reflects the position at the end of March. Information on BCU strength for police (support) staff has only been available from March 2003 and is set out
28 Feb 2005 : Column 1006W
in the table. The deployment of police staff to BCUs is a matter for the Chief Constable (Mr. Peter Neyroud QPM).
| As at 31 March | Number of police officers |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 98 |
| 2004 | 105 |
Source:
Home Office Research, Development & Statistics Directorate
28 Feb 2005 : Column 1007W
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |