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4 Sep 2006 : Column 1775W—continued
Custody
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) name, (b) age, (c) date, and (d) place of death was of each child and young adult that died in custody in each of the last 30 years. [86207]
Mr. Sutcliffe: As publishing such details can cause distress to the families of those bereaved by a death in custody, I will write separately to the hon. Member with the information available.
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional resources have been made available to the Probation Service to implement Custody Plus under the Criminal Justice Act 2003. [88487]
John Reid: In the Review of the Criminal Justice System published on 20 July we said that Custody Plus will not go ahead in autumn 2006 as previously planned.
Preparatory work for Custody Plus was not accounted for separately from funding provided for the implementation of other sentencing provisions in the Criminal Justice Act 2003.
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many custody suites there are in each constituency in Wales; where they are located; and if he will make a statement. [89023]
Mr. McNulty: This is an operational matter for chief constables.
| Constituency | Location |
| (1) Not used—no exercise facility | |
Damages
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 3 July 2006, Official Report, column 875W, on damages, what the cost is of obtaining the information requested; how many of his Department’s lawyers worked on such cases of damages against his Department in the last period for which figures are available; how damages payments are accounted for in his Department’s accounts; what steps he takes to minimise future claims; which Minister is responsible for monitoring such claims; and if he will make a statement. [87734]
Mr. Byrne: No central record is kept by either the Home Department or the Treasury Solicitors department of the number of cases in which damages were paid or what the total sum paid out was. This information could be obtained only by searching through some 10,000 transaction sheets and then identifying the damages elements of these payments. This would involve a disproportionate cost. Detailed figures are not kept on how many lawyers are or have been involved in claims against the Home Office. Such information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The way that damages payments are accounted for in the departmental accounts is seen in section 29, Losses and Special Payments, of the annual Resource Accounts. Also in the 2004-05 accounts there is a record in section 25, Contingent Liabilities, concerning the claims for compensation received by the Criminal Records Bureau. Ministers take responsibility for their own areas. Therefore ministerial responsibility for claims against the Home Office will depend on the particular area of the Department that the claim is made against.
Data Sharing
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government have (a) to link and (b) to enable data-sharing between the Children’s Information Sharing Index and the National Identity Register. [86847]
Joan Ryan: The National Identity Register will not be linked to the Children’s Information Sharing Index, nor are there plans for data-sharing between them.
Defendants' Anonymity
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received regarding anonymity for defendants in certain cases. [87942]
Mr. Sutcliffe: As of 25 July we had received seven items of correspondence since the beginning of this year, all of which concern defendant anonymity in sexual offences cases.
Departmental Contracts
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the value was of (a) public opinion research and (b) public relations contracts awarded by his Department in 2004-05 in (i) each (A) nation and (B) region of the UK and (ii) London; [35945]
(2) what the (a) subject matter and (b) dates were of opinion survey research undertaken by the Department and its agencies in the last 12 months; if he will place copies of the results of each survey in the Library; which companies were used in conducting the research; and how much each was paid. [14815]
Mr. McNulty: The Home Office undertakes a wide range of research activities that support the development of information-led policy, including surveys of public opinion that consider Home Office issues and its related areas of responsibility. The Department commissions such work only when it is justified by the specific needs of a particular policy or programme and when this is the most economic, efficient and effective way to achieve the purpose. Consulting and informing the public helps inform both policy formulation and the delivery of better quality public services. A table showing the available information on the subject matter of market and opinion research undertaken in 2004-05 has been placed in the Library. Where this is for a specific region this has been indicated in the table, otherwise the coverage is for England and Wales (except for immigration topics). Information on the costs of individual market and opinion research projects is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Home Office has used external public relations companies to help deliver messages and advice to the public in press and magazines as part of integrated communication campaigns, often with a local focus. Campaigns include Year of the Volunteer, Holocaust Memorial Day, Sexual Offences Act, Crime and Anti Social Behaviour. A table showing spend on a monthly basis between September 2004 and October 2005 has also been placed in the Library.
Table to be placed in the House of Commons Library
Table—market and opinion research commissioned by the Home Office in 2004-05.
A number of market and opinion research projects were ongoing in 2004-05 and were included in the table that was placed in the House of Commons Library in answer to the PQ from the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable), Official Report, 28 January 2004, column 441W.
In addition, market and opinion research has been undertaken on the following subject matter in 2004-05
1. The Experiences of victims and witnesses;
2. Criminal Justice System Stakeholder Opinions;
3. Quarterly monitoring of volunteering;
4. Barriers and Motivations—Citizen Governance;
5. Organisational discrimination;
6. Expectations and experiences of victims and offenders;
7. Policing Reassurance;
8. Opinions of the use of Community Support Officers;
9. People's perception of the Licensing Act;
10. Prisoners employment issues;
11. Perceptions and Experiences of the North West Offender management Pathways (North West only);
12. Forensic science issues.
In addition the Home Office's communications directorate conduct market research to help develop and evaluate public information campaigns. The research is not peer reviewed and therefore has not been considered appropriate for ‘official’ publication.
Market research quantitative studies for campaign evaluations commissioned by the Home Office communication directorate are as follows:
Surveys of opinions of Holocaust Memorial Day/Year of Volunteer/Rights and Responsibilities;
Crime Reduction issues;
Vehicle Crime/Police tracking;
Drugs FRANK campaigns and Cannabis;
Police reform and internal issues;
Single Emergency Number;
Identity Cards;
Community cohesion;
Immigration
Research, Development and Statistics Directorate Projects
All published RDS research is available on the Home Office website at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pubsintro1.html.
All Youth Justice Board surveys are available on the YJB website at www.youth-justice-board. gov.uk/publications.
| Table: Amount spent by the Home Office on external media relations during the period from September 2004 to October 2005 | |
| £ | |
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