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17 May 2006 : Column 1040W—continued
Juvenile Offenders
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate he has made of the average weekly cost of a young person on remand (a) in a young offender institution and (b) on a foster remand placement; [70903]
(2) what resources he is making available in the 2006-07 financial year to increase the number of remand foster placements as an alternative to young offender institutions for young people on remand; [70904]
(3) how many remand foster placements are available as an alternative to young offender institutions for young people on remand; [70905]
(4) what steps he is taking to increase the number of remand foster placements; [70908]
(5) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of remand foster placements as an alternative to young offender institutions for young people on remand. [70950]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 15 May 2006]: Remand fostering in England and Wales is the responsibility of local social services departments and funding is provided through the existing grant to Youth Offending Teams (YOT). Information on the numbers of placements are not held centrally.
There is a summary of a recent evaluation of pre- trial accommodation available on the Youth Justice Board (YJB) website. The Home Office and the YJB are committed to ensuring that there is suitable accommodation for young offenders and those at risk of offending. The YJB have been developing an accommodation strategy for this group and a key part of this will be looking at ensuring that there are no remands to custody as a result of a lack of suitable accommodation. I will ensure that the hon. Member receives a copy of this when it is published.
The average weekly cost of a remand or sentenced placement at a Young Offenders Institution (YOI) is £1,000. This figure is based on the Service Level Agreement between the Prison Service and the YJB.
Mobile Phones (Drivers)
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed penalty notices have been issued for offences involving using a hand- held mobile telephone when driving a motor vehicle in (a) South Wales, (b) Gwent, (c) North Wales and (d) Dyfed Powys police force areas. [67166]
Mr. Byrne: In 2004 the number of fixed penalty notices issued for offences of use of hand-held mobile phones while driving were as follows:
| Number | |
The figures have been taken from the annual Home Office publication “Offences relating to motor vehicles, England and Wales Supplementary tables 2004” (latest available). Copies are available from the Library.
Data for 2005 will be available early in 2007.
Motoring Offences
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued to police forces on their duty to contact the owners of rented properties whose tenants are wanted for moving road traffic offences. [70180]
Mr. Coaker: None. The investigation of offences, including the inquiries made to trace suspected offenders, is an operational matter for individual chief officers of police. Police would generally obtain a driver’s address from DVLA’s register of vehicle keepers. This does not identify the nature of an address, nor whether it is owned or rented; it has no information on those linked to a vehicle keeper such as a landlord.
National Identity Register
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate the Government have made of the commercial value to the Government of the information stored about individuals in the National Identity Register. [67286]
Joan Ryan: The Government have made clear that commercial organisations will not have access to the information held on the National Identity Register and the Identity Cards Act 2006 does not make provision for such access. Thus, no such valuation has been conducted. The Identity and Passport Service plans to recover the majority of operational costs from fees. This will include the cost of the Identity Verification Service, which will be established under section 12 of the Identity Cards Act and will allow verification of identity by organisations such as banks, with the consent of the individual.
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what restrictions the Government plan on the use of the National Identity Registration Number by private sector bodies. [67287]
Joan Ryan: The Government have made clear that the National Identity Registration Number would be a general identifier under the terms of schedule 1, part 2, paragraph 4 of the Data Protection Act 1998, which states:
“personal data which contain a general identifier falling within a description prescribed by the Secretary of State by order are not to be treated as processed fairly and lawfully unless they are processed in compliance with any conditions so prescribed in relation to general identifiers of that description”.
This means that the use of the number by other organisations would have to be specified in regulations. Additionally, before these regulations were tabled, the Secretary of State would be under a duty to consult the Information Commissioner as required by section 67(3) of the Data Protection Act 1998.
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who the data controller will be for the National Identity Register. [67288]
Joan Ryan: The Secretary of State will be the data controller for the National Identity Register.
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will supply complete answers to parliamentary questions to which answers have previously been refused on grounds of commercial confidentiality once a contractor for the National Identity Register has been selected. [67290]
Joan Ryan: The award of contracts for the National Identity Register will not necessarily change the impact that release of information may have on the Department's commercial interests. The Identity and Passport Service would need to undertake further consideration regarding the information at the time of contract award. However, it is likely that at the contract award stage, the release of certain cost estimates previously withheld will no longer prejudice commercial interests, and it may be possible for this information to be made public without prejudicing the Department’s commercial interests.
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the expected cost is to public funds of vetting the staff employed by contractors operating the National Identity Register; and what the expected cost is to the operation of the National Identity Register of the time taken to carry out such vetting. [67291]
Joan Ryan: Measures will be put in place to ensure that the National Identity Register operates to the level of security commensurate with being part of the critical national infrastructure. The published operating cost estimates for the scheme include staff-related costs of operating the National Identity Register.
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the expected average salary is of persons who will have (a) any access to the National Identity Register and (b) physical access to the equipment which stores it. [67292]
Joan Ryan: Overall estimates with regard to staff costs have been made within the business case for the National Identity Scheme. However, precise details regarding the deployment of staff in specific roles or associated compensation packages are dependent on the final design of the scheme, which can only be finalised after negotiations with suppliers in the forthcoming procurement process are completed.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the public sector bodies that will have access to data held on the National Identity Register without specific citizen consent; and for what purposes. [70712]
Joan Ryan: No organisation will have direct access to information recorded on the National Identity Register, with or without the consent of the individual.
