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14 Nov 2005 : Column 979W—continued

Detention

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by whom he was advised that the proposals for detention without charge for 90 days would be compliant with the European convention on human rights. [27119]

Mr. Charles Clarke: It has been a long standing convention that Governments do not disclose the legal advice that they have received.
 
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Driving Prosecutions

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers were prosecuted for driving without insurance in each police authority area in each year since 1997. [25039]

Paul Goggins: Available data taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database for the offence of using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks, 1997 to 2003 (latest available) is given in the table. Data for 2004 will not be available until early in 2006.
Proceedings at magistrates courts for the offence of using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks(34),England and Wales 1997 to 2003

Number of offences
Police force area1997199819992000200120022003
Avon and Somerset15,35416,89215,09814,60913,02215,12417,163
Bedfordshire4,7244,4493,4793,5944,6514,7315,041
Cambridgeshire3,4403,4253,0582,9292,5082,8753,301
Cheshire4,8384,9615,4635,7294,9755,7656,385
Cleveland3,9254,2044,3314,7934,7895,9945,575
Cumbria4,2233,7873,5973,5073,5953,5403,488
Derbyshire5,5655,1375,1205,3185,4295,6145,793
Devon and Cornwall8,4227,2327,4939,2348,6489,5989,676
Dorset5,2714,1984,7766,0355,2626,1767,034
Durham3,9924,2615,8995,4705,3945,8405,802
Essex7,1617,0257,3367,8987,7087,8117,489
Gloucestershire3,5774,4654,4434,1744,6834,4174,412
Greater Manchester30,65530,83633,22833,78337,08836,33738,208
Hampshire11,76811,55711,55310,55910,34910,91210,619
Hertfordshire4,5805,7994,7485,2585,8166,6127,216
Humberside4,4084,2794,8945,0244,7304,4645,509
Kent6,9356,9586,1519,0339,59210,0599,788
Lancashire20,33418,79418,11118,35416,28017,55521,229
Leicestershire9,7069,48111,05410,26310,47510,69911,304
Lincolnshire4,5895,0005,3454,5004,0834,2425,883
London, City of2,6713,1272,5211,7381,8262,3532,563
Merseyside10,8969,7478,93210,0549,46710,36012,776
Metropolitan Police42,28335,06431,28529,64932,03236,48543,100
Norfolk3,9323,4343,4683,9514,7445,5636,322
Northamptonshire4,9994,8495,5713,9262,0281,2114,157
Northumbria12,47011,83713,29613,19512,50412, 30912,951
North Yorkshire3,9263,7444,0033,9053,5453,3403,774
Nottinghamshire8,0788,7267,9577,7487,8567,4609,224
South Yorkshire11,22811,55311,76312,69014,62313,85913,745
Staffordshire8,1808,2108,0218,7776,0277,0567,214
Suffolk3,2583,7434,1893,9234,1234,7595,808
Surrey4,9423,9084,4364,9415,1015,5544,657
Sussex9,3338,2027,4156,7966,8146,4135,808
Thames Valley11,88711,94813,54312,81611,72812,84214,516
Warwickshire4,3163,7693,5234,1354,2043,7113,756
West Mercia7,0828,2077,4507,6867,7877,8497,735
West Midlands29,87830,92827,40928,14827,01032,33936,409
West Yorkshire23,98023,54925,77626,52927,61824,87326,966
Wiltshire3,4634,8204,7084,9015,2925,3264,794
Dyfed-Powys3,0792,8523,0173,0722,9533,3163,094
Gwent4,0974,4784,4514,6804,7584,5084,083
North Wales4,8594,4524,1023,6973,3764,0485,968
South Wales14,82916,18715,40614,61513,80516,49916,932
England and Wales397,133390,074387,419391,659388,298410,398447,267


(34) An offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 143 (2)


Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were prosecuted for (a) driving while uninsured, (b) driving while banned and (c) driving without having passed a test in the Humberside police area in each of the past five years. [24760]

Paul Goggins: The available information taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database on prosecutions for the specific offences of, using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks, driving while disqualified and driving or causing or permitting another person to drive other than in accordance with a licence within the Humberside police force area 1999 to 2003 (latest available) is given in the table. 2004 data will not be available until early in 2006.
 
