---

1 Mar 2006 : Column 836W—continued

Racial and Religious Hatred Bill

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to issue a consultation document on guidance for the police on the provisions contained in the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill. [54092]

Paul Goggins: We intend to begin discussions with stakeholders on the Home Office guidance to accompany the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 in the near future.

Respect Action Plan

Mr. Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much each local authority will receive to offer support to parents under the Respect action plan. [52916]

Hazel Blears: Parenting is a core element of the Respect programme and is essential for creating a strong society based on mutual respect. Over the next two years we will invest an additional £52 million to start a national programme of change in the way that public services respond to parents.
 
1 Mar 2006 : Column 837W
 

Nationally all local authorities will receive funding through the roll-out of children's centres and extended schools—a key aim within this being to improve parenting provision. The Respect programme will also include investment in early intervention measures to support vulnerable children and young people and their families, including pathfinders which develop leading practice in supporting parents.

A further £28 million of new funding will be used to set up a national network of intensive family support programmes. Intensive family support projects will be available in areas where they are needed. They will provide intensive parenting support to the most problematic families that are targeted by the projects.

To support parenting professionals a National Parenting Academy will be established to ensure that they have the necessary skills to delivery high quality parenting support.

Further announcements on these projects will be made shortly.

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the reduction in non-car/race-related criminal damage offences cited in the Respect Action Plan is statistically significant. [54069]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The non-car/non-race related data in the Respect Action Plan is based on recorded crime statistics. Recorded crime statistics use administrative data rather than sampling data, therefore statistical significance tests are not appropriate.

Secure Training Centres

Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which department or agency is responsible for conducting security checks on staff employed at secure training centres. [53255]

Fiona Mactaggart: All staff employed in secure training centres are subject to a security check conducted by the Criminal Records Bureau. Because of the nature of the work, the check is in the form of an enhanced disclosure.

Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which department or agency is responsible for drawing up guidelines for the use of restraint of young people in secure training centres. [53088]

Fiona Mactaggart: The Physical Control in Care Training Manual was compiled by the Prison Service College. The restraint techniques set out in the manual for use, where necessary, in secure training centres are approved by the Home Secretary.

Sex Offenders

Mrs. Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were on the sex offenders register on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many of those are on the register for life. [52876]

Paul Goggins: Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 requires all offenders who have received a conviction or caution for certain sexual offences to notify personal information to the police and, subsequently, to keep the
 
1 Mar 2006 : Column 838W
 
police informed of: any changes to those details; any period of seven days spent at another address, and any intention to travel overseas for three days or more. The period of time that an offender must comply with these requirements (the notification period") is calculated by reference to whether the offender received a caution or conviction for the offence and, if the latter, the disposal received. For example, any offender who receives 30 months or more imprisonment in respect of a relevant offence will become subject to the notification requirements for an indefinite period"; i.e. the rest of his life.

The Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) annual reports include statistics on the number of offenders who are subject to the notification requirements. The 2004–05 reports state that on 31 March 2005 there were 28,994 registered sex offenders living in the community. Statistics are not held centrally for the number of such offenders who are required to comply with the notification requirements indefinitely.

Mrs. Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are on the Sex Offenders Register; and how many of those are on for life. [53444]

Paul Goggins: Part two of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 requires all offenders who have received a conviction or caution for certain sexual offences to notify personal information to the police and, subsequently, to keep the police informed of: any changes to those details; any period of seven days spent at another address; and any intention to travel overseas for three days or more. The period of time that an offender must comply with these requirements (the notification period") is calculated by reference to whether the offender received a caution or conviction for the offence and, if the latter, the disposal received. For example, any offender who receives 30 months or more imprisonment in respect of a relevant offence will become subject to the notification requirements for an indefinite period", i.e. the rest of his life.

The Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) annual reports include statistics on the number of offenders who are subject to the notification requirements. The 2004–05 reports state that on 31 March 2005 there were 28,994 registered sex offenders living in the community. Statistics are not held centrally for the number of such offenders who are required to comply with the notification requirements indefinitely.

Slave Trade Abolition

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department's working party on the commemoration of the abolition of the slave trade last met; and what conclusions it reached. [51762]

Paul Goggins: The Home Office Advisory Group on Slavery was established to assist with the development of the Government's plans to mark 2004 as the UN year to commemorate the struggle against slavery and its abolition. It last met in October 2004. The group also
 
1 Mar 2006 : Column 839W
 
began a discussion about how most usefully to mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the British empire in 2007.

Work on the arrangements for the bicentenary are being taken forward by an Advisory Group, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, which had its first meeting on 19 January this year.

Special Constables

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special constables have been recruited in (a) the Trent Valley division, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England and Wales since the beginning of the scheme. [53411]

Hazel Blears: Home Office specific grants to forces under the Special Constabulary Capacity Building Scheme began in January 2004. In the year 1 April 2004–31 March 2005, 102 special constables were recruited by Staffordshire constabulary, with 3,636 special constables recruited in England and Wales.

Figures for the Trent Valley division are not collected centrally.

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what average number of hours per week was worked by a special constable in (a) the Trent Valley Division, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England and Wales in each year since the beginning of the scheme. [53412]

Hazel Blears: Special constables are volunteers and the hours individual specials work varies. Data on hours worked by special constables is collected by police force area; figures are not collected centrally for Trent Valley Division. Available information on the average number of special constable hours per week are given in the following table.

Forces not providing data are Avon and Somerset, Cambridgeshire, Cleveland, Derbyshire, Durham, Greater Manchester, Humberside, Lancashire, Merseyside, Metropolitan Police, North Wales, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, South Wales, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and West Midlands.

Because of a force data revision, the average figure for the 24 forces differs from that given in the answer to my hon. Friend on 22 February 2006, Official Report, column 102W.
Hours

	2003–04	2004–05
Staffordshire	1,496	1,627
24 forces providing data	18,074	19,877

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding his Department has allocated to the special constables scheme in each year it has been running in (a) the Trent Valley Division, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England and Wales. [53451]

Hazel Blears: Funding is being made available to forces to help them develop their capacity to recruit, retain and manage their special constables. Grant payments are awarded at force, rather than basic
 
1 Mar 2006 : Column 840W
 
command unit, level and details of the first two years of the funding scheme are shown as follows. Allocations for 2006–07 are currently being considered.
£

	Staffordshire	England and Wales
2004	39,817	2,044,054
2005	29,757	2,473,009

---