Sections 17-21 of the Identity Cards Act 2006 permit the Secretary of State to provide information from the National Identity Register without the consent of the individual to certain public sector organisations under certain circumstances.
the Security Services, the Secret Intelligence Service, Government Communications Headquarters and the Serious Organised Crime Agency when the request is connected with the carrying out of any of the functions of those organisations.
the police, when the request is (a) in the interests of national security or (b) for purposes connected with the prevention or detection of crime. However, in the case of information held under paragraph 9 of Schedule 1 of the Act, it can only be provided to the police when the request is related to the prevention or detection of serious crime.
Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, when the request is (a) in the interests of national security, (b) for purposes connected with the prevention or detection of crime, (c) for purposes connected with the prevention, detection or investigation of conduct in respect of which the Commissioners have power to impose penalties, or with the imposition of such penalties, (d) for the purpose of facilitating the checking of information provided to the Commissioners in connection with anything under their care and management, or with any other matter in relation to which the Commissioners have duties under any enactment, (e) for purposes connected with any of the functions of the Commissioners in relation to national insurance contributions or national insurance numbers. However, as in the case with the police, information held under paragraph 9 of Schedule 1 can only be provided when the request is related to the prevention or detection of serious crime.
The provision of information from the National Identity Register in these circumstances can only occur when conditions established under Section 21 of the Identity Cards Act have been met. Furthermore, the National Identity Scheme Commissioner and, where appropriate, the Intelligence Services Commissioner will provide independent oversight of the National Identity Scheme.
The provision of information without consent of the individual to the aforementioned organisations forany other purpose or to any other Government
department, Northern Ireland department or public authority cannot occur without the prior approval of Parliament through secondary legislation subject to the affirmative resolution procedure.
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate the Government have made of the cost to an individual of (a) losing their identity card and (b) it being stolen. [67285]
Joan Ryan: The schedule of fees for Identity and Passport Service products after the introduction of identity cards is not yet settled. Currently, an individual must pay for the replacement of a lost or stolen passport.
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of parliamentary questions on the subject of the identity cards scheme Ministers have (a) refused to answer and (b) given an incomplete answer to on grounds of commercial confidentiality in the current parliamentary session. [67289]
Joan Ryan: In the current parliamentary session, Ministers have answered all parliamentary questions that have been tabled by hon. Members. Out of a total of 271 parliamentary questions tabled, the answers to 16 (less than 6 per cent. of the total) were qualified to ensure that they did not prejudice the Government’s ability to secure value for money.
Passports
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department where in the Anglesey and North Gwynedd area the secure webcam for passport application interviews will be located; and if he will make a statement. [70432]
Joan Ryan [holding answer 15 May 2006]: Locations for interviews have not yet been determined in any of the areas in which the remote community service will be available, including the Anglesey and North Gwynedd area. A procurement exercise will be undertaken to engage partner organisations with suitable premises and establish the detailed arrangements.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many pensioners in Hendon received free passports in 2005; and if he will make a statement. [41615]
Joan Ryan: The United Kingdom Passport Service (UKPS) does not keep records by address of how many British Nationals have received free passports.
In 2005, nationally, UKPS issued a total of 172,080 passports free of charge to British Nationals born on or before 2 September 1929.
Police
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department from which (a) police forces and (b) police authorities he has received a request for amalgamation with a neighbouring police force. [31515]
Mr. Byrne: None. The Home Secretary's written Ministerial statement on 6 February 2006 set out the latest position and undertook to keep the House up to date about the detailed plans for all areas as options for each are refined.
Ms Diana R. Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in (a) Kingston upon Hull, North constituency, (b) Kingston upon Hull division and (c) Humberside in each year since 1997. [69770]
Mr. Byrne: Statistics by constituency are not collected centrally. Figures for police officers have only been collected by basic command unit since March 2002. The available data for the number of police officers deployed in the Kingston-upon-Hull basic command unit is provided in the table along with the figures for Humberside.
I understand from the chief constable that in 2003 and 2004, criminal justice administration teams, command centres, dog handlers and scenes of crime officers were transferred from all of Humberside's basic command units to central force control. This accounts for the reduction in police officer numbers in Kingston-upon-Hull basic command unit.
| Police officer strength (full-time equivalent) by year (1997-2005) | ||
| As at 31 March each year | Kingston-upon-Hull( 1) | Humberside( 2) |
| (1) FTE includes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. Data only available from 2002. (2 )Figures include those on Secondment to NCIS, NCS and Central Services, FTE excludes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave |
Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects HM Inspectorate of Constabulary’s (HMIC) report into the performance of Nottinghamshire Police to be published. [70901]
Mr. Byrne: It is hoped that HMIC will be in a position to publish the report in approximately one month (i.e. mid-June).
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances the police retain DNA samples of people who have been arrested but not charged with an offence. [71102]
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