| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
18 Jan 2006 : Column 1424W—continued
Identity Cards
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 13 December 2005, Official Report, column 1915W, on identity cards, whether mechanisms are planned to be put in place to ensure that radio frequency identification tags will not be used in the identity card scheme at some future date without this matter being decided by primary legislation; and if he will make a statement. [39119]
Andy Burnham:
There are no plans to use radio frequency identification tags, as they would serve no purpose which is relevant to the identity cards scheme. The Identity Cards Bill which is currently before Parliament provides a power for Parliament to approve regulations prescribing the form in which information is to be recorded in or on an ID card. The Government believes that this is the appropriate level of Parliamentary scrutiny which is consistent with the report on the Bill of the House of Lords Delegated Powers Committee.
18 Jan 2006 : Column 1425W
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the planned identity card database will use council tax information held by (a) local authorities and (b) the Valuation Office Agency. [41238]
Andy Burnham: Currently, the identity cards programme does not anticipate that any council tax information held by either local authorities or the Valuation Office Agency will be used as part of the identity cards scheme.
Clause 11 of the Identity Cards Bill does provide for the ability of the Identity Cards scheme to check information provided by an individual for the purpose of being recorded on the National Identity Register against records held on other public sector databases. However, use of such information would require the specific approval of Parliament by affirmative order.
Identity Databases
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what international standards the Government will be expected to meet by 2010 as part of its treaty obligations to ensure that it is compliant with controls of passports and data exchange. [42805]
Andy Burnham: International standards for passports including more recent specifications for the protection of data held on e-passports are laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). United Kingdom passports are compliant with those standards.
Khat Report
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to publish the Home Office report commissioned by his Department on 'Khat (Qat): Assessment of Risk to the Individual and Communities in the UK' by Dr. T. M. Williams of the University of Bristol. [42979]
Paul Goggins: The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs was asked by the Home Office to undertake a comprehensive review of Khat and report back to the Home Secretary by the end of 2005. The Advisory Council's report, is currently with the Home Secretary and will be published in due course, together with the Home Secretary's response.
Dr. T. M. Williams was commissioned by the Advisory Council, not the Home Office, to contribute to the Advisory Council's report and his contribution has been subsumed into its report.
Parenting Programmes
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much investment is earmarked for parenting programmes in 2006; and if he will make a statement. [41937]
Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
The recently launched Respect action plan outlines our commitment to invest up to £52 million over the next two years to enable a change in the way public services offer support to parents and families. This investment will facilitate delivery of evidence based good quality parenting programmes in main stream
18 Jan 2006 : Column 1426W
settings such as children's centres and extended schools. As part of the action plan over the next three years a further £45 million will be made available to the Youth Justice Board to fund early intervention preventative programmes including new resources for parenting interventions.
In addition over £28 million will be available in 2006 for the support of parents, carers and their families. This money which will be allocated to the voluntary and community sector through five grant programmes. These will contribute to our continued investment in the direct delivery of parenting programmes, research, evaluation, consultation and training of parenting support practitioners.
Proceeds of Crime Act
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money seized as a result of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 was allocated to (a) Tamworth and (b) Staffordshire in each year of the Act's operation; and if he will make a statement. [42100]
Paul Goggins: Information is not available in the form requested. Receipts from recovered criminal assets are allocated to a range of initiatives. The Recovered Assets Incentive Fund was set up in 2003–04 with £15.5 million a year for three years to incentivise asset recovery agencies. From the Fund, the West Midlands Regional Asset Recovery Team, which covers Staffordshire, was allocated £4.4 million over three years to disrupt criminal groups, confiscate more criminal assets and to tackle money laundering.
A new police incentivisation scheme introduced in 2004–05 has enabled police forces in England and Wales, and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, to receive a share of the criminal assets they recover locally. Under the scheme Staffordshire police received £39,690 this financial year based on its performance in 2004–05.
From 2006–07 a new incentive scheme will operate under which all agencies involved in asset recovery will get back 50 per cent. of the assets they recover.
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money has been successfully claimed back under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each of the past two years. [42153]
Paul Goggins: The total value of assets recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and earlier legislation, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was £54.5 million in 2003–04 and £84.4 million in 2004–05.
Terrorism (UK Airports)
Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the potential terrorist threat to (a) London Luton Airport and (b) civil airports in the UK generally; and if he will make a statement. [42412]
Ms Buck: I have been asked to reply
The Department for Transport communicates the potential terrorist threat to aviation in the UK, and any changes to it to all UK airports within the National Aviation Security Programme. At a local level airports
18 Jan 2006 : Column 1427W
and their stakeholders undertake a multi agency threat and risk assessment process. It would not be appropriate to publicise details.
Traffic Offences
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) males and (b) females were (i) prosecuted for and (ii) convicted of ignoring a no entry sign in (A) Southend, (B) the Metropolitan police area of London and (C) England and Wales in each of the last five years for which information is available. [39716]
Paul Goggins:
The Research Development and Statistics—Office for Criminal Justice Reform (RDS-OCJR) Court Proceedings Database does not separately
18 Jan 2006 : Column 1428W
identify offences of ignoring 'no entry' signs within the categories of offences grouped together as neglect of traffic directions.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) males and (b) females were convicted of motoring offences in (i) Tamworth, (ii) Staffordshire and (iii) England and Wales in 2004, broken down by offence. [42097]
Paul Goggins: The information from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform is contained in the table and gives the number of males and females found guilty of motoring offences by offence class in Staffordshire police force area, and England and Wales 2004. It is not possible to identify those found guilty in Tamworth, as the data is not collected at this level of detail.
(34) These data are based on the principal offence basis
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |