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11 Oct 2006 : Column 786W—continued
Waiting Times
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will intervene on behalf of Mr. Neil Darby of St. Albans, who has waited longer than the Government target of 24 weeks for a Hartmann’s reversal operation. [89661]
Andy Burnham: It is the responsibility of local health services to ensure that there are fair and acceptable local standards governing access to services.
Home Department
Kent Police (Cautions)
Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of cautions issued by Kent county constabulary in each of the past five years were for (a) first offences, (b) second offences and (c) third or subsequent offences. [92085]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform for the number of people convicted of fraud in (a) Brent and (b) London in each year since 1997 can be found in the following table.
Data for 2005 will be available in November.
| Number of defendants convicted at all courts, for offences relating to fraud in Brent, 1997 to 2004( 1,2) | ||||||||
| Offence class | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| (1.)These data are provided on the principal offence basis (2.)Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3.)Includes the following: False statements by company directors, etc, Other fraud by a company director, and giving false information for Confidentiality Order, or providing confidential information in breach of the regulations under S.723C (4.)Includes the following: False accounting, failing to keep proper accounting records, authorising failure to keep proper accounting of records, permitting failure to keep proper accounts, failing to keep proper accounts, failing to secure preservation of accounting records, and, failing to keep accounting records open to inspection. (5.)Includes the following: Obtaining property by deception, Obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception, Conspiracy to defraud. Purporting to act as a spiritualistic medium for reward, Taking marks from HM property in any store, Fraudulent issue of money order by Post Office servant. Fraudulently retaining, secreting, etc. postal packet or mail bag, Fraudulently printing, mutilating or re-issuing stamp. Frauds by farmers in connection with agricultural charge, Cheating at play, etc. Dishonestly destroying, defacing or concealing a document. Dishonestly procuring execution of a document. Railway frauds, Frauds in connection with sale of land, etc.(triable only on indictment). Frauds in connection with sale of land, etc.(triable-either-way). Obtaining services by deception (except railway frauds). Evasion of liability by deception (except railway frauds). Making off without payment. Assisting another to retain the benefit of criminal conduct. Acquisition, possession or use of proceeds of criminal conduct. Concealing or transferring proceeds of criminal conduct. Disclosure of information likely to prejudice an investigation. Insider dealing. Obtaining a money transfer by deception. Dishonestly retaining a wrongful credit. Dishonest representation for obtaining benefit etc. Unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate commission of further offences. Unauthorised modification of computer material. Knowingly concerned in fraudulent evasion of contributions. Cartel offences. Corrupt transactions with agents. Other fraud. Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform Our Ref: PQ 222-06 | ||||||||
| Number of defendants convicted at all courts, for offences relating to fraud in London, 1997 to 2004( 1,2) | ||||||||
| Offence class | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| (1.)These data are provided on the principal offence basis (2.)Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3.)Includes the following: False statements by company directors, etc, Other fraud by a company director, and giving false information for Confidentiality Order, or providing confidential information in breach of the regulations under S.723C (4.)Includes the following: False accounting, failing to keep proper accounting records, authorising failure to keep proper accounting of records, permitting failure to keep proper accounts, failing to keep proper accounts, failing to secure preservation of accounting records, and, failing to keep accounting records open to inspection. (5.)Includes the following: Obtaining property by deception, Obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception, Conspiracy to defraud. Purporting to act as a spiritualistic medium for reward, Taking marks from HM property in any store, Fraudulent issue of money order by Post Office servant. Fraudulently retaining, secreting, etc. postal packet or mail bag, Fraudulently printing, mutilating or re-issuing stamp. Frauds by farmers in connection with agricultural charge, Cheating at play, etc. Dishonestly destroying, defacing or concealing a document. Dishonestly procuring execution of a document. Railway frauds, Frauds in connection with sale of land, etc.(triable only on indictment). Frauds in connection with sale of land, etc.(triable-either-way). Obtaining services by deception (except railway frauds). Evasion of liability by deception (except railway frauds). Making off without payment. Assisting another to retain the benefit of criminal conduct. Acquisition, possession or use of proceeds of criminal conduct. Concealing or transferring proceeds of criminal conduct. Disclosure of information likely to prejudice an investigation. Insider dealing. Obtaining a money transfer by deception. Dishonestly retaining a wrongful credit. Dishonest representation for obtaining benefit etc. Unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate commission of further offences. Unauthorised modification of computer material. Knowingly concerned in fraudulent evasion of contributions. Cartel offences. Corrupt transactions with agents. Other fraud. Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform Our Ref: PQ 222-06 | ||||||||
Motorcycling
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost to local authorities of purchasing specialist equipment to tackle the issue of motorcyclists not carrying a front number plate on their motorcycles. [91591]
Mr. Coaker: No such estimate has been made. Motorcyclists are not required to have front number plates on their vehicles, but enforcement of any offences committed by those who do not would be a matter for the police. It is not clear what specialist equipment might be of help to them in tackling such offending.
