Previous Section Index Home Page

12 Sept 2005 : Column 2570W—continued

Criminal Records Bureau

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 14 July 2005, Official Report, column 1217W, on the criminal records bureau, what other forms of functionality have been added to the IT system in each of the last two years. [14006]

Andy Burnham: The Criminal Records Bureau maintains a continuous programme of IT development including extending process automation and support and has delivered substantial technical developments in line with legislation, including checking against the new POVA list and the introduction of the POVA First process tailored specifically for the care sector. The CRB has developed its IT system in line with the needs of the business and to further enhance the process wherever possible. Enhancements have also been made in line with the strategic aims of the bureau, with more planned in the future.

It has also made significant enhancements to the accessibility of police information used in the checking process through the introduction of the I-PLX system, with the support and co-operation of all 43 police forces of England and Wales, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO). I-PLX is the first step towards a national database of police force intelligence and represents a significant advancement in the protection of the vulnerable.

Other initiatives aimed at improving the service to its customers include upgrading the telephone system to enable calls to be routed more efficiently to agents, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and enhancements to invoicing processes.

CSPs

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many requests were made by (a) the Metropolitan police and (b) the National Criminal Intelligence Service to communications providers (CSPs) for the disclosure of communications traffic data in 2004, broken down by CSP; and how much was paid to the relevant companies for providing this data. [15368]

Hazel Blears: This information is not held centrally.

Cycling Offences

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cyclists were (a) charged and (b) convicted of passing a traffic light at red in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [13619]

Paul Goggins: Information on the number of people charged is not centrally collected.
 
12 Sept 2005 : Column 2571W
 

Passing a red traffic light is not a specific offence, however it is included in the offence of neglect of traffic directions under the Road Traffic Act 1988 SS.35 and 36. The relevant data for 1999–2003 are provided in the table.

Statistics for 2004 will be available in the autumn.
Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for neglect of traffic regulations under the Road Traffic Act 1988 Sections 35 and 36England and Wales 1999–2003(145)

Proceeded againstFound guilty
19996360
20005247
20013834
20021916
20033831


(145)These data are on a principal offence basis.
Note:
Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates' courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.




Departmental Expenditure

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total spending by his Department on (a) staff, (b) accommodation and (c) procurement in (i) Moray constituency and (ii) Highland region was in the most recent year for which figures are available. [14848]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The Home Office does not retain information by constituency. The Departmental Report 2004–05 page 128 Table 6.6 identifies expenditure on services, by country which includes the figures for Scotland only.

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total spending by his Department on (a) staff, (b) accommodation and (c) procurement in (i) Dundee East constituency, (ii)Tayside and (iii) the City of Dundee was for the most recent year for which figures are available. [14877]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The Home Office does not retain information by constituency. The Departmental Report 2004–05 page 128 Table 6.6 identifies expenditure on services, by country which includes the figures for Scotland only.

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total spending by his Department on (a) staff, (b) accommodation and (c) procurement in (i) Banff and Buchan and (ii) the North East of Scotland was for the most recent year for which figures are available. [14886]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The Home Office does not retain information by constituency. The Departmental Report 2004–05 page 128 Table 6.6 identifies expenditure on services, by country which includes the figures for Scotland only.
 
12 Sept 2005 : Column 2572W
 

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total spending by his Department on (a) staff, (b) accommodation and (c) procurement in Perth and North Perthshire was for the most recent year for which figures are available. [14920]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The Home Office does not retain information by constituency. The Departmental Report 2004–05 page 128 Table 6.6 identifies expenditure on services, by country which includes the figures for Scotland only.

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies spent on (i) electricity and (ii) water and sewerage services in each year from 1997. [16187]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The table shows expenditure on electricity and water for the years 1997–98 onwards. The departmental electricity and water expenditure for key Home Office (non prisons) buildings for 2004–05 is not yet available. The figures for the Home Office (non prisons) includes key sites on the Department's other agency estates. Separate figures for these agency sites could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
£

Home Office
(non prisons)(146)
HM Prison Service
ElectricityWaterElectricityWater
1997–981,373,063(147)14,448,22110,511,619
1998–991,441,853(147)14,017,08111,171,786
1999–20001,928,377311,94715,533,18311,311,562
2000–012,017,331351,98716,823,0709,491,363
2001–022,562,161323,35012,645,25910,041,407
2002–032,576,900175,99312,477,27110,761,183
2003–042,783,686192,34113,814,11811,126,677
2004–05(147)(147)16,267,71811,376,869


(146)These costs relate to key buildings only.
(147)Not available.


Departmental Staff

David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalents have worked for the Department for each of the last five financial years for which figures are available. [11485]

Mr. Charles Clarke: This information is available in table C of Civil Service Statistics 2004 which is available on the Cabinet Office website or from the Library. This table shows the number of staff in the Home Office and its agencies between 1998 and 2004 on a full-time equivalent basis.

Departmental Offices

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what total floor space area of building is owned and leased by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies. [16198]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The Home Office owns 247,740 square metres of floor space and leases 511,302 square metres. Its agencies own 3,660,230 square metres and leases 36,413 square metres.

The properties comprise offices, residential accommodation, prisons and other specialised buildings.
 
12 Sept 2005 : Column 2573W
 

The figures include premises that are held under service agreements and those where costs are shared with other Government Departments where the other Department pays the rent. Residential properties, both owned and leased, have been excluded as the floor areas of this type of property are not known.


Next Section Index Home Page