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3 May 2006 : Column 1629W—continued
Racially Motivated Crime (Statistics)
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the scale was of the inaccuracies in the racially motivated crime statistics that caused them to be withdrawn; what the cause of the error was; and when corrected statistics will be published. [66725]
Hazel Blears: The publication of 'Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice System' published on Thursday 30 March 2006 was withdrawn following the identification of apparent errors for four police forces areas (Hertfordshire, North Yorkshire, Dorset and Nottinghamshire) in Table 3.1 covering racially-motivated offences reported to the police.
These errors were caused by amendments from Hertfordshire, North Yorkshire and Dorset which had been notified to the Home Office having not being included in the final published document. No error had been notified for Nottinghamshire.
Officials are now checking all the figures included in this publication with the police and other agencies before the publication will be reissued.
Respect Task Force
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time employees work in his Department's Respect Task Force. [66309]
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Hazel Blears: There are 28 full-time employees and three part-time employees currently working in the Respect Task Force.
Segregation Units (Prisons)
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of the review of segregation units in prisons. [66994]
Fiona Mactaggart: The Prison Service is currently undertaking a review of the segregation performance standard and the segregation policies set out in Prison Service Order 1700. It is anticipated that the review will be completed in March 2007.
Sex Offender Vetting
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the proposals to develop a new vetting and barring scheme will include provisions to bar those on the sex offenders register from holding office (a) as a local councillor and (b) on a police authority; and if he will make a statement. [44251]
Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply as my Department has responsibility for the new vetting and barring scheme, under which people will be barred where they present a risk of harm either to children and/or vulnerable adults, including due to inclusion on the sex offenders register. Depending on the risk they present, people will be barred from working closely with either children and/or vulnerable adults which would include caring for, training or supervising children or vulnerable adults, working in establishments that children or vulnerable adults use (such as schools and care homes) or holding positions of authority in relation to children or vulnerable adults (such as local councillors with responsibilities in relation to children's or adults' services).
My Department does not have responsibility for the vetting procedures for local councillors or for employment with the police authorities, this lies with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Home Office respectively.
Sheppey Offender Management Pilot
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Sheppey Offender Management Pilot. [66556]
Fiona Mactaggart:
The three prisons on the Isle of Sheppey have been conducting a small scale pilot of the National Offender Management Model since 7 November 2005. 183 prisoners were involved in the pilot between seven November 2005 and 31 March 2006. The aim of the pilot is to put into practice the national offender management model, part of which deals specifically with the identified necessary interventions required for the individual offenders. The results of the pilot are currently being evaluated. The sentence plan which outlines the interventions is owned by the community based offender manager and delivered by the custody based offender supervisor.
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Swinfen Hall
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of inmates at HM YOI Swinfen Hall had access to first night procedures in each year since 1997. [66574]
Fiona Mactaggart: The information is not available in the form requested. In general, all prisoners received into Swinfen Hall are provided with access to first night procedures, and have been since 1997, though the nature of these arrangements has changed and been developed over this period.
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will withdraw the UK's Reservation to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. [66666]
Fiona Mactaggart: The UK retains two reservations from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The first of these relates to mixing of children and adults and states:
Where at any time there is a lack of suitable accommodation or adequate facilities for a particular individual in any institution in which young offenders are detained, or where the mixing of adults and children is deemed to be mutually beneficial, the United Kingdom reserves the right not to apply article 37(c) in so far as those provisions require children who are detained to be accommodated separately from adults."
The second reservation refers to Immigration and Nationality and states:
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UK reserves the right to apply such legislation, in so far as it relates to the entry into, stay in and departure from the UK of those who do not have the right under the law of the UK to enter and remain in the UK, and to the acquisition and possession of citizenship."
UK law honours the spirit of the Convention in relation to the standards of care and treatment available to children in the UK, including asylum-seeking children. We believe it is necessary to retain this reservation because it preserves the integrity of our immigration laws. The UK has entered other, similar reservations in respect of other human rights instruments. We are satisfied that asylum-seeking children in the UK receive adequate care, protection and support.
Regarding children mixing with adults: we have made great progress in achieving separation of under and over-18s in custody, for example by placing girls under 17 in non-prison service accommodation and by providing new, special units for 17 year old girls. We will therefore be considering whether there is a continuing need for the Reservation against Article 37(c) of the Convention; and this review is due to begin shortly.
CABINET OFFICE
Departmental Websites
Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list (a) the websites operated by his Department, including the Cabinet Office and (b) the reports placed on the internet in March 2006, indicating in each case whether paper copies were also made available. [65216]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The websites operated by the Department are shown in the table.
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The following reports were published by the Cabinet Office in March 2006.
UK Resilience—Protecting Against Terrorism: Guidance for Businesses from the Security Service"—This is not a Cabinet Office document, but we advised on some of the content.
Better Regulation Executive—Making a Difference: Safe and Secure Data Sharing Between Health and Adult Social Care Staff"
Chief Information Officers Council—Transformational Government Implementation plan"—A two page summary was made available in paper version.
Committee on Standards in Public Life—Annual Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life 2005"—A paper version was made available.
Equalities Review—Interim Report"—A paper version was made available, including a large print version.
Except where indicated, paper copies were not made available. But the reports were published on the internet in print-friendly PDF format and, in most cases, the relevant section of the Cabinet Office will provide paper copies on request.
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