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9 Mar 2006 : Column 1666W—continued
National Offender Management Service
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which core services will be delivered only by public sector (a) prisons and (b) probation staff under the National Offender Management Service. [49067]
Fiona Mactaggart: In the five year strategy for protecting the public and reducing re-offending, the Government sets out plans for a phased programme of contestability for Prison and Probation services.
This will build on what we have already done in the prison estate and take into account our primary aims of protecting the public and reducing re-offending. Our programme will be published in a prospectus in the spring which will outline the time table and areas of service in which we will introduce contestability. Legislation will be brought forward when parliamentary time permits.
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which services under the National Offender Management Service will be (a) tendered for and (b) subject to contestability exercises. [49068]
Fiona Mactaggart: The Government has stated its intention to publish, later this year, a Contestability Prospectus which will specify the type of contracts available. Decisions have yet to be taken on the details of this prospectus.
Police
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of police officers in each force are (a) black and ethnic minority and (b) women; what proportion of the population in each police force area are (i) black and ethnic minority and (ii) women; what targets each police force has for the proportion of its officers who are (A) black and ethnic minority and (B) women; and how many otherwise suitable recruits in each police force have been turned down because they would not contribute to the achievement of those targets. [50621]
Hazel Blears: The data requested is available from the 'Police Service Strength publication as at 31st March 2005'. This report was published on 25 July 2005 and is available in the Library of the House and on: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb1205.pdf
There are currently no national targets for gender. The Home Secretary's Race Equality Employment Targets, milestone report 2004 sets out the force targets for black and minority ethnic recruitment. This is available in the House of Commons Library and on: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/publications/staff-equality-targets Information is not available centrally on forces' handling of applications.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many basic command units there are in England and Wales; and what the (a) name and (b) location is of each. [56216]
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Hazel Blears: Data produced in April 2005 shows a total of 245 Basic Command Units. The names and location of each of these units is set out in the table. However, in light of the proposed provision in the Police and Justice Bill which will require BCUs to be co-terminous with local authority boundaries, many forces have reviewed their BCU boundaries. The 2006 boundary data are still being produced and will be available at the beginning of April 2006.
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Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department at what level the reformed basic command units will be placed in two-tier local government areas under the Government's reforms. [56219]
Hazel Blears: The Police and Justice Bill proposes to put the basic command units (BCUs) on a statutory footing and requires their boundaries to be aligned with those of local authorities. They will continue to cover a small geographical area within a force such as a town or district. In some two-tier areas, many district councils are too small to constitute a single BCU. It would therefore be possible to brigade two or more district councils to form one BCU. This would be a matter for chief constables following consultation with key partners, such as local authorities, in crime and disorder reduction partnerships and in local criminal justice boards.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further steps a complainant can take who is not satisfied by the response of the Independent Police Complaints Commission. [56977]
Hazel Blears: The IPCC is an independent body. If a complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of the IPCC's investigation into their complaint, independent legal advice will need to be sought, as its decisions on cases can only be overturned through the courts.
Lynne Featherstone:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from (a) the Association of Chief Police Officers, (b) the Police Federation, (c) police authorities
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and (d) individual police officers on the proposed restructuring of police forces; and if he will make a statement. [39061]
Hazel Blears: ACPO, the APA and the Police Federation have been closely involved in the review of police structures including discussions on particular aspects such as finance, HR and governance. Chief Officers and police authorities have been encouraged to consult with officers and staff on the options for their force area.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will provide additional resources to equalise the impact on the police precepts in each of the four police authority areas in Wales in theevent of the establishment of a single Welsh police force; [51028]
(2) what arrangements he plans to put in place to tackle the potential for unequal impacts on the police precepts in different authorities in Wales following the establishment of a single Welsh police force. [51029]
Hazel Blears: A working group led by my Department with participation from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Welsh Assembly Government, HM Treasury and police representative bodies has been established to examine the financial aspects of reorganisation, including the impact of restructuring on finance, including precept.
Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the responses he received from police authorities before 23 December 2005 would permit a voluntary merger of forces. [47311]
Hazel Blears: Subsequently, Cumbria and Lancashire police authorities requested that my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary make the necessary alterations to allow their two force areas to amalgamate into one new strategic force area, as announced by the Home Secretary on 3 March 2006.
Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral answer to the hon. Member for Witney of 25 January 2006, Official Report, column 1426, whether he will use his powers to initiate amalgamations of police forces against the wishes of the police authorities concerned. [47312]
Hazel Blears: My right hon. Friend The Home Secretary announced his intention to initiate amalgamations for Cheshire and Merseyside, and forces in the North East, West Midlands and Wales on 3 March 2006.
Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral answer to the hon. Member for Witney of 25 January 2006, Official Report, column 1426, whether he is actively considering the case for federating police forces as an alternative to amalgamations. [47313]
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Hazel Blears: Where federation has been proposed as an alternative to strategic forces, it has been given due consideration. As yet, no compelling case has been made for such an option to proceed.
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