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Autonomy plc

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police authorities have contracts with Autonomy plc. [212204]

Ms Blears: This information is not held centrally and, in any event, decisions on who the police authority and force contract with are made locally.

Begging

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what percentage of individuals who were successfully prosecuted for begging in each year since 1990 (a) had a home address and (b) did not have a home address; and if he will make a statement; [220678]

(2) how many individuals convicted for begging in each year since 1990 were found to have psychiatric problems; and if he will make a statement. [220679]

Paul Goggins: Information relating to the residency or psychiatric condition of a defendant is not centrally collected on the Home Office court proceedings database.

However, available information on the number and percentage of successful prosecutions for begging under S3 and S4 Vagrancy Act 1824, England and Wales 1990–2003 is contained in the table.
Number and percentage of persons found guilty for begging under S3 and S4 Vagrancy Act 1824, England and Wales, 1990–2003⁽⁵⁾

	Total found guilty	Percentage found guilty
1990	1,478	90
1991	1,597	87
1992	1,186	83
1993	1,105	80
1994	1,295	85
1995	1,072	83
1996	1,540	83
1997	1,536	85
1998	1,693	84
1999	2,076	82
2000	2,776	84
2001	2,653	83
2002	3,289	84
2003	3,242	83

⁽⁵⁾These data are on the principal offence basis.



 
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Statistics for 2004 will be available in the autumn 2005.

National Offender Management Service

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of how the introduction of the National Offender Management Service will affect levels of drug use in prisons. [220922]

Paul Goggins: The National Offender Management Service published its National Drug Strategy for the management and treatment of problematic drug users on 20 January. It will strengthen the co-operation and effectiveness of those involved in the delivery of drug interventions across the criminal justice system and will ensure that problematic drug users are managed in a way that optimises chances of success. The strategy can be found online at the Home Office and Prison Service websites.

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there will be duplication of responsibility between the headquarters of the National Offender Management Service and the headquarters of the Prison and Probation Services. [220391]

Paul Goggins: The new National Offender Management Service headquarters is being designed to ensure that there is no duplication of responsibility.

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration was given to merging the Prison and Probation Services into one, prior to the publication of the Carter Report. [220392]

Paul Goggins: Organisational issues affecting prisons and probation are discussed from time to time. However there was no formal proposal for a merger of the prisons and probation services, nor any preparation of a business case for this, in the period prior to Lord Carter's review. The Carter review itself did not propose such a merger. The last time such a merger was considered was in the 1998 Prisons—Probation review (final report), available at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs/pprcont.html

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the Departments within the National Offender Management Service headquarters that did not previously exist within either the prison or probation services. [220476]

Paul Goggins: The new National Offender Management Service headquarters, alongside the Prison Service and Probation Service headquarters, is being redesigned. A proposal, including the allocation
 
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of individual units to directorates, has been put forward to staff and trade unions for their comments. The new headquarters is being planned for April 2005 and I will write to the hon. Member once the design of the new headquarters has been agreed.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate has been made of the change in the number of civil service posts consequent on the creation of the National Offender Management Service; and if he will make a statement. [220477]

Paul Goggins: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) consists of the three former organisations—the Prison Service, Probation Service and Correctional Services. The number of civil servants has remained the same with the introduction of the new service, except for the development of a small programme office (12 new posts) to manage the organisation's change programme and the appointment of 10 new regional offender managers. The new NOMS headquarters is being redesigned by April 2005.

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 posts to reach a target figure of 2,540 posts by March 2007. To date, 50 per cent. of this reduction has been achieved.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans there are to move (a) Prison Service Headquarters, (b) Probation Service Headquarters and (c) National Offender Management Service Headquarters out of London; and if he will make a statement. [220518]

Paul Goggins: I am considering relocating the Headquarters of the National Offender Management Service, including the present National Probation Directorate and the Headquarters of the public sector Prison Service, out of London provided that a business case shows that this is cost-effective and that the move could be afforded. Any such relocation is unlikely to take place before 2007–08.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget is for the National Offender Management Service headquarters for each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement. [220519]

Paul Goggins: The budget for the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) for 2005–06 is £4.035 billion resource and £321 million capital.

The budget for NOMS central functions, including the office for contracted prisons, is currently £301 million resource for 2005- 06. This is expected to increase as functions are transferred from the prison and probation service headquarters.

Budgets for 2006–07 and 2007–08 have not been finalised but indicative budgets for the overall NOMS budget in 2006–07 are £4.253 billion resource and £287 capital and, for 2007–08, £4.512 billion resource and £312 million capital.
 
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Correspondence

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will provide a substantive answer to the question tabled by the hon. Member for Southend, West on 13 January 2005 for named day answer, reference 209465, on correspondence. [211452]

Ms Blears [holding answer 27 January 2005]: I replied to the hon. Member on 1 February 2005, Official Report, column 822W.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the decision to extend the jurisdiction of the Criminal Cases Review Commission's jurisdiction to court martial convictions; and when will this be implemented. [218714]

Paul Goggins: Agreement in principle has been reached between the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) and the Ministry of Defence concerning the extension of the CCR's jurisdiction to enable them to review convictions at court martial and Standing Civilian Court. Consideration is being given to the possibility of including appropriate provisions within the Armed Forces Bill planned for the 2006 legislative timetable.

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