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IMPACT Programme
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) pursuant to the written statement of 19 April 2006, Official Report, columns 17-19WS, on the IMPACT programme, how many police forces in England and Wales are using the IMPACT nominal index (INI); how many police officers on average have access to the INI within each child abuse investigation unit; when he expects the INI to be available to all police officers in every force; what further development of the INI is planned; and what assessment he has made of its likely impact on police forces; [73239]
(2) pursuant to the written statement of 19 April 2006, Official Report, column 17-19, on the IMPACT programme, what estimated (a) funds and (b) manpower will be required by police forces in England and Wales to implement the IMPACT nominal index in other business areas outside child abuse investigation units; [73310]
(3) pursuant to the statement on the IMPACT programme issued by his Department on 19 April 2006, which business areas within police forces will receive the IMPACT nominal index (INI) during 2006 in addition to child abuse investigation units. [73311]
Mr. McNulty: All 43 forces in England and Wales have been using the IMPACT nominal index (INI) since it was deployed in December 2005 to a child abuse investigation unit, with at least two trained users, in each force. The IMPACT programme will complete deployment to force child abuse investigation units by the end of July this year, on the basis of requirements identified by chief constables, which will mean that 850 staff (around a third of all staff in this business area) will be trained in the use of the INI.
Although the
IMPACT nominal index is currently intended to be used primarily for
child protection, officers from other business areas may, with the
authority of an officer of at least superintendent rank, have searches
carried out where necessary for the prevention or detection of serious
crime. It is our intention to deploy the INI to other business areas
following full deployment to child abuse investigation units but we do
not plan to train all officers in the use of the INI or to give all
officers direct access to the system; searches can be carried out on
their behalf. Which areas should receive the application, and in which
order, will be determined in consultation with the police service,
informed by the outcome of current trials involving the Thames Valley
Force Intelligence Bureau; the Child Exploitation and On-line
Protection Centre; the East Midlands Regional Special Operations Unit
and the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command. At the
conclusion of the trials in August, the IMPACT Programme Board will
have a better understanding of the business benefits and resources
required to respond to inter-force requests for information following a
match on the INI. It is for forces to determine how to manage the
resource requirements to implement the new operational capability we
are delivering. The INI is being developed to incorporate certain local
audit and administration functions. We are currently assessing the
impact of INI on forces in terms of the operational benefits delivered
by the system and the demands associated with responding to inter-force
enquiries. On-site surveys and case reviews are being conducted to
identify the type and number of cases where INI- identified data has
made a significant contribution to their work. We are also working with
forces to identify best practice and potential new applications of the
system.
IRA Manchester Bombings
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make arrangements for payments to be made to the victims of the 15 June 1996 IRA Manchester bombings on terms similar to the payments being made to victims of the 7 July London bombings and their families. [76533]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The victims of the Manchester bombing and the 7/7 bombings were/are eligible for criminal injuries compensation under the terms of the statutory criminal injuries compensation scheme approved by Parliament which applied at the date their application was/is received. The payments made to both sets of victims, and indeed to all victims of violent crime in Great Britain, are assessed and paid on the basis of the scheme applying when their application is received. No special arrangements or payments under the current scheme are being made for 7/7 victims.
However, in the immediate aftermath of the 7/7 bombings, the Mayor of London set up the London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund in partnership with the British Red Cross. The Government donated£1 million to the fund in July 2005. The Government announced on 8 June 2006 that, in recognition of the exceptional circumstances of the London bombings, it was donating a further £2.5 million to the fund, Official Report, column 38WS. The trustees of the charity will decide how the extra money will be distributed among victims of the 7/7 bombings in the form of charitable grants.
Knife Amnesty
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many knives have been handed in during the amnesty in (a) Ribble Valley and (b) Lancashire; and if he will make a statement. [82745]
Mr. Coaker: Figures for the number of items handed in during the knife amnesty are being collected at police force level and will be released shortly. 17,715 items were handed in in England and Wales during the first week of the amnesty.
