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Asylum Seekers (Medical Care)

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is his policy to make details of protocols employed by his Office for the clinical governance of medical and dental services provided at detention centres for asylum seekers available under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [56505]

Mr. McNulty: All requests for information concerning the clinical governance of medical and dental services provided in removal centres will be fully considered in accordance with IND's obligations under the Freedom of Information Act. Information will only be withheld if it falls within one of the exemptions contained in the Act.
 
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Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with (a) the Healthcare Commission and (b) the National Patient Safety Agency on clinical governance and monitoring of the quality of medical services commissioned by his Department in detention centres for asylum seekers. [56506]

Mr. McNulty: Initial discussions have taken place between the Immigration and Nationality Department (IND), the Healthcare Commission and the Department of Health regarding the registration of removal centre health care providers. These discussions continue. There have been no discussions between IND and the National Patient Safety Agency concerning the quality of medical services provided in removal centres.

Ball-bearing Guns

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the gun offences recorded in the area of the Lancashire police authority in the last 12 months related to the use of ball-bearing guns. [56664]

Hazel Blears: A BB gun is an air soft weapon that fires plastic pellets. Of the 259 offences involving firearms (excluding air weapons) recorded by Lancashire police in 2004–05, 160 related to the use of BB guns.

Child Protection

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his Answer of 13 February 2006, Official Report, column 1714W, if he will make it his policy (a) to ensure that records are maintained of offenders who are given a caution for possession of indecent photographs of children and (b) to prevent such offenders from working with children in the future; and if he will make a statement. [55465]

Fiona Mactaggart [holding answer 8 March 2006]: The Circular which sets out guidance on the Cautioning of Adult Offenders emphasises the importance of accurately recording cautions in order to avoid multiple cautioning and to ensure consistency. Cautions must be recorded on the local custody system as well as on national information systems and those given for a recordable offence must be entered on the Police National Computer.

Under the current Association of Chief Police Officers General Rules for Criminal Weeding on Police Systems, a caution received for possession of indecent photographs of children should be removed after ten years provided there are no convictions on the record and no further cautions have been given. The Secretary of State for Education currently has the power (under s.142 of the Education Act 2002) to make a direction barring or restricting a person from working in the education sector, whether or not a person has been convicted of an offence.

The list of people subject to such a direction is called List 99". The Secretary of State for Education recently announced that she would be introducing regulations to automatically enter on List 99 anyone who is convicted or cautioned for a sexual offence against a child. At present, convictions (but not cautions) relating to indecent photos of children under 16 constitute automatic barring offences for List 99. It has not yet
 
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been decided which offences will trigger automatic barring under the new Regulations, but the cautioning guidance will be changed as appropriate when the Regulations come into force.

Class A Drugs

Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress his Department is making in tackling the availability of Class A drugs; and if he will make a statement. [56000]

Hazel Blears: The Government's strategy is to bear down on all points in the drugs supply chain in order to disrupt criminal gangs, stifle drug supply and reduce the harm caused to communities in the UK. Increasing quantities of drugs are being seized and organised crime groups and dealers disrupted.

The latest figures published by HMRC for 2004–05, show that over 3,000 kg of heroin and 10,600 kg of cocaine were taken out, 299 trafficking groups were disrupted or dismantled and £33.3 million of drug-related criminal assets were seized, depriving dealers of their financial lifeblood. The number of drug trafficking groups dismantled or disrupted rose from 193 in 2002–03 to 268 in 2003–04 and 299 in 2004–05.

The numbers of seizures of Class A drugs have been rising over the last decade, and the total number of drug offenders brought before the courts has been rising continuously since 2000. The number of offenders convicted of producing or dealing cocaine, crack cocaine or heroin rose by 6 per cent. between 2003 and 2004 and over 80 per cent. of them received an immediate custodial sentence. In Swansea, from 1 April 2005 to date the police report having charged 34 people with trafficking Class A drugs as part of their ongoing operations against supply. But we are not complacent. The Drugs Act 2005 increased the powers of police to bring drug dealers to justice. The Serious Organised Crime Agency, which comes into being in April, will further strengthen our ability to disrupt and convict organised criminals engaged in Class A drug supply. Police force restructuring will ensure that police forces have the capacity, capability and resilience to effectively deal with regional crime such as major and organised drugs supply.

