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20 Jun 2006 : Column 1826W—continued
| River Wye | ||
| Cubic metres | ||
| 2004 | 2005 | |
Home Department
Alcohol Misuse and Enforcement Campaign
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much will be made available to police through the Alcohol Misuse and Enforcement Campaign between (a) 9 June and 9 July and (b) 10 July and 10 August, broken down by constabulary. [77652]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 14 June 2006]: The latest Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign (AMEC) ran from 8 May 2006 until 8 June 2006 with an additional £2.35 million provided to local forces and trading standards authorities for this period. One key purpose of this campaign was to set the tone of acceptable behaviour and how the use of alcohol would be policed both for the World Cup and the summer. The campaign did not extend into the period of the World Cup itself, as the police service has its own well-established plans for policing during major sporting events which are funded through the service’s mainstream resources.
Animal Experiments
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment he has made of the impact of Government guidelines on the treatment of animals used in scientific experimentation; and if he will make a statement; [77683]
(2) what assessment he has made of the merits of strengthening Government guidelines on the treatment of animals in scientific experimentation; and if he will make a statement. [78438]
Joan Ryan: It has long been our policy to assess and satisfy the welfare needs of animals bred and used under the licensing controls of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. We are working to ensure that the highest possible standards of animal welfare are applied to animals used in scientific procedures and that they are used only where it is fully justified, where the benefits outweigh the costs and where there are no suitable alternatives.
The animals must be housed and cared for in accordance with codes of practice published and laid before Parliament under the 1986 Act. These codes set
standards which have to be met as a requirement of licence conditions, and the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate closely monitors compliance. In their report published in July 2002, the House of Lords Select Committee on Animals in Scientific Procedures recognised the progress that had been made since the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 came into force in fostering a culture of care towards animals used in scientific procedures in establishments designated under that legislation.
The culture of care in the United Kingdom is indeed probably better than anywhere else in the world, and we remain committed to maintaining and improving that position. United Kingdom standards and best practice have been used extensively to inform revised guidance on the accommodation and care of laboratory animals adopted on 15 June 2006 by the Council of Europe.
The new guidelines include a considerable increase in the minimum amount of space that must be allocated to animals. This will help to promote more group accommodation and a more stimulating and interesting environment for the animals. In anticipation of their adoption, we have for some time been advising United Kingdom users to work to the Council of Europe draft guidelines. The United Kingdom codes of practice will be revised to reflect these improved practices, where necessary, in due course.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that animals used in laboratory experiments are kept in adequate conditions. [78580]
Joan Ryan [holding answer 19 June 2006]: It has long been our policy to assess and satisfy the welfare needs of animals bred and used under the licensing controls of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. We are working to ensure that the highest possible standards of animal welfare are applied to animals used in scientific procedures and that they are used only where it is fully justified, where the benefits outweigh the costs and where there are no suitable alternatives.
The animals must be housed and cared for in accordance with codes of practice published and laid before Parliament under the 1986 Act. These codes set standards which have to be met as a requirement of licence conditions, and the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate closely monitors compliance. In their report published in July 2002, the House of Lords Select Committee on Animals in Scientific Procedures recognised the progress that had been made since the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 came into force in fostering a culture of care towards animals used in scientific procedures in establishments designated under that legislation.
The culture of care in the United Kingdom is indeed probably better than anywhere else in the world, and we remain committed to maintaining and improving that position. United Kingdom standards and best practice have been used extensively to inform revised guidance on the accommodation and care of laboratory animals adopted on 15 June 2006 by the Council of Europe.
The new guidelines include a considerable increase in the minimum amount of space that must be allocated to animals. This will help to promote more group accommodation and a more stimulating and interesting environment for the animals. In anticipation of their adoption, we have for some time been advising United Kingdom users to work to the Council of Europe draft guidelines. The United Kingdom codes of practice will be revised to reflect these improved practices, where necessary, in due course.
