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Criminal Justice and Court Services Act
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why section 53 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 (a) has not been implemented and (b) has been superseded by schedule 8 to the Criminal Justice Act 2003. [67121]
Fiona Mactaggart: Section 53 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Services Act 2000 introduced new provisions for dealing with the breach of various community orders. It was repealed under the Criminal Justice Act 2003, which introduced a new sentencing framework including a single community order for adults, to replace all previous individual community sentences, and a new suspended sentence order. This meant that the section 53 regime was no longer appropriate. However, elements of it are incorporated in the enforcement provisions for these new sentences, including statutory warnings for failures to comply with the requirements of the sentence and the presumption of imprisonment for breach of a suspended sentence order.
Data Protection
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the guidelines ensuring co-operation between the UK Information Commissioner and the European Data Protection Supervisor on information obtained from (a) EURODAC and (b) the Schengen Information System. [63823]
Ms Harman: I have been asked to reply.
At present, guidelines ensuring co-operation do not exist. The UK Information Commissioner, together with his counterparts in other EU member states, is currently working with the European Data Protection Supervisor to make checks on the processing of personal data in the Eurodac system.
The European Data Protection Supervisor does not have a formal role in data protection supervision in the Schengen Information System. The relevant supervisory arrangements for the central system are set out in the Schengen convention and are carried out by a Joint Supervisory Authority.
Disabled People
Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress his Department has made in promoting the rights of disabled people under its statutory duty to do so as a public body. [65818]
Paul Goggins:
The Home Office is currently developing its Disability Equality Scheme in accordance with responsibilities conferred by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. The scheme is being developed by a team
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consisting of diversity policy leads across the core Home Office group as well as members of the Disability Rights Commission and the Home Office Disability Support Network. Collectively they will see how work on Disability Equality Schemes can be embedded into Home Office business priorities. The Home Office has published a series of Disability Awareness Guides to promote the use of reasonable adjustments and the needs of disabled people in the workplace.
Domestic Violence
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the range of activities covered by the Best Value Performance Indicator that local authorities need to undertake successfully to address domestic violence. [51349]
Hazel Blears: To highlight the need for sustained local authority action, and demonstrating that domestic violence is not an issue for the criminal justice system alone, in 2005 a revised Best Value Performance Indicator for domestic violence was published. This indicator is owned by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
BV 225 aims to assess the overall provision and effectiveness of local authority services designed to help victims of domestic violence and prevent further domestic violence.
The indicator covers metropolitan authorities, London boroughs, unitary authorities, district councils, council of the Isles of Scilly and the common council of the City of London. The indicator is measured as a percentage score of the number of questions to which a local authority can answer 'yes':
1. Has the local authority produced a directory of local services that can help victims of domestic violence?
3. Does the local authority employ directly or fund a voluntary sector-based domestic violence co-ordinator? (For district councils of fewer than 35,000 households, the responsibility for co-ordinating domestic violence can be designated within the job description of an existing senior officer. For district councils that contribute to a county-wide co-ordinator, see the BVPI definition).
4. Has the local authority produced and adopted a multi-agency strategy to tackle domestic violence developed in partnership with other agencies?
5. Does the local authority support and facilitate a local multi-agency domestic violence forum that meets at least four times a year?
6. Has the local authority developed an information-sharing protocol and had it agreed between key statutory partners?
7. Has the local authority developed, launched and promoted a 'sanctuary' type scheme to enable victims and their children to remain in their own home, where they choose to do so and where safety can be guaranteed? (For smaller district authorities, of fewer than 35,000 households this can be arranged in partnership with neighbouring authorities).
8. Has there been a reduction in the percentage of cases accepted as homeless due to domestic violence that had previously been re-housed in the last two years by that local authority as a result of domestic violence?
9. Does the council's tenancy agreement have a specific clause stating that perpetration of domestic violence by a tenant can be considered grounds for eviction? (For local authorities that have transferred their housing stock, the clause should be contained in the LSVT organisations' tenancy agreement).
10. Has the local authority funded and developed a domestic violence education pack in consultation with the wider domestic violence forum?
11. Has the local authority carried out a programme of multi-agency training in the last 12 months covering front-line and managerial staff in at least two of the following groups: housing staff, social services staff providing services in the local authority area; education staff; health staff; and front-line police officers.
Drugs Liaison Officers
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many overseas drugs liaison officers are employed in each country in Latin America; and what the cost was in 2004–05; [58893]
(2) what quantity of cocaine seizures were attributable to the work of overseas drugs liaison officers in Latin America in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and what the street value was in each year. [58897]
Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
I cannot give details of the numbers and cost of drugs liaison officers deployed overseas as to do so would prejudice international relations, jeopardise current operations and put the officers and their families at risk.
Cocaine seizures attributable to the work of drugs liaison officers based in South and Central America and the Caribbean are estimated to be 95 tonnes in 2003–04 and 46 tonnes in 2004–05, with a potential street value in the United Kingdom of £5.2 billion and £2.3 billion respectively. Figures for seizures in other years and confined to posts in states included in the definition of Latin America would be available only at disproportionate cost.
Female Murders
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women were killed by a current or former male partner in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [64989]
Hazel Blears: The latest available information on homicide is published in Home Office Statistical Bulletin number 02–06, 'Violent Crime Overview, Homicide and Gun Crime 2004/2005'. Table 2.05 provides data on victims killed by their partner/ex-partner by victim gender.
The specific information data can be extracted from the Homicide Index and are given in the following table.
Note:
As at 28 November 2005; figures are revised as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available.
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