Passport Photographs
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to ensure that the four photographs marked as good in passport leaflet PLE/04 02.06 meet the criteria for (a) size and head in proportion to the photograph size and (b) smiling expressions. [92710]
Joan Ryan: The four photographs meet the requirements set out in the passport guidance leaflet. The heads meet the minimum and maximum size requirements, which state that the measurement from the bottom of the chin to the crown of the head must be no less than 29mm and no more than 34mm. For children aged under 11, the minimum head size requirement is 21mm.
The leaflet stipulates that subjects must have a neutral expression. Photographs showing any facial distortion as a result of grinning or frowning are not acceptable as the facial biometric subsequently captured will be similarly distorted. The photographs depicted all display neutral expressions, but also demonstrate that this means a natural expression rather than an unnaturally sombre one.
Police Records
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what exceptional circumstances a person’s request to have their (a) DNA, (b) fingerprint and (c) police national computer records deleted would be granted; and if he will make a statement. [92198]
Joan Ryan: The Association of Chief Police Officers issued guidance to chief officers on the consideration of applications for the deletion of DNA samples, fingerprints and a record on the police national computer earlier this year. The then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Leigh (Andy Burnham), made a written ministerial statement on the guidance on 16 February 2006, Official Report, column 117WS and placed copies in the Library.
Each request for the deletion of DNA and fingerprint records is considered on its individual merits. However, exceptional circumstances which might merit deletion of these records would include situations where the arrest was unlawful or the DNA and fingerprints had been taken unlawfully or where it was later found that no crime had been committed. In the majority of cases once a request for the deletion of the DNA and fingerprint records has been granted the police national computer record would also be deleted.
Prisons
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to open the prison service’s performance testing process to (a) National Audit Office and (b) Parliamentary scrutiny; and if he will make a statement. [90043]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Government are committed to a rigorous programme of performance testing as set out in ‘Improving Prison and Probation Service: Public Value Partnerships’ which was published in August this year. Commissioners in the National Offender Management Service will continue the programme of prison performance testing, alongside the continuous improvement work of those who run prisons. Details of the commissioner-led programme will be confirmed later in the year. All prison performance testing is open to parliamentary scrutiny via the normal procedures (including by the Home Affairs Select Committee) and is open to examination by the National Audit Office.
International Development
Afghanistan
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his assessment is of the feasibility of implementing alternative livelihood programmes in Helmand. [91281]
Hilary Benn: Effective implementation of alternative livelihoods programmes in Helmand is dependent on a secure operating environment for partners implementing those programmes. Many of those prospective partners are currently networking in Helmand, due to the perceived risks to their staff. Through its deployment of troops to the province, as part of the NATO engagement in Afghanistan, the UK is looking to create the secure environment which is needed to allow development to happen.
DFID is through its £30 million Helmand Agriculture and Rural Development Programme, supporting the Government of Afghanistan to roll out their National Priority Programmes in Helmand province; for example, providing clean water and sanitation, and small loans. We believe that doing this through the Government of Afghanistan provides a more sustainable solution and may help mitigate some of the security risks. We have also seen some impact in Helmand from the work undertaken through the Research into Alternative Livelihoods Fund programme, particularly in terms of speciality crops and potential export of those to European markets.
Sexual and Reproductive Health
Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department’s spending on reproductive health commodities was in 2005-06. [91563]
Mr. Thomas: Reproductive health commodity supplies are normally provided as an integral part of broader programmes to promote sexual and reproductive health and prevent HIV. DFID’s data-capture systems do not, therefore, allow us specifically to isolate expenditure on them.
However, DFID supports a number of projects which combine reproductive health commodity procurement and distribution whilst encouraging behaviour change and capacity-building. Some current examples include:
£0.5 million for adolescents to access reproductive health services in Nicaragua;
£3.93 million for condoms and hormonal contraceptives in Ethiopia;
£0.462 million for a social marketing programme to maintain family planning services in DRC;
£1.8 million for maintaining access to family planning services for women with HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe.
DFID is one of the leading bilateral providers of condoms and other reproductive health commodities to developing countries. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that some 1 billion condoms supplied by donors were used in developing countries in 2001. Nearly half of these were provided by the UK. For the past 10 years DFID has been the fourth largest provider of condoms, supporting the distribution of about 150 million of them annually. DFID supports the work of UNFPA and The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), as well as other organisations working to promote reproductive health and family planning, including HIV prevention services. We are currently providing £80 million to UNFPA over four years, and £19.5 million to IPPF between 2004 and 2006.
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