Antisocial Behaviour
Mr. Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures to tackle antisocial behaviour have been introduced by his Department since 1997; and what the take-up for each measure has been to date in (a) Dudley and (b) the West Midlands. [77145]
Mr. McNulty: Building and enforcing a modern culture of respect and tackling antisocial behaviour is a priority for the Government. On 10 January the Government published the Respect Action Plan. The plan is central to the Government's drive to step up and broaden the clampdown on antisocial behaviour and to promote good behaviour.
Prior to this the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 put in place a range of measures to tackle antisocial behaviour and gave local agencies the tools they need to tackle antisocial behaviour on the ground. Key measures in the Act include:
Powers to close premises where drugs are used unlawfully.
Powers enabling social landlords to take action against antisocial tenants.
A package of support and sanctions to enable parents to prevent and tackle antisocial behaviour among children.
Powers to allow police officers to disperse groups of people who are causing nuisance or intimidating others.
Powers for environmental health officers to close noisy premises.
Powers to tackle graffiti and fly-posting.
The Housing Act 2004 also contained important measures to enable landlords to tackle antisocial behaviour. A survey of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships and Community Safety Partnerships in England and Wales in 2005 found that:
514 crack house closure orders were made between January 2004 and September 2005;
809 areas were designated as dispersal areas between January 2004 and June 2005;
2,369 parenting contracts and orders were made between October 2003 and September 2005;
13,478 acceptable behaviour contracts were made between October 2003 and September 2005.
Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) were introduced under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and have been available since April 1999. In Dudley 30 ASBOs have been issued between April 1999 and September 2005. 552 ASBOs have been issued in the West Midlands during the same period.
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in each London borough in each year since their inception, broken down by (a) age and (b) sex; and if he will make a statement. [75541]
Mr. McNulty: The available information is given in tables which will be placed in the Library.
Building Safer Communities Fund
Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding from the Building Safer Communities Fund has been allocated to (a) Leeds city council and (b) the basic command units of West Yorkshire Police within the Leeds city council district in each of the last three years. [76933]
Mr. McNulty: The information is as follows:
(a) The Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) in Leeds City Council received a total of £3,987,656 under the Building Safer Communities Fund over the last three financial years, broken down as follows: 2003-04 £1,307,428, 2004-05, £1,340,114, 2005-06 £1,340,114.
(b) The Basic Command Unit of City and Holbeck within the West Yorkshire Police force has received a total of £1,111,170 under the Basic Command Unit (BCU) Fund over the last three financial years, broken down as follows: 2003-04 £370,390, 2004-05 £370,390, 2005-06 £370,390.
Cannabis
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average number of grammes of cannabis found on people charged with possession of cannabis was in each of the last five years. [77159]
Mr. Coaker: The requested information is not collected centrally.
CCTV
Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment he made of the cohesiveness of Government, local authority, town and parish council funding streams for developing a viable and robust network of CCTV cameras; [76931]
(2) how much central Government funding has been spent on CCTV cameras in the area covered by Leeds city council in each of the last five years; [76932]
(3) how much funding for CCTV cameras has been allocated by town and parish councils in the Leeds city council district in each of the last three years. [76934]
Mr. McNulty:
There is continuing interest in the further development of CCTV across the country. The Government offices in the regions have a role in ensuring all interested parties, including local authorities and town and parish councils are involved, both in the planning and in finding the appropriate funds. Although there is no National CCTV strategy at the moment, work is under way to produce one by the end of the
year. Under the Crime Reduction Programme, Central Government provided £869,000 funding during 2001-02 for Leeds Watch Local, a CCTV scheme under the second round of the CCTV initiative. Money has been made more widely available since then through general crime reduction funding streams, for example under the Building Safer Communities Fund (BSCF).The allocation for CCTV cameras in the Leeds city council district over the last three years was £2,170,000. Exact figures at town and parish council level are not held but funding, where allocated locally, was split fairly equally at approximately £720,000 each year.
Community Support Officers
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding the Government have provided for police community support officers in each police force in each of the last five years. [75901]
Mr. McNulty: The table gives details of Government funding to police authorities for police community support officers (PCSOs) in the four years since they were first appointed.
| £000 | ||||
| Total | ||||
| 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06( 1) | |
| (1 )Subject to audit | ||||
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