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John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Multi-agency Public Protection Panel Arrangements; and if he will make a statement. [4789]
Fiona Mactaggart [holding answer 16 June 2005]: Multi-agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) are regularly reviewed at a local level by Strategic Management Boards (SMB), formed of senior staff from the Police, Probation and Prison Service. Since 200102, each SMB has produced an annual report on the MAPPA arrangements. These reports show that the arrangements have made a significant difference to the way the public is protected from the risks posed by sexual and violent offenders. I have also commissioned an independent study of MAPPA by De Montfort University, due to be published later this year, and a joint inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, starting in September. All of these reports will be made available in the Library once they are published.
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State (1) for the Home Department whether he plans to review the guidelines on the shooting of foxes and ground game at night; [6051]
(2) whether he plans to introduce an age limit for the shooting of foxes and ground game at night; [6054]
(3) what discussions he has had with the (a) British Association for Shooting and Conservation and (b) other shooting organisations about the guidelines relating to the shooting of foxes and ground game at night. [6052]
Hazel Blears:
I understand that Defra has no plans to review the current policy on shooting of foxes and ground game at night. Consequently there has been no need to consult stakeholders. Under the provisions of the Firearms Act 1968 a person under 14 may not be granted a firearm certificate in any circumstances. A person between 14 and 17 may be granted a certificate in order to possess a firearm provided that the police are satisfied that the individual concerned is fit to possess the gun without being a danger to the public safety and
6 Jul 2005 : Column 546W
has a good reason for possessing it. We are currently considering the many responses to the consultation paper we issued last year on how our firearms controls and laws might be revised.
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community support officers there are in South Wales Police H Division; and if he will make a statement. [9596]
Hazel Blears: The deployment of Community Support Officers (CSOs) is an operational matter for the Chief Constable (Barbara Wilding). The Home Office Police Service Strength Statistical Bulletin, which will be published later this month , will provide data on the number of (CSOs) in each police force at 31 March 2005. Information on Community Support Officer (CSO) strength is not collected at Basic Command Unit level.
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes there have been in police numbers in South Wales Police H Division since 1997. [9597]
Hazel Blears: Information on strength at basic Command Unit (BCU) level is collected annually and reflects the position at the end of March for each year. Information on BCU strength is only available from 2002 and is set out in the table. The deployment of officers to BCUs is a matter for the Chief Constable (Barbara Wilding) and within the H" Swansea Divison deployment of officers is a matter for the Divisional Commander.
Information on the number of police officers in BCUs for 31 March 2005 will be published later this month.
Year (as at 31 March) | Number of Police Officers |
---|---|
2002(82) | 464 |
2003(83) | 500 |
2004(83) | 498 |
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of cars stolen in England and Wales for sale in foreign countries since 1990. [8463]
Hazel Blears: The recorded crime statistics do not have details of the number of cars stolen for sale in foreign countries.
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police authorities are not using Tetra. [9116]
Hazel Blears:
Airwave, the new police radio system, is now available to all 51 police forces in England, Wales and Scotland. Airwave currently has over 125,000 users, and is expected to be fully operational in most forces by the summer of 2006.
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Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department will publish guidelines on the treatment of transsexual prisoners. [4695]
Fiona Mactaggart: The Prison Service now hopes to publish these guidelines later this year.
Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what range of penalties is available for conviction of individuals who fail to register their vehicles in their name. [9207]
Paul Goggins: Following summary conviction for failure to supply the correct details for registration, there is a possible maximum fine at level three on the standard scale (currently £1,000). Community rehabilitation and curfew orders are also available under the Criminal Justice Act 2003.
Using an incorrectly registered vehicle became a separate offence on 1 July, likewise with a maximum level three fine on summary conviction. A fixed penalty of £30 may also be offered.
Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the provisions of the Violent Crime Bill relating to replica guns include the sale of (a) such guns and (b) plastic ammunition from catalogues from companies based (i) in the UK and (ii)abroad. [6032]
Hazel Blears:
Clause 30 of the Violent Crime Reduction Bill makes it an offence to manufacture, sell or import a realistic imitation firearm whose appearance makes it indistinguishable, for all practical purposes, from a particular make or model of firearm or from a firearm falling within an existing category of firearm. The ban does not cover plastic ammunition. It will apply to all methods of sale. People who buy from companies based abroad will not be able to import their purchases.
6 Jul 2005 : Column 548W
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many volunteers have been (a) recruited and (b) identified by the Experience Corps since its inception; and of those how many (a) have been actively volunteering as a result of being identified and (b) were already actively volunteering. [8710]
Paul Goggins [holding answer 4 July 2005]: The Experience Corps explicitly targeted individuals with little or no previous experience of volunteering. Whilst the Home Office has not continued to monitor volunteers within the Experience Corps, the organisation states that a significant number of these volunteers are still engaged in a range of volunteering opportunities.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people have been convicted of the possession of an illegal weapon in each London borough since 1996; [8516]
(2) how many people have been convicted of gun crimes in each year since 1997; [8520]
(3) how many people aged 14 to 24 years old havebeen convicted of carrying an illegal knife since 1997. [8546]
Hazel Blears: The information contained in the first table gives the number of offenders found guilty of Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse", by London borough, 1996 to 2003.
It is not possible to identify the number of offenders found guilty of gun crime as the individual circumstances of the offence are not collected.
The information contained in the second table gives the number of offenders aged 14 to 24, found guilty of having an article with a blade or point in a public place", England and Wales 1997 to 2003.
Statistics on court proceedings for 2004 will be published in the autumn.
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many weapons have been handed in to police in the High Wycombe area under the recent amnesty; and if he will make a statement. [7602]
Hazel Blears [holding answer 27 June 2005]: The information requested is not collected centrally.
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