Common Land (Illegal Vehicle Use)

Mr. Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make representations to chief constables on tackling the illegal use of off-road vehicles on common land. [55833]

Hazel Blears: Under section 59 of the Police Reform Act the police can seize any mechanically propelled vehicle which is being driven both in a careless and inconsiderate manner on-road, or off-road (including on common land without lawful authority), and causing alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public. At the beginning of November 2005 we issued to all chief officers in England and Wales additional guidance on the legislation explaining the rationale behind it, clarifying its terms and the circumstances in which it might be used and offering examples of effective operations. At the same time regulations governing the use of the power were simplified.
 
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Mr. Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are in place to share best practice between local authorities and enforcement agencies on dealing with the illegal use of off-road vehicles on common land. [55834]

Hazel Blears: Where the illegal use of off-road vehicles on common land has been identified in a local crime and disorder audit as a problem, we would expect the local strategy to address it. The Home Office issued on 1 November 2005 additional guidance to the police on their power to seize vehicles being used in an antisocial manner.

This included examples of best practice where the police were working with the local authority to make effective use of the powers available to the two agencies. The Home Office has also organised a number of action days with antisocial behaviour practitioners to share best practice around the topic of antisocial use of vehicles and has provided guidance through the TOGETHER website: www.together.gov.uk.

Correspondence

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Warley of 8 December on behalf of Mrs. Charanthayer Viaun of Smethwick. [55739]

Mr. McNulty: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate replied to my right hon. Friend on 3 March 2006.

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, of 17 November 2005, acknowledgement reference B27422/5 dated 18 November 2005, on behalf of Monica Brown, Home Office reference S706762. [55839]

Mr. McNulty: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to my right hon. Friend on 6 March 2006.

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister of State for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, dated 30 November 2005 (acknowledgement card B28649/5 dated 1 December 2005) on behalf of Eric Alphanso Bravo, Home Office reference B1023214). [55913]

Mr. McNulty: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate replied to my right hon. Friend on 3 March 2006.

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister of State for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, dated 16 December 2005 on behalf of Bahsedin Saleh Busheir, Home Office reference B1114259 (acknowledgement card B30292/5 dated 9 January 2006). [55914]

Mr. McNulty: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate replied to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood on 3 March 2006.
 
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Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister of State for Immigration, Nationality and Citizenship will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, dated 20 December 2005 on behalf of Alphonse Balolebwami, Home Office reference B1030176 (acknowledged card B30428/5 dated 21 December 2005). [55915]

Mr. McNulty: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate replied to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood on 3 March 2006.

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister of State for Immigration, Nationality and Citizenship will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, dated 7 June 2005 concerning Mohd Said Azhar, Home Office reference A047078. [55916]

Mr. McNulty: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate replied to the letter of 7 June 2005 from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood on 11 July 2005.

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister of State for Immigration, Nationality and Citizenship will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, dated 8 December 2005 (acknowledged 9 December 2005, reference B29404/5) concerning Victoria Apuwisi, Home Office Ref A1129427. [55917]

Mr. McNulty: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate replied to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood on 3 March 2006.

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will provide a substantive reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, of 22 November 2005 on behalf of Juliet Johnson (Home Office reference J1094975, acknowledgement reference B280265). [55918]

Mr. McNulty: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate replied to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood on 6 March 2006.

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, of 28 November 2005 on behalf of Ousman Dibba (Home Office reference D1101640, acknowledgement reference B285185). [55919]

Mr. McNulty: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood on 6 March 2006.

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