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6 Apr 2005 : Column 1498W—continued
National Asylum Support Service
Mr. Gale:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the unit cost incurred by the National Asylum Support Service in supporting a single adult was
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in each of the past five years for which figures are available; and what the unit cost for each local authority was in the same period. [223493]
Mr. Browne [holding answer 23 March 2005]: The information is not available in the precise format requested. The approximate costs incurred by the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) to support a single adult asylum in each of the last five years are shown in the table.
Table 1 shows the costs for a single adult asylum seeker provided with financial assistance support only.
| Age 18–24 | Age 25 and over | |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 28.95 | 36.54 |
| 2001–02 | 28.95 | 36.54 |
| 2002–03 | 29.89 | 37.77 |
| 2003–04 | 30.28 | 38.26 |
| 2004–05 | 30.84 | 38.96 |
Table 2 shows the costs for a single asylum seeker provided with both accommodation and financial support directly by NASS and those supported by local authorities under the interim scheme. The ranges represent the differing costs between local authorities under the interim scheme and the varying cost of accommodation for those supported directly by NASS.
Notes:
1. Excluded from these costs is the small number of cases supported under the disbenefited arrangements and also those supported under section 4.
2. Costs include VAT where appropriate.
Operation Paladin Child
Mr. Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to address the issues raised by Operation Paladin Child. [224342]
Mr. Browne [holding answer 5 April 2005]: Since publication of the report we have made significant progress. In particular the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's (IND) Children's Taskforce is tackling a number of the recommendations. These include:
Child Protection Officers are now based at Heathrow airport and both Child Protection Officers and Social Service staff are based at the Croydon Asylum Screening Unit to ensure a more joined up approach. The UK Immigration Service with the Department for Transport (DfT) is also setting up a voluntary code of practice to be followed by airlines when carrying children who are either unaccompanied or travelling with an adult who is not a family member.
Paedophiles
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning the possible arrival in the UK of paedophiles from overseas who have not been convicted of any offences under UK jurisdiction; and what measures he is able to take to protect the public in such cases. [224201]
Paul Goggins [holding answer 4 April 2005]: Where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office receives information that an individual with a conviction for a serious sexual offence will be travelling to the UK then the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) will be informed. NCIS may also receive information directly from the foreign authorities through Interpol. Where it is judged to be appropriate, NCIS will then liaise both with appropriate police forces and ports of entry in order to arrange a meeting with the offender on his arrival.
The notification order, introduced by the Sexual Offences Act 2003, is a civil preventative order designed to ensure that offenders who receive convictions or cautions for sexual offences overseas can be made to sign on the sex offenders register while they are in the UK. Application for such an order is made by the police to a magistrates court. If an offender fails to comply with the registration requirements then he commits a criminal offence with a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment.
The 2003 Act also provides for sexual offences prevention orders (SOPO). SOPOs are made on application from the police to a magistrates court and impose prohibitions on a sexual or violent offender who poses a risk of serious sexual harm. They also require the offender to sign on the sex offenders register. When making a SOPO courts set such prohibitions as they consider necessary. For example, an offender could be prohibited from being alone with children under 16 and/or from being within a certain distance of a school, a playground and/or a swimming baths etc. If an offender breaches a SOPO then he commits a criminal offence with a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment.
Police
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in Nottinghamshire constabulary in (a) 2000 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [223204]
Ms Blears:
As at 31 March 2000, there were 2,204 full-time equivalent officers in Nottinghamshire. On 30 September 2004 the force had 2,526 officers—a record number. This represents an increase of 14.6 per cent. or an additional 322 officers.
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Roger Casale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the percentage change in the number of full-time police officers in Wimbledon has been since 1997. [224241]
Ms Blears: The information requested is not available. Statistics on the number of full-time equivalent officers are only available for London boroughs and only from 2003 onwards.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 8 March 2005, Official Report, column 1694W, on police vehicles, how many collisions on public roads in Essex in which police vehicles were involved were the fault of the police vehicle in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [222424]
Ms Blears: Information is not collected centrally on the causes of collisions involving police vehicles on public roads.
Prevention of Terrorism Act
Mr. Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the (a) police and (b) security services first requested that British citizens should be subject to control orders on the lines of those included in the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005. [222358]
Ms Blears [holding answer 17 March 2005]: In February 2004 the Government published a discussion paper ("Reconciling Security and Liberty in an Open Society") responding to the Newton report which recommended, among other things, that an alternative—capable of general application to British citizens as well as foreign nationals—be found to the part 4 powers of the Anti Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001 (ATCS).
Consideration of an alternative was given further impetus by the Lords' ruling in December 2004 that section 23 of the ATCS Act was incompatible with articles 5 and 14 of the convention on the grounds that the provisions were discriminatory and therefore disproportionate.
The control order provisions contained in the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 were developed in consultation with the security service and police, who have confirmed that measures which could be more specifically tailored to the threat posed by particular individuals, irrespective of nationality, would be a valuable tool in countering terrorist related activity.
Prisons
Mr. Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's policy is on sourcing pork, bacon and ham bearing the British Pig Executive's Quality Standard Mark in prisons; and if he will make a statement. [223243]
Paul Goggins:
The Prison Service procures food using contracts awarded in accordance with European Union procurement regulations and on a best value for money basis, which takes account of product quality, cost and availability. The EU regulations are designed to support fair and open competition allowing UK suppliers to compete for business with other EU members.
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The Prison Service is working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the sustainable food procurement initiative, which is part of the Government's strategy for sustainable farming and food. This is intended to encourage the public sector to procure food in a manner that promotes sustainable development and does not discriminate against local and UK suppliers.
All products supplied to the Prison Service must comply with current and subsequent relevant UK and EU legislation, regulations and directives. Suppliers are required to provide products that are sourced in compliance with EU regulations and from assured providers under animal welfare conditions that are compatible with the UK animal welfare regulations.
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications have been made in each of the last three years by inmates to the board of visitors of prisons and young offender institutions; and what the most common reasons for such applications were. [224185]
Paul Goggins: This information is not held centrally.
Ms Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many compassionate licences HMP Dovegate has issued since it opened; and what the average number for non-private prisons is for the same period. [224144]
Paul Goggins: Since Her Majesty's Prison Dovegate opened in July 2001, two prisoners have been granted release on compassionate licence.
The average number of releases on compassionate licence for all public sector prisons over the same period was 314. This covers prisons of all security categories, including open prisons.
Her Majesty's Prison Dovegate is a Category B training prison. The average number of releases on compassionate licence for Category B establishments in the public sector is eight.
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