| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
24 July 2006 : Column 1153W—continued
Identity Fraud
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what recent meetings he has had with other members of the Government to discuss tackling identity fraud; [86649]
(2) what recent discussions he has had with experts from (a) academia, (b) the private sector and (c) the police on tackling identity fraud. [86650]
Joan Ryan: Work on identity fraud reduction is led by the Identity Fraud Steering Committee (IFSC) and supported by the Identity Fraud Forum (IFF). The IFSC and IFF members come from the police, academia, the private sector and Government Departments. The IFSC and the IFF meet regularly to take forward the Government’s work on reducing identity fraud, and to co-ordinate this activity across all sectors. A number of sub-groups meets on a regular basis to identify, scope and prioritise opportunities to reduce identity fraud.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action has been taken by his Department to tackle identity fraud since July 2005; and what action is planned between July 2006 and July 2007. [86653]
Joan Ryan: The Identity Fraud Steering Committee (IFSC) was established in 2003 to lead a cross public/private sector work programme to tackle identity fraud and there has been a great deal of activity to reduce identity fraud in the last year.
In September 2005 we launched a leaflet which provides the public with a quick and easy guide on things to look out for that indicate that they may be at risk of becoming a victim of identity theft or fraud, or that they are already a victim. The leaflet has been distributed to main police stations, public libraries, Citizens Advice Bureaux, Identity and Passport Service regional offices, local DVLA offices and all MPs to assist when engaging with constituents. An online version can be found on the identity theft website. The leaflet has been co-branded by a number of organisations such as banks and credit reference agencies who have made it available to their customers
and distributed by the National Neighbourhood Watch Association. We plan to continue our identity fraud awareness during the coming year by targeting particular social groups who are more at risk of identity fraud.
In December 2005 we established a network of Single Points of Contact (SPOC) in all police forces and a range of government departments and agencies for dealing with identity fraud investigations and prosecutions. The network will continue its work and a SPOC seminar is due to take place in September 2006.
We continue to make improvements to the security of the UK Passport. In March 2006 we began the introduction of biometric passports. Roll-out of the enhanced authentication and checking of passport applications via the Personal Identity Process was completed in June 2006. The Passport Validation Service has been operating during the past year and will be extended to other organisations. The introduction of interviews for first time adult passport applicants will also help to reduce identity fraud.
On 10 May 2006 we introduced an amendment to the Police and Justice Bill to allow information on the recently deceased to be shared with law enforcement agencies, and other organisations to be specified by order, to prevent the identities of deceased people being used to commit fraud. Subject to Royal Assent the sharing of death information will commence around July 2007.
On 7 June 2006 we brought into force the offences in the Identity Cards Act 2006 which create new criminal offences of being in possession of or controlling false identity documents. Investigation of offences under these provisions is already underway.
On 17 July 2006 the Home Office published a consultation document on combating organised and financial crime which includes proposals to improve the use of public and private sector data to prevent crime, in particular fraud and identity fraud. The consultation will finish on 17 October 2006.
Improving identity management and the development of ID cards are essential components in the fight against identity fraud and this work will continue next year.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how much his Department spent on tackling identity fraud through public awareness campaigns in 1997 in each (a) year since and (b) month since July 2005; [86654]
(2) what advice his Department has issued to the public on steps to combat identity fraud. [86651]
Joan Ryan: The Home Office became responsible for identity fraud in 2003 following the Cabinet Office report Identity Fraud: A Study, published in 2002. We established the Identity Fraud Steering Committee (IFSC) to lead a public-private sector work programme to tackle identity fraud. The IFSC set up a website www.identitytheft.org.uk which explains to the public how to keep personal information safe, how to get help if one is the victim of identity theft, and what is being done to tackle this growing crime. The website was set up and is maintained without Government funding.
Information on identity fraud is also available as a leaflet which provides the public with a quick and easy guide on things to look for that indicate they may be at risk of becoming a victim of identity theft or fraud, and what to do if they are already a victim. The leaflet has been distributed to main police stations, public libraries, Citizens Advice Bureaux, Identity and Passport Service regional offices, local DVLA offices and all MPs (to assist when engaging with constituents). An online version can be found on the identity theft website. The leaflet has been co-branded by a number of organisations such as banks and credit reference agencies, who make it available to their customers. The leaflet has also been distributed by the National Neighbourhood Watch Association.
The Home Office spent £24,956.08 on identity fraud awareness campaign material in the financial year 2005-06 (the first year in which we paid for such material). There has been no expenditure so far this year; further activity is planned.
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in Humberside police authority area were (a) charged with and (b) victims of identity fraud in each of the last nine years; and if he will make a statement. [86907]
Joan Ryan: The Government take the problem of identity fraud very seriously. There is no single offence of identity fraud. On seven June 2006 we brought into force sections 25 and 26 of the Identity Cards Act 2006 which created new criminal offences of being in possession or control of false identity documents. These offences relate to a wide range of identity documents, including passports, driving licences, ID cards and immigration documents. The maximum penalty is 10 years imprisonment for an offence of possession with intent to use the document for establishing registrable facts about another person, such as name, address, date of birth and other personal details, and two years imprisonment for possession without reasonable excuse. Investigation of offences under these provisions is already under way and statistics on the number of prosecutions and convictions will be published in due course.
