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6 Apr 2005 : Column 1502W—continued
Probation Service
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which functions of the probation service in England and Wales will be the subject of (a) contestability and (b) private tendering during (i) 2005–06 and (ii) 2006–07. [204008]
Paul Goggins [holding answer 15 December 2004]: I am currently considering how best to introduce contestability within the probation service in England and Wales and will make an announcement in due course.
Contestability opens up competition to all sectors—public, private and voluntary and community. Private tendering will continue to be used by the probation service where appropriate, including for example technical and IT services, but the norm under contestability will be for all sectors to be invited to bid for the delivery of services for offenders.
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Sentencing Policy
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment his Department has made of the public's attitude to prison and its alternatives; [213357]
(2) if he will institute a major public education campaign about community penalties; [213349]
(3) if his Department will establish a media marketing campaign to promote alternatives to prison; [213348]
(4) how his Department promotes alternatives to prison; and if he will make a statement on the value of those alternatives. [213347]
Paul Goggins: The Home Office conducts an assessment of public attitudes to prison and its alternatives through its own research, including the British Crime Survey, as well as through the consideration of other research and representations.
While prison is the right place for serious and dangerous offenders, community sentences can be an effective alternative to short-term imprisonment for less serious offenders.
We have made community sentences both tough and demanding while providing the opportunity for offenders to pay something back directly to the community.
There is a national visibility scheme in place to identify community work done by offenders. The 'Clean-Up Week' campaign, launched on 14 March, involved thousands of people in deciding which local projects should be undertaken by offenders. These included cleaning up prominent eyesores and enhancing the local environment as part of their community sentence.
Publicity about the new sentences introduced this month under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 provides an opportunity for further information to be given to the public about the range of sentences available to the
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court and the need to target them effectively so as to reduce reoffending, protect the public and increase public confidence in the criminal justice system.
Special Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether departmental special advisers have attended meetings with external (a) bodies and (b) individuals, in their official capacity and without Ministers, since May 1997. [203452]
Mr. Charles Clarke: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided on 13 December 2004, Official Report, column 791W, by my right hon. Friend the Member for Neath (Mr. Hain).
Special Constables
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the special constabulary force strength of each constabulary was in each of the last 30 years; what plans he has to increase special constabulary force strength; and if he will make a statement. [220549]
Ms Blears: Figures on the strength of the Special Constabulary have been collected by the Home Office since 1995. They are given in the table.
Research suggests that the main reason for the fall in numbers is external commitments, with ineffective management and deployment also contributing. A number of specials leave to join as regular officers so there is no overall loss to the policing family. The Government are working with stakeholders (particularly the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO)) on range of measures to improve Specials' recruitment, management and deployment, including the implementation of Home Office/ACPO Good Practice Guidance designed to help forces attract and hold on to Specials, ensuring their time and skills are properly valued and used to best effect.
A survey of forces recently conducted by ACPO reveals that at 31 January 2005 the number of specials had increased to 12,100 with a further 2,500 applications in the system.
(7) Total strength breakdown has been estimated for Dorset, Essex, Hampshire, Metropolitan police and West Yorkshire
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TRANSPORT
Air Passengers (Heathrow)
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers arriving at Heathrow airport by air between (a) 04.00 and 05.59 and (b) 06.00 and 06.29 hours were transfer and transit passengers in the last period for which figures are available. [224706]
Charlotte Atkins: The number of transit passengers arriving at Heathrow airport between 04.00–05.59 and 06.00–06.29 hours in 2004 were 434 and 3,292 respectively. In total, there were 67,343,000 passengers at Heathrow airport in 2004. Overall around 35 per cent. of passengers at Heathrow are transfer passengers. No reliable data are available on the time of arrival and departure of transfer passengers.
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers arrived at Heathrow by air between 04.00 and 06.59 hours in the last period for which figures are available. [224707]
Charlotte Atkins: 5,718,000 passengers arrived at Heathrow by air between 04.00 and 06.59 hours in 2004, compared with 67,343,000 terminal and transit passengers overall in 2004.
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers departed from Heathrow by air between 07.00 and 07.59 hours in the last period for which figures are available; and how many were transfer and transit passengers. [224708]
Charlotte Atkins:
1,370,000 passengers departed from Heathrow by air between 07.00 and 07.59 hours in 2004. Of these, 207 were transit passengers, resulting from a single diverted flight. There were 67,343,000 passengers at Heathrow airport in 2004. No reliable data are available on the time of arrival and departure of transfer flights, but overall 35 per cent. of passengers at Heathrow airport in 2004 were transfer passengers.
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Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers (a) departed from and (b) arrived at Heathrow by air between 06.00 and 06.59 hours in the last period for which figures are available; and how many were transfer and transit passengers. [224709]
Charlotte Atkins: 965,000 passengers departed from Heathrow by air between 06.00 and 06.59 hours in 2004 and 2,556,000 passengers arrived. During this period, 34,000 transit passengers arrived and no transit passengers departed. There were 67,343,000 passengers at Heathrow airport overall in 2004. 35 per cent. of all passengers at Heathrow in 2004 were transfer passengers. No reliable data are available on the time of arrival and departure of passengers on transfer flights.
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