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Security Industry Authority

Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Harrington review was taken into account in the full regulatory impact assessment on the Approved Contractor Scheme published on 16 February. [59072]

Paul Goggins: As the Harrington review was not then available, it could not be taken into account when drafting the full Regulatory Impact Assessment on the Approved Contractor Scheme.

Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the review of the Security Industry Authority by Roy Harrington will be published; what the main recommendations are; and when these recommendations will be implemented. [58889]

Paul Goggins: Roy Harrington was commissioned by the Home Office to review the future strategic direction of the Security Industry Authority. Once Ministers have fully considered his report, they will make decisions on its recommendations.

The report will be published in due course, copies will be placed in the Library and it will also be made available on the Home Office website.
 
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Road Safety

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent research has been carried out on the impact of atmospheric conditions on the accuracy of speed cameras; and if he will make a statement. [64693]

Hazel Blears: All speed cameras producing evidence for possible use in court have to be of a type approved by the Secretary of State. The type approval process includes tests both operationally and in the laboratory to ensure that devices will when properly used function accurately and reliably. No separate research has been undertaken. We are satisfied that all currently approved devices merit their type approved status and can be relied upon.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to use the photographs taken by speed cameras to (a) detect and (b) prosecute those seen committing an offence under (i)section 14 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and (ii) the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2003; and if he will make a statement. [65048]

Hazel Blears: Enforcement of these offences is an operational matter for the police. There are no such plans of which I am aware. Speed cameras are designed and type approved only to detect vehicles exceeding the speed limit and record an image of them. Enforcement depends on the police witnessing the offences. The likelihood of this is increased by the expanded use of police intercept teams linked to the operation of Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems We expect enforcement of these and other motoring offences to reflect the joint Home Office/Department for Transport/Association of Chief Police Officers Roads Policing Strategy issued last year, the National Policing Plan and the National Community Safety Plan, which emphasise the importance of roads policing and encourage a pro-active approach.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the LTI20.20 mobile speed camera is used by (a) the police in (i) Southend and (ii)Essex and (b) the Metropolitan Police area; and if he will make a statement. [64692]

Hazel Blears: The purchase and use of speed cameras for law enforcement purposes is a matter for individual chief officers of police. I understand, however, that this particular device is used both by Essex police, including in Southend, and by the Metropolitan Police.

Speed cameras used by the police to produce evidence for possible use in court have to be of a type approved by the Secretary of State. The laboratory and field testing undertaken prior to the granting of type approval is designed to ensure that all type approved equipment is accurate and reliable when used in accordance with its type approval conditions, in line with the manufacturer's instructions and in accordance with the Code of Practice drawn up by the Association of Chief Police Officers. I am satisfied that all type approved speed cameras, including the LTI 20.20, merit their type approved status and are appropriate for police use.
 
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Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy that a photograph of the alleged speeding vehicle should be sent at the same time as the summons; and if he will make a statement. [64755]

Hazel Blears: The responsibility for deciding whether to disclose the photograph, or any other evidence, of a speeding offence detected by a camera rests with the chief officer of the force concerned. Any evidence, including the calibration certificate and any photograph, would, of course, be produced should a case go to court.

UK Passport Service

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2006, Official Report, column 313W, on passports, for how long the UK Passport Service's website has carried details of this policy; and if he will make a statement. [64075]

Andy Burnham: An explanatory note was added to the UK Passport Service's (UKPS) website on 14 March after the issue had been mentioned during the debate on the Identity Cards Bill the previous day. The note was omitted in error when the Identity and Passport Service website was launched on 1 April and restored on 4 April when the error was brought to our attention.

It has always been the case that passport holders could renew passports any time before the expiry date. This is often necessary to meet the minimum passport validity required for entry to some countries.

In response to customer complaints about losing validity when renewing early, the UKPS introduced the facility of transferring up to nine months unexpired validity from the old passport to the new one. The original advice on the UKPS website was based on this, but was not intended to prohibit earlier renewal.

Young Offenders

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances it is appropriate for a police officer to use a caution for the first offence of a young offender, rather than pressing charges; and if he will make a statement. [65322]

Hazel Blears: Young people who commit a first offence will normally be dealt with under the Final Warning scheme, unless the offence is so serious that they must be charged and dealt with by a court. They will not receive a caution as that process for young offenders was replaced by the Final Warning Scheme under Section 65, Crime and Disorder Act 1998. The Home Office and the Youth Justice Board produced guidance for the police and Youth Offending Panels on how to operate the scheme and that guidance is available on the Home Office website. The guidance provides comprehensive details on how to proceed with the most common offences but makes it clear that in deciding on the correct course the individual circumstances of the offence, offender and other relevant information must be considered as part of the decision-making process. That ensures that appropriate
 
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levels of discretion remain in the system for dealing with young offenders and that the correct action is taken in each case.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2006, Official Report, column 1127W, to the hon. Member for Carmarthen, East and Dinefwr (Adam Price), on Afghanistan, which agencies in Afghanistan are liaising with the UK authorities on the process for the eradication of the poppy crop. [65889]

Dr. Howells: I have been asked to reply.

The UK does not carry out eradication in Afghanistan; eradication policy and implementation is the responsibility of the Government of Afghanistan, in particular, the Ministry of Counter Narcotics and the Ministry of Interior. The Government of Afghanistan's policy on eradication is set out in its National Drug Control Strategy which states that where there are legal livelihoods, a credible threat of eradication is needed in order to incentivise the shift away from poppy cultivation. We will therefore carry out targeted ground-based eradication throughout Afghanistan in order to ensure we make maximum progress towards our long-term elimination goal". The UK supports this approach and in 2005–06 provided £5.25 million to support the Government of Afghanistan's eradication effort. In particular, the UK supported the Ministry of Counter Narcotics targeting work to identify priority areas for eradication and provided equipment, including tractors and all-terrain vehicles.

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