There is also a range of other criminal offences to combat identity fraud. These include, for example, the offences in the Theft Acts of 1968 and 1978 of obtaining property by deception (property includes money), obtaining services by deception and obtaining a money transfer by deception. The number of these offences that were committed using a false or stolen identity is not recorded centrally and it is not possible to provide such figures for Humberside or any other area. However, identity theft and identity fraud questions were incorporated into the British Crime Survey in 2005 and the results should give us more information on the number of victims and the types of fraud that are being committed.
Immigration and Nationality Directorate
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Immigration and Nationality Directorate officials failed security checks subsequent to their first day of employment in the Directorate in each year since 1997. [73692]
John Reid: It is not possible to provide this information in the form requested.
Intercept Evidence
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Government expects to conclude its review of the use of intercept evidence in court; and if he will make a statement. [86805]
Mr. McNulty: As my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, told the House on 11 July 2006, Official Report, column 1312, further Home Office-led work on possible legal models for evidential use of intercept will report to Ministers in November.
John Lennon Airport
Mr. David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there is a permanent police presence at John Lennon International Airport, Liverpool. [69433]
Mr. McNulty: John Lennon International Airport is not designated for policing purposes under the Aviation Security Act 1982. There is therefore no statutory requirement for the Chief Constable of Merseyside police to provide a permanent police presence. The level and nature of the policing resource at the airport is at the discretion of the Chief Constable.
Juvenile Detainees
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of vulnerable and at-risk children and young adults in (a) young offender institutions, (b) secure training centres and (c) local authority secure units. [86277]
Mr. Sutcliffe: An initial assessment of vulnerability of under-18 offenders is carried out, before sentence, by the youth offending team . Figures provided by the Youth Justice Board show that during the period April 2004 to March 2005 the number of young people who were assessed as vulnerable in this way and subsequently placed in a young offender institution was 3,370. All young people placed in a secure training centre or a secure children's home are considered vulnerable, either on account of their age or because of other risk factors.
Vulnerability is a concept which embraces a wide range of possible factors, including physical and mental health and other special needs. Young people assessed as vulnerable by the youth offending team are not all at high risk. Also, the degree of vulnerability may change in the course of their period in custody. The youth offending team's assessment is therefore only a starting point. While the most vulnerable young people are accommodated in establishments with high staff-to-trainee ratios, safeguarding arrangements are in place in all establishments.
There is no formal definition of vulnerability for adult offenders and consequently no estimate has been made of young adults falling within this category.
However, there are systems in place to identify and assist vulnerable adult offenders in custody.
Local Authority Secure Units
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department where each local authority secure unit is located; and how many places are available in each. [86278]
Mr. Dhanda: I have been asked to reply.
There are currently 21 secure children's homes, 19 of which are provided by local authorities, operating in England and one in Wales. The location and number of places available in each of these homes as at 31 March 2005 is as shown in the following table:
| Places approved at 31 March 2005 by individual secure children's home—England and Wales | ||
| Name of secure children’s home | Location | Number of places approved |
| Notes: 1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. 2. Numbers between 1 and 4 are shown as a dash. 3. Redbank includes three units: Newton House, Vardy House and Willows House. 4. At March 2005 all homes were LA managed apart from St. Catherines which was managed by a voluntary provider. 5. Orchard Lodge transferred to an independent provider in March 2006. 6. The figures are from the 2004-05 DfES annual survey of secure children's homes (SA1). | ||
M56
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motorists have been caught speeding in the roadworks on the slip road of junction seven of the M56 since 2001; and what total amount of fines they have paid. [84884]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Information on speeding fines paid in respect of offences at specific locations is not held centrally.
Mentally Ill Prisoners
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are taken by the Prison Service to liaise with mental health authorities to ensure continuity of care and post-release treatment for former prisoners with mental illnesses. [86232]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Offenders with identified mental health problems are subject to the Care Programme Approach (CPA) during their stay in prison and on release. CPA enables the planning of treatment and continuity of mental health care for the individual. It is supported in prisons through NHS mental health teams, comprising over 360 staff in England. This means that on release from prison offenders needing CPA should have a care plan and, pre-release, the prison mental health in-reach team inform and share information with the individual’s local GP.
For those prisoners with identified severe and enduring mental illness, the prison will also contact the individuate community mental health team at the pre-release stage.
The Offender Mental Health Care Pathway (DH, 2005) sets out best practice for commissioners and providers of mental health services for those in the criminal justice system. It is available on the Department of Health’s website at: http://www. dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/10/22/32/04102232.pdf
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |