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13 Dec 2005 : Column 1912W—continued
Drunk and Disorderly
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests were made in (a) London, (b) Havering and (c) Romford as a consequence of an individual being drunk and disorderly in the last five years. [33917]
Paul Goggins: The information requested is not available centrally.
European Anti-crime Measures
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the European Commission's proposal that the Border Management Agency should provide intelligence and play a role in investigations relating to the involvement of organised crime in illegal immigration. [35644]
Andy Burnham: The Border Management Agency (Frontex) is a new EU Agency responsible for improving management of the external borders of the member states of the European Union, contributing to a high and uniform level of control on persons and surveillance of the external borders of the member states. Its primary function in terms of combating organised crime will be to ensure effective exchange of information with Europol and other appropriate organisations. Frontex and Europol should also work closely on operational activities where appropriate.
Therefore the Government broadly supports the European
Commission's proposal that Frontex should provide intelligence and play a role in co-ordinating operations on illegal immigration related organised crime in co-operation with member states and Europol, but it should not have an investigative role. There also needs to be assurance that Frontex's main focus will remain on strengthening management of the EU external border.
Fireworks (Penalty Notices)
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many penalty notices have been issued by each police force area in England in relation to the illegal use of fireworks during the last 12 months. [32848]
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Hazel Blears:
Offences under the Fireworks Regulations 2004 (made under section 11 of the Fireworks Act 2003) for breach of the national fireworks curfew, the illegal possession of category four fireworks and the possession by a person under 18 of an adult firework attract penalty notices for disorder, as well as the offence of
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throwing fireworks. The offence of throwing fireworks has been included in the penalty notice for disorder scheme since it was introduced nationally during 2004. The offences under the Fireworks Regulations 2004 were brought into the scheme with effect from 11 October 2004. The numbers of penalty notices issued by police force area are provided in the table.
(41) Data for 2005 is provisional
Source:
RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform
Injury on Duty Awards
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his proposals to alter the terms relating to payments of Injury on Duty Awards, with particular reference to former police officers over the age of 65 years. [36829]
Hazel Blears [holding answer 12 December 2005]: We are reviewing the policy on injury awards for the police. In particular we are looking at the procedures for assessing claims and the criteria for receiving awards. We will conduct a public consultation exercise next year before making final decisions. It is not intended that any changes to regulations should apply to officers who have already left the service.
Independent Police Complaints Commission
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to allow the Independent Police Complaints Commission to conduct full investigations on fatalities caused by police vehicles. [32761]
Hazel Blears:
Under the provisions of the Police Reform Act 2002, all complaints and conduct matters which involve death or serious injury must be referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. Also, the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 introduced a new category of cases called Death and Serious Injury matters; that is, cases which are not conduct matters and are not the subject of complaints. All such cases must be referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. It is a matter for the Commission to determine how a case is investigated,
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including conducting its own investigation. The Secretary of State has no powers to intervene in that process.
Football Hooliganism
Sarah Teather:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests have been made at
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football grounds of (a) premiership, (b) championship, (c) league one, (d) league two and (e) conference clubs in each of the last five years. [35577]
Paul Goggins: Details of football-related arrests for the seasons 2000–01 to 2004–05, presented by the division in which the club the arrested individual supports competed in, is provided in the following table:
(42) Arrest data for the football conference (National Division) was not collated before 2004–05 season.
(43) A The Home Office has published football related arrest statistics since the 2001–02 season. Previously the data was published by the National Criminal Intelligence Service. Their 2000–01 season data only breaks down arrests by club in League competitions. Arrests in cup competitions (771) are presented as totals for each competition, not by club.
Identity Cards
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what studies his Department has conducted on the lifespan of radio frequency identification tags in documents that may be subjected to intense use in the identity card scheme. [32082]
Andy Burnham: There are no plans to use radio frequency identification tags in ID cards. We have conducted a wide-ranging market sounding study to obtain the market view of the feasibility of an identity card with a ten year life. The survey was distributed to a cross section of suppliers in the smartcard value chain and completed responses were obtained from twelve suppliers. Amongst other questions, suppliers were asked for their views on the durability and costs of contact, contact-less, dual interface and hybrid cards. This survey concluded that a ten year life for a contact-less card incorporating a secure smartcard chip with a radio frequency contactless interface was feasible.
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to publish the Concept Viability report on the Identity Cards Project when he receives it. [33032]
Andy Burnham: The Concept Viability report will be published at the commencement of the procurement process.
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