We worked closely with ACPO to develop the arrangements for the amnesty, which was part of our wider strategy to tackle knife crime. We are also focusing on legislation, enforcement, education and prevention. We have brought forward provisions in the Violent Crime Reduction Bill that will raise the age at which someone can be sold a knife to 18; are introducing a new offence of using someone to mind a weapon; and giving head teachers powers to search pupils for knives. The Home Secretary announced on 19 June 2006 that he was giving very serious consideration to the suggestion that the maximum sentence for having a knife or blade in a publicplace should be increased from the current sentence of 2 years.
Many police forces are undertaking tough enforcement operations, for example, the Metropolitan police’s Operation Blunt and the British Transport police’s Operation Shield, which uses search equipment to detect those carrying knives and other weapons on our transport network. We are also supporting educational initiatives that demonstrate to young people the dangers of carrying knives, and reinforce the message that carrying a knife can result in it being turned on you.
Through our small grants programme, the Connected Fund, we are also supporting a wide range of local community projects which work with young people to provide mentoring, training, education and other support.
MI5
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many MI5 files have been destroyed since 1997. [76275]
Mr. McNulty: I am informed that since 1997 approximately 110,000 files have been destroyed.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 1 June 2006, to Question 68479 on MI5 files, how many of the 325,000 files are personal files. [76465]
Mr. McNulty: I am informed that of the approximately 325,000 files held by the Security Service at January 2005, approximately 272,000 were personal files.
Miscarriages of Justice (Compensation)
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many awards of compensation have been made to victims of miscarriages of justice under the (a) statutory and (b) discretionary scheme in each of the last five years; and how many of these awards were for more than £500,000. [82062]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Figures for the number of final awards made over the last five years are set out in the following table. There are two cases in which applicants whose cases have not been completed have received interim payments on account in excess of £500,000. There are seven cases currently with the independent assessor for final assessment in which the applicants are seeking awards in excess of £500,000.
| Final awards made under the statutory and discretionary schemes for compensation for wrongful conviction and/or charge. | ||||
| Number of final awards made | Statutory | Discretionary | Number over £500,000 | |
Northern Way
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what role his Department plays in the delivery of the Northern Way initiative. [74042]
Mr. McNulty: The main role the Home Office plays in the Northern Way is tackling crime, drugs and antisocial behaviour which, if left unchecked, have the potential to undermine regeneration and attempts to improve regional economic growth.
Oxycodone
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the effects on (a) the UK balance of payments, (b) UK jobs and (c) the number of traffic movements of moving the production of oxycodone hydrochloride formulations from the United Kingdom to another country in the European Union; and if he will make a statement. [77134]
Mr. Coaker: No such assessments have been made.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many producers and suppliers of oxycodone hydrochloride in the European economic area are approved as alternative sources of supply of the raw material to UK manufacturers of oxycodone preparations for the British market. [76539]
Mr. Coaker: No application has been received to import oxycodone hydrochloride or its base materials from any territory within the European economic area.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect on UK producers of oxycodone hydrochloride formulations of other EU countries interpreting the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961) less restrictively than his Department; and if he will make a statement. [76540]
Mr. Coaker: No such assessment has been made.
Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that production of oxycodone formulations does not move from the UK to elsewhere in the European Union as a result of Home Office interpretation of United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961. [76952]
Mr. Coaker: Production of controlled drugs, such as oxycodone, is governed by the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961 and implemented by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Licensed production under the Act limits domestic trade to medical and scientific purposes. The policy on licensing takes no account of commercial considerations nor does the Act confer any power to compel a manufacturer to remain within the United Kingdom.
Party Conference Security
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2006, Official Report, columns 1036-37W, on party conference security, what the costs to public funds were of policing and general security for the (a) Labour and (b) Conservative party conferences in each year since 1992, broken down by spending at (i) national spring conferences, (ii) national autumn conferences and (iii) regional conferences. [79339]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 21 June 2006]: The table shows the cost to public funds, in the form of special grant paid to police authorities, for policing national spring conferences and national autumn conferences in England and Wales. Funding is not provided for regional conferences. For security reasons, we do not disclose the other costs incurred.
| Year of party conference | Force | Amount of Government special grant (£ million) |
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