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Proceedings at magistrates courts for specific motoring offences1 within Humberside police force area, 1999 to 2003

Number of defendants
Offence type19992000200120022003
(a) Using motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks [RTA88 s. 143 (2)]4,8945,0244,7304,4645,509
(b) Driving whilst disqualified from holding or obtaining a licence [RTA88 s. 103 (1)]8958887838881,195
(c) Driving or causing or permitting another person to drive other than in accordance with a licence (full or provisional) [RTA88 s. 87 (1) and (2) as amended]2,7793,0403,0822,9843,567


(35) Covers offences under legislation pertaining to the involvement of a motor vehicle (i.e. mechanically propelled vehicle intended or adapted for use on roads, and includes motor cycles, motor scooters, mechanically propelled invalid carriages, road rollers and tractors).


E-borders

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to have fully implemented e-borders in (a) seaports and (b) airports. [21851]

Mr. Charles Clarke: e-Borders capabilities began to roll out to selected air routes through Project Semaphore in December 2004. They will roll out incrementally to major air sea and rail ports to ensure complete coverage of international services in and out of the UK by 2010.

The remaining small air and sea ports will be covered in the last stage of the programme from 2010–14. Full coverage of all ports will be achieved by March 2014.

Fixed Penalty Fines

Mr. Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of fixed penalty fines issued by the police were unpaid in the Tendring district in the most recent 12 month period for which data are available. [25445]

Hazel Blears: It is not possible to identify the number of fixed penalty notices which were unpaid in the Tendring district as figures are not collected at this level of detail.

Literacy and Numeracy

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to promote uptake of the national tests in adult literacy and numeracy among employees of his Department. [23411]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The Department offers a wide range of job related training which includes both literacy and numeracy skills development relevant to staff jobs.

Staff in the main Home Office have access to a range of 'Key skills for work courses' which embed literacy and numeracy skills to at least level 2 national standard.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate have offered basic skills courses for some time as part of its ongoing programme of development offered to all staff.

Prison Service staff are encouraged to use either a Prison Officer Association (POA) or HMPS learning centre, or a local provider, to address any developmental needs arising from a formal assessment, including, when appropriate, the promotion of the national tests in adult literacy and numeracy.

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many employees in his Department requested training to improve their (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills in each year since 2002; [23419]
 
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(2) what training in (a) literacy and (b) numeracy is offered to employees of his Department. [21116]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The Departments internal training providers IND College and the Centre for Learning and Development keep records of attendees on their courses but do not keep central records of training arranged locally through external providers.

The Department seeks to embed literacy and numeracy as part of the job related development opportunities available to staff. It is therefore difficult to assess all staff development offered that embed literacy and numeracy skills but details of the numbers of staff who have attended training for 2002 to 2004 are in the following table.
Table 1: Applications for internal provision of literacy development opportunities

Number of applications
Course type200220032004
INDBack to Basics"(36)15010872
Non-IND, Non-AgencyKey Skills for Work-
courses(36)
13612982


(36) These courses have a core literacy element.


Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of new recruits to his Department do not have a level 2 qualification in English and mathematics. [23774]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The Home Office does not maintain a central record of staff qualifications. The information required therefore could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what methods of assessment of (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills are used as part of the recruitment process by employees of his Department. [23790]

Mr. Charles Clarke: In accordance with Cabinet Office guidance, the Home Office uses a variety of methods to assess an applicant's literacy and numeracy skills during the recruitment process. These include competency based application forms, the use of specific tests of ability, aptitude or potential and assessment centres for staff entering the service at Higher Executive Officer (HEO) and grade 7 level. For both of our assessment centres, candidates are presented with materials in written form and this provides a substantial test of literacy skills. Certain of the exercises we also use include numerical material.


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