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16 Jun 2005 : Column 607W—continued
Prisoners (Team Sport)
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has commissioned regarding rates of reoffending by prisoners who play team sports in prison. [2703]
Fiona Mactaggart: No studies have been commissioned recently by the Home Office about rates of reoffending by prisoners who play team sports in prison. The last relevant research was the evaluation of the Colchester Military Training Centre as briefly used also for young offenders in the mid-1990s (Home Office Research Study 239, 2002).
Probation Service
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were employed in the Probation Service in each year since 1997 in (a) Essex and (b) Southend. [4587]
Fiona Mactaggart: The requested information is not available for the full period required. Data collected prior to 1 April 2003 is unreliable, and is not directly comparable with the more accurate figures collected since that time. The following figures show full time equivalent (FTE) figures for each quarter from 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2005.
Staffing information is collected by probation area, and is not collected in sufficient detail to allow figures for Southend to be presented separately. The staffing figures are provided for the Essex probation area only.
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Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in each probation area were on long-term sickness absence on the latest date available, broken down by grade. [4206]
Fiona Mactaggart: The National Probation Directorate does not hold information on how many members of staff are long-term sick within individual probation areas. The directorate monitors overall sickness across the 42 areas and approximately 45 per cent. of sickness absence is defined as long-term i.e. over 20 working days and absence recorded under the Disability Discrimination Act.
A national working group has been established to review sickness absence across the service and an action plan will be produced in the late summer to reduce absence levels. The National Probation Service has produced what are considered by the HSE to be first class strategies and policies for health and safety and stress. The directorate is currently leading a major project on the development and use of occupational health in the service.
Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the staff at Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre previously worked at St. John's Centre at Tiffield. [2877]
Fiona Mactaggart: Five members of staff currently employed at Rainsbrook previously worked at the St.John's Centre.
Seven other employees who have now left Rainsbrook were previously employed at St. John's.
Reoffending
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of defendants conditionally discharged for an offence reoffended within the period of discharge. [2706]
Fiona Mactaggart: The information is not held in the required form.
Secure Training Centres
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what response he will make to the review of the use of restraint in secure training centres; and if he will make a statement; [2902]
(2) if he will publish the review of the use of restraint in secure training centres for young people. [2903]
Fiona Mactaggart: My noble Friend the Baroness Scotland is considering advice from the Youth Justice Board on the findings of their review. We will write to my hon. Friend once the Government have decided their response.
Treatment/Rehabilitation of Offenders
Anne Main:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what facilities and premises are provided by
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his Department in St. Albans for the provision of (a) treatment testing and (b) rehabilitation of offenders; and if he will make a statement. [3634]
Fiona Mactaggart: Drug treatment and testing is provided to offenders in St. Albans in a number of ways. The Drug Interventions Programme (DiP) provides a route out of crime and into treatment for drug misusing offenders, using their contact with the Criminal Justice System as an opportunity to engage then in treatment and support. In particular, the throughcare and aftercare elements of the programme are operating in St.Albans, with an enhanced arrest referral service and SWITCH, which picks up Prolific and Priority Offenders with treatment needs straight from prison.
The DIP project is based at The Old Ambulance Headquarters, Ascots Lane, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 4HL.
Offenders sentenced to Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs)/Drug Rehabilitation Requirements (DRRs) (part of the new community order implemented as part of the Criminal Justice act 2003) is provided by Drugcare which provides treatment interventions, including drug testing, whilst a consultant psychiatrist assess and prescribes and delivers other medical interventions that may be required.
For offenders with drug misuse problems not on a DRR and not assessed as a priority and prolific offender, Hertfordshire Probation Area (HPA) has contracted the provision of assessments and counselling for offenders with drug and or alcohol problems who are subject to community penalties or on licence following imprisonment with Drugcare over a number of years.
They provide these services at HPA' offices at 62–72 Victoria Street, St. Albans AL1 3XH.
Young Offender Institutions
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours on average were spent per week by prisoners at each young offender institution (a) in and (b) out of cells in the last period for which figures are available. [2713]
Fiona Mactaggart: The Prison Service does not record the time prisoners spend in and out of their cells but does measure the time cells are unlocked. The following table shows the number of hours for which young offenders were unlocked, in young offender institutions across England and Wales in 2004–05.
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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Acordis Factory
Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the future of the Acordis factory in North East Lincolnshire. [2040]
Alun Michael: Since the announcement last month that Acordis was going into administration, the administrators have been working hard in co-operation with the company's management, employees, suppliers and customers to ensure its survival as a going concern.
I understand that the administrators have received a number of expressions of interest in the company which they are currently reviewing. In the meantime, it is continuing to trade and the support of its existing customers has resulted in an increase in orders. My colleagues and I will continue to monitor the situation.
Coal Health Claims
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) departmental press releases and (b) parliamentary (i) written and (ii) oral statements during 1999 referred directly to the vibration white finger and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease agreements with the Union of Democratic Mineworkers and Vendside. [2643]
Malcolm Wicks: No such press releases or parliamentary statements were made during 1999.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many industrial disease claims for deceased miners were submitted in 2004. [2666]
Malcolm Wicks: In 2004, the number of claims submitted for deceased miners was as follows:
| Total deceased claims registered in 2004(18) | |
|---|---|
| COPD | 84,514 |
| VWF | 8 |
lClaims registered reflects the total of deceased claims registered, i.e. does not include claims that were registered live but have died since.
Claim receipts are those claims that are fully registered, i.e. exclude pool of claims accepted with minimum data, awaiting further information to permit cross-referencing and duplicate checks prior to full registration.
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John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims for deceased miners were submitted by more than one party in each year between 2001 and 2004. [2673]
Malcolm Wicks: The number of duplicate claims submitted is as follows:
| COPD | VWF | |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 69 | 1 |
| 2002 | 61 | 14 |
| 2003 | 682 | 12 |
| 2004 | 6,692 | 0 |
| Total | 7,504 | 27 |
Note:
Claims registered reflects claims that were deceased when registered. These figures do not include partially registered claims or those awaiting checks or further information.
A process is in place to establish the correct claimant and/or solicitor in each duplicate claim to ensure that duplicate payments are not made. Claims are put on hold until this process has been completed.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry who the individual signatories were to the claims handling agreements of 1999 between his Department and the Union of Democratic Mineworkers and Vendside Ltd. [2708]
Malcolm Wicks: Both arrangements were signed by Nabarro Nathanson solicitors on behalf of the Department and by the General Secretary of the Union for Democratic Mineworkers (Nottingham section).
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