| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
7 Mar 2006 : Column 1318W—continued
PR Companies
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he would list the public relations companies that have had contracts with (a) his Department, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible and (c) independent statutory body, organisation and body financially sponsored by his Department since May 1997. [39105]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Home Office has no formal contracts with public relations companies. The list of companies whose services have been provided through the Central Office of Information since 1997 comprises: Citigate Westminster, Luther Pendragon, RED Consultancy August One, Citigate Communications, Grayling Forster Company, Geronimo, Harrison Cowley, Fishburn Hedges, Band and Brown, Blue Rubicon and Good Relations. The Police Information Technology Organisation let one contract in 2002 to The Team. Centrex let one contract in 2002 to Luther Pendragon. Information from independent statutory bodies and bodies financially sponsored by the Department is not held centrally, and to collate would exceed disproportionate cost.
Prisoners
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have access to Sky TV in their cells. [52069]
Fiona Mactaggart: 1,536 prisoners have access to Sky TV in their cells.
Prisons
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what facilities are provided by the Prison Service for interpreting and translating for those prisoners who cannot speak or read English. [55084]
Fiona Mactaggart: The Prison Service provides a large number of policy and guidance instructions in languages other than English, this includes the Prisoners' Handbook, the Foreign Nationals Handbook, Advice on Immigration, and important policy documents such as the Prison Service Order on Request Complaints.
The Prison Service has a national contract with a commercial company (Language Line) to provide telephone interpretation and translation of documents. Prisons also use accredited interpreters who will attend at the prison to assist with interviews for parole etc.
7 Mar 2006 : Column 1319W
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of the prison population suffering from alcohol-related problems. [55469]
Fiona Mactaggart: The most recent study reported that 63 per cent. of sentenced males and 39 per cent. of sentenced females were classed as hazardous drinkers in the year before coming into prison.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received on alcohol abuse in the prison population; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce it. [55470]
Fiona Mactaggart: Representations have been received on the need to address the alcohol problem of prisoners. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) takes very seriously the need to address the alcohol problem. NOMS has developed a Comprehensive Alcohol Strategy for Prisoners. Detoxification is available on reception in all local and remand prisons. Some prisons run alcohol awareness courses and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) run groups in around 50 per cent. of prisons.
For those prisoners whose alcohol misuse is part of poly-drug use, the full range of wider drug treatment services is available. Additionally, general offending behaviour programmes can address the underlying causal factors which occur in alcohol-related crime.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding is available for alcohol treatment and rehabilitation for prisoners. [55471]
Fiona Mactaggart: Figures on local funding streams are not collated.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effects of levels of funding available at HM Prison Grendon on the amount of time prisoners are able to spend with staff; and what impact this has upon their treatment. [55487]
Fiona Mactaggart: Grendon is allocated a budget to which it is expected to adhere. Recent temporary measures taken to prevent an overspend include a recruitment freeze and a curtailment of association on Friday evenings. Core therapy time has been protected, albeit the prison has temporarily postponed the recruitment of a therapist and three psychologists. A therapist has now been recruited and psychologists posts have been advertised.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of levels of funding available at HM Prison Grendon on the quality of therapy being provided. [55488]
Fiona Mactaggart:
Assessment of the quality of therapy provided is undertaken on an annual basis through the Royal College of Psychiatrists Community of Communities-led Correctional Services Accreditation Panel-approved audit process. If reductions in the level of funding have negatively affected the therapeutic process it will be reflected in this accreditation review. The results of the most recent audits are awaited.
7 Mar 2006 : Column 1320W
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken by his Department to improve the recruitment and retention of staff to the Prison Service. [55494]
Fiona Mactaggart: Work is under way to: examine retention in London establishments; improve recruitment levels of minority staff into the officer grade through a number of positive action measures and; to look at introducing schemes such as apprenticeships in construction grades where there is a national shortage within the industry. Advice, guidance on best practice, help and support is available to staff involved in recruitment.
Probation Services
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2006, Official Report, columns 385–86W, on probation services, what steps he plans to take to ensure that faith-based organisations awarded such contracts do not (a) discriminate on the grounds of religion or belief in their employment policies, (b) proselytise in the course of their work under contract and (c) subject offenders to discrimination or harassment on the grounds of religion or belief. [55408]
Fiona Mactaggart: Contracts will be awarded to the most suitable provider based on the bid submitted. Successful bids will need to comply with the terms of the contract, which will include diversity requirements, and will need to demonstrate they are compliant with legislation on race and religious discrimination. All contracts will be reviewed as part of the Race Equality Impact Assessment process.
Public Order
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of antisocial behaviour orders issued in Gravesham has been breached. [54922]
Hazel Blears: Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) were introduced under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and have been available to the courts since 1 April 1999. A table giving a breakdown by the local government authority area in which prohibitions are imposed within ASBOs is available on the Crime Reduction website at www.crimereduction.gov.uk.
This table gives data by year since ASBOs were introduced up to 30 June 2005 (latest available). ASBO breach data are available at Criminal Justice System (CJS) area level only and are currently available from 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2003 for ASBOs issued since one June 2000. During this period within the Kent CJS area, in which Gravesham is located, notification has been received of seven persons breaching their ASBO on one or more occasions.
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what sentences have been handed down for breaches of anti-social behaviour orders in each London borough in each year since their establishment; how many of each type have been handed down in each case; and if he will make a statement. [55005]
7 Mar 2006 : Column 1321W
Fiona Mactaggart:
Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) breach data held centrally only cover breach proceedings where there has been a conviction and are currently available from 1 June 2000 to 31 December
7 Mar 2006 : Column 1322W
2003 for ASBOs issued since 1 June 2000. These data are available at criminal justice system area level only. The available information for Greater London is given in the following table.
(23) Breaches are counted in this table on a persons basis, i.e. where the order has been breached on more than one occasion within the same period, a person is counted once only within that period.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |