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14 Mar 2006 : Column 2110W—continued
Crime Victims (Property Recovery)
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many incidents in each police force in the last full year for which records are available payment has been required from victims of crime who wish to recover their property from the police or those holding it on behalf of the police; what total sums were received; and if he will make a statement. [45716]
Hazel Blears: This information is not held centrally.
Departmental Finance
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the administrative costs were of each agency for which he has responsibility in the last year for which figures are available; what the total of such costs was in that year; and whether the costs are regarded for the purposes of public expenditure statistical analyses as (a) identifiable and (b) non-identifiable. [39850]
Mr. Charles Clarke: During 2004–05 the following administration costs were incurred by the Home Office's agencies:
Criminal Records Bureau: total administration costs of £19,956,000, all of which is regarded as identifiable expenditure.
Her Majesty's Prison Service: total administration costs of £79,096,000, all of which is regarded as non-identifiable expenditure.
UK Passport Service: total administration costs of £83,395,000 (inclusive of £19,974,000 distribution costs), all of which is regarded as non-identifiable expenditure.
Although not classified as an executive agency, Her Majesty's Treasury has agreed that the control arrangements for the National Probation Service boards provide a sufficient degree of control that they should be considered within the Home Office departmental accounting boundary. However, in accordance with public expenditure classifications, expenditure incurred by the National Probation Service boards is classified as programme.
Departmental Staff
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been employed in the Home Secretary's private office in each year since 1997. [31800]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Staffing figures from 1997 are not held centrally. Records show staffing figures for the Home Secretary's Private Office from 2001 as:
| Staff numbers | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 15 |
| 2001–02 | 15 |
| 2002–03 | 16 |
| 2003–04 | 16 |
| 2004–05 | 13 |
| 2005–06 | (14)11 |
(14) Estimated for April 2006.
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Detainees (Religious Provision)
Mr. David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether (a) prayer mats and (b) compasses are provided in North Wales police premises for the use of Muslim detainees. [52787]
Hazel Blears: The provisions in North Wales Police is a matter for the chief officer and information is not held centrally on arrangements in place by individual police forces.
The Code of Practice on detention, treatment and questioning of persons by police officers (Code C) issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act requires that any specific dietary or religious beliefs the person may have should be met as far as practicable.
The guidance Safer Detention and Handling of Persons in Police Custody" issued on 8 February 2006 jointly by Home Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers and the National Centre for Policing Excellence states that consideration should be given to providing a separate room which can be used as a prayer room; the supply of appropriate food and clothing; and suitable provision for prayer facilities, such as uncontaminated copies of religious books.
DNA Samples
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 14 February 2006, Official Report, column 1976W, on DNA samples, whether police personnel who have been included on the Police Elimination Database and subsequently leave the service have their DNA profile removed from the National DNA Database. [56715]
Hazel Blears: In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, all DNA profiles obtained from police officers are removed from the Police Elimination Database (PED) as soon as they leave the police force, unless they transfer to another force. The PED is separate from the National DNA Database.
Domestic Violence
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision is available in the Stroud constituency to deal with domestic violence. [56329]
Hazel Blears:
The provisions made available through Stroud district council contribute to the wider Gloucestershire Co-ordinated Community Response to addressing domestic violence. All police force areas and Crown prosecution areas have appointed dedicated domestic violence champions.
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The provisions available in Stroud to address domestic violence cover a range of services which include:
The development of the Housing Statement for the Co-ordinated Community Response which recommends the use of eviction clauses by social landlords, and provides choices for victim/survivor to stay in their homes and remove the perpetrator, move immediately or make a planned move.
The funding of two refuges that provide outreach services to victims and survivors of domestic violence.
Contribution to the Gloucestershire Domestic Violence Support and Advocacy Project (GDVSAP), which provides outreach and support services to victim/survivors; raises awareness of domestic violence in the area and has been instrumental in developing nationally accredited training in domestic violence.
Drugs
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the country of origin of (i) cocaine, (ii) heroin and (iii) cannabis sold illegally in the UK. [57050]
Paul Goggins: It is assessed that at least 95 per cent. of heroin in the UK originates in Afghanistan; and that most cocaine originates in Colombia with lesser amounts from other South American countries such as Peru and Bolivia. Most Cannabis resin is assessed to originate in Morocco. Herbal cannabis is grown across the world and may originate from a number of countries, including the UK.
Free Movement
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what conditions a national of another EU state may be expelled from the UK under existing legislation; and under what conditions the Government will be able to expel a national of another EU state after the entry into force of Directive 2004/38/EC, on the free movement of persons. [57354]
Mr. McNulty: Council Directive 64/221/EEC provides that EU nationals may only be expelled from the UK on grounds of public policy, public security or public health. These provisions are reflected in regulations 21, 22 and 23 of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2000 (as amended).
Regulation 26(3) provides that where a decision is taken to remove a person on one of these grounds then he is to be treated as if he were liable to deportation being a person to whom section 3(5) of the Immigration Act 1971 applied.
Directive 2004/38/EC will be transposed into UK legislation via the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006, which are currently being drafted and will laid by negative resolution so as enter into force on 30 April 2006.
Chapter VI (Articles 27 to 33) of Directive 2004/38 concerns restrictions on the right of entry and residence of EU nationals on grounds of public policy, public
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security or public health. The Directive will continue to allow the UK to remove EEA nationals on the grounds of public policy, public security or public health.
Hepatitis
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of prisoners with (a) hepatitis B and (b) hepatitis C; and if he will make a statement. [58209]
Fiona Mactaggart: Information about the numbers of prisoners with hepatitis B and hepatitis C is not collected centrally.
In 1997–98, the then Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) undertook an unlinked, anonymised survey of the prevalence of blood borne viruses amongst prisoners in England. This indicated that the prevalence of hepatitis B was 7.8 and that of Hepatitis C was 7.5 per cent.
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