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Stolen Vehicles

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in implementing the recommendation of the Association of Chief Police Officers that all forces introduce a Managed Vehicle Recovery and Storage Scheme to aid the recovery of stolen vehicles. [218241]

Ms Blears [holding answer 25 February 2005]: Since 1992 most police forces have developed contract schemes on the lines suggested by a review undertaken by the Association of Chief Police Officers Traffic Committee Working Group in that year. These externally managed police vehicle recovery schemes appear to have been working effectively.

Surrey Police

Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people are employed in the corporate development and human resources department of Surrey police; [208784]

(2) how much was spent on salaries for the corporate development and human resources department of Surrey police in financial year 2003–04. [208785]

Ms Blears: This is a matter for the chief constable of the Surrey police and I have notified him of hon. Members questions.

Targets

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce domestic burglary by 25 per cent. from 1998–99 levels by 2005 will be met; [219102]

(2) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to increase significantly the proportion of time spent by police forces on frontline duties; [219106]

(3) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to improve the delivery of justice in all Criminal Justice System areas, with a greater increase in the worst performing areas. [219109]

Ms Blears: Performance against the Home Department's targets is published in the annual report and the autumn performance report available at the House Library and on the Home Office website (www.homeoffice.gov.uk).

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to improve the performance of all police forces. [219104]

 
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Ms Blears: Performance against the Department's targets is published in the annual report and the autumn performance report available in the Library and on the Home Office website (www.homeoffice.gov.uk).

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to increase the level of confidence in the criminal justice system within ethnic communities; [219112]

(2) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to increase the satisfaction of victims and witnesses with the criminal justice system; [219113]

(3) whether the public service agreement target to maintain the current low rate of prisoner escapes, including category A escapes has been met; [219117]

(4) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to reduce re-offending by young offenders by 5 per cent; [219114]

(5) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to reduce re-offending by adults sentenced to imprisonment by 5 per cent.; [219115]

(6) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to reduce re-offending by adults sentenced to community sentences by 5 per cent. [219116]

Paul Goggins: Performance against the Home Department's targets is published in the annual report and the autumn performance report available in the Library and on the Home Office website www.homeoffice.gov.uk.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to reduce the harm caused by drugs; [219118]

(2) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to reduce the use of class A drugs; [219119]

(3) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to reduce the frequent use of any illicit drug among all young people under the age of 25 years; [219120]

(4) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to reduce the use of illicit drugs by vulnerable young people; [219121]

(5) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to reduce drug-related crime. [219122]

Caroline Flint: Performance against my Department's targets is published in the annual report and the autumn performance report available at the House Library and on the Home Office website (www.homeoffice.gov.uk).

Text Message Intercepts

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the security services have the ability to read the content of text messages sent by mobile telecommunications devices belonging to private individuals. [221718]

 
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Ms Blears: It is the long-standing policy of successive governments to neither confirm nor deny the activities of the intelligence and security agencies.

Transsexual Prisoners

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2005, Official Report, columns 368–69W, on transsexual prisoners, when his Department will publish guidelines on the treatment of transsexual prisoners. [221975]

Paul Goggins: The Prison Service hopes to publish these guidelines in late spring or early summer 2005.

Vehicle Checks

Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances the police may stop vehicles for random checks. [220526]

Ms Blears: The police have a general power to stop motorists under section 163, Road Traffic Act 1988. This provides that a person driving a motor vehicle on a road must stop the vehicle on being instructed to do so by a police constable in uniform. The legislation does not require the officer to suspect an offence of any kind and the officer is not under a duty to give a reason for stopping the vehicle.

Once a vehicle has stopped, it is a matter for the police officer concerned to decide what checks are appropriate and, where a specific statutory authority is needed for a particular check, to decide whether he has that authority.

The police also have a power under section 4, Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 to set up roadblocks for the purposes of detecting crime or finding witnesses to crime. Any inquiries/checks conducted at the roadblock must be carried out in accordance with PACE Code of Practice A.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

China

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of China over its treatment of the practitioners of Falun Gong, with particular reference to the treatment of (a) Mingli He and (b) Xingyan Wei; and if he will make a statement. [221283]

Mr. Rammell: We regularly raise our concerns about the mistreatment of Falun Gong adherents in detention. We put forward our concerns most recently at the last round of the UK/China Human Rights Dialogue, held in Beijing on 22 November 2004. We also included a number of Falun Gong prisoners on our list of individual cases of concern handed over as part of the dialogue.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials also raised concerns about the mistreatment of Falun Gong practitioners in detention with Wang Zuo'an, Deputy
 
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Director General of the State Administration for Religious Affairs during his visit to the UK in September 2004.

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to China regarding the fate of the people detained in Tiananmen Square at the opening of China's National People's Council. [221318]

Mr. Straw [holding answer 15 March 2005]: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to him on 14 March 2005, Official Report, column 88W.

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his (a) Russian and (b) Australian counterparts concerning the proposed lifting of the EU arms embargo on China with respect to the effects on (i) Chinese military capabilities, (ii) the political situation with regard to the Taiwan Strait and (iii) observance of human rights by the Chinese Government. [221358]

Mr. Straw [holding answer 15 March 2005]: I have had no recent discussions with my Russian and Australian counterparts on the issue of the embargo.

We take every appropriate opportunity to convey to the Taiwanese authorities, through informal channels, and to the Chinese Government our strong opposition to the use of force or to any action that raises cross-Strait tensions.

We remain deeply concerned about human rights abuses in China and monitor the situation closely. We regularly raise our concerns with the Chinese Government.

Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the Chinese Anti-secession Bill; what discussions he has had with his (a) Chinese, (b) Taiwanese, (c) European and (d) US counterparts regarding the Bill and its implications for the region; and if he will make a statement. [221973]

Mr. MacShane: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said today in response to the right hon. and learned Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram) (UIN 221355), Ministers have taken a close interest in the development of China's Anti-Secession legislation. We have discussed it at both ministerial and official level with the Chinese, the US and other EU member states and institutions. Officials have discussed the issue through informal channels with the Taiwanese authorities.

The legislation enacted on 14 March is largely a codification of China's long-held position regarding Taiwan. The impact of the legislation will depend on the reaction of others and how China seeks to apply it.

Although the legislation refers to China's desire to resolve the issue peacefully, we are concerned that it makes reference to the possibility of the use of "non-peaceful means". We remain strongly opposed to the use of force.

The EU issued a Statement on 14 March appealing to both sides to avoid unilateral measures which might heighten tensions.
 
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