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1 Mar 2006 : Column 822W—continued
Operation Trident
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria he has established with which to assess the effectiveness of Operation Trident. [54475]
Hazel Blears: The establishment of criteria for assessing the effectiveness of Operation Trident is a matter for the Metropolitan Police Authority and the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.
Parenting Orders
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evaluation has been conducted of parenting orders; and if he will make a statement. [54149]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Parenting is strongly relevant to juvenile antisocial and criminal behaviour and can be associated with increased risk or it can be a factor which protects children and young people from being involved in such behaviour.
There is evidence, particularly from the United States, that parenting interventions which include the improvement of parenting skills can be effective in reducing antisocial and criminal behaviour.
An independent evaluation of the Youth Justice Board's parenting programme included parents who were subject to parenting orders. This evaluation, published in 2002, found that most parents valued the parenting programmes they had undertaken and wished they had received such support earlier. The study observed a reduction in offending but the lack of a comparison group meant that this could not be attributed to parenting programmes.
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Youth Offending Teams have adapted programmes underpinned by evidence of effectiveness and some have developed their own programmes based on such evidence. Since 2002 the Youth Justice Board has introduced an effective practice quality assurance review process as part of a management system to improve the quality and volume of parenting interventions being delivered by Youth Offending Teams.
The requirement for further research into the impact of parenting programmes is currently being considered.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will answer Questions (a) 32177 and (b) 32176 tabled by the hon. Member for Lancaster and Wyre on 22 November 2005. [42538]
Hazel Blears: I replied to the hon. Member on 14 February 2006, Official Report, column 1988W.
Parole
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convicted murderers released on parole in each of the last 15 years have subsequently committed murder. [53125]
Fiona Mactaggart: The data are not available in the form requested, but the following may be relevant.
Data on reconvictions of life licensees were published in 1997 in Life Licensees—reconvictions and recalls by the end of 1995: England and Wales" (Home Office Statistical Bulletin 2/97).
The report shows that of 1,691 life licensees first released between 1972 and 1994, 66 were reconvicted of a grave offence (including murder or manslaughter) by the end of 1995. 19 of the 66 related to life licensees who were reconvicted for homicide and who had an original conviction for homicide.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convicted rapists released on parole in each of the last 15 years have subsequently been convicted of rape. [53128]
Fiona Mactaggart: The data are not available in the form requested.
Information on re-offending is published annually by the Home Office for the monitoring of the target to reduce re-offending. These reports show re-offending for a range of offences, including sexual offences (as a group, rape is not separately identified) and burglary, but the figures do not separately identify those offenders who were released on parole and do not give a full analysis of the types of subsequent offences. The most recent data for adults are available at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb2505.pdf.
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how parole boards are constituted; and against what criteria a decision to release a prisoner is made. [54263]
Fiona Mactaggart:
This is a matter for the independent Parole Board. I understand that a parole panel would consist of three members. The board also consider other types of cases and the panels for these
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may be constituted differently. Each parole decision is based upon the evidence of a paper dossier and all decisions, whether to award or refuse parole, are taken against the criteria set out in the Secretary of State for the Home Department's Directions to the Parole Board under section 32(6) of the Criminal Justice Act 1991.
Passports
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the annual cost of the Passport Agency Support System was in the latest year for which figures are available; [53755]
(2) what records are held on an individual in the Passport Agency Support System. [53756]
Andy Burnham: The Passport Application Support System (PASS) contains the personal data provided by the individual on the application form, the progress history of the application, and details of the passport issued, as shown on the personal data page of the passport.
Thus, the personal details held on the system are:
In addition, the full progress history of an application is held on the system. This would include information such as the date the record was created, the date the issue of a passport was authorised as well as any notes made by UKPS staff during the consideration of the application.
A complete copy of the application form is also stored on the system. Supporting documents provided by applicants to verify information provided may also be scanned into the record and since December 2003, all completed forms reporting lost, stolen or recovered passports have been stored on the database.
The system also holds information about all passports issued to a person under the same name. Furthermore, since September 2004, when an applicant has applied for a renewed passport and has changed their name, PASS automatically adds notes linking the new and previous passport records.
The UK Passport Service has an outsourced PFI contract with Siemens Business Services, a component part of which is to provide support and maintenance to PASS. The contract provides for per transaction charges which also includes receipt, cashiering and data
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capture of all passport applications, therefore it is not possible to separate the amount relevant solely to the system costs.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were prosecuted for making fake passports in the UK in each of the last seven years. [53779]
Andy Burnham: The data held by the Office for Criminal Justice does not enable offences relating to making fake passports to be separately identified from other forgery offences under the Forgery and Counterfeighting Act 1981.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent to date on preparation for the inclusion of fingerprint biometrics in passports. [54067]
Andy Burnham: During 2004–05 the UK Passport Service undertook a large scale biometric trial to test processes and record customer experience during enrolment and verification of facial, iris and fingerprint biometrics. The cost of this trial was £1.5 million. It is not possible to specify separately the element of this cost relating to fingerprints.
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