Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken to put the education campaign on cannabis announced in the House on 19 January into effect. [101839]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 21 November 2006]: A widespread education campaign on the harms of cannabis and all illegal drugs is under way. In partnership with DfES, the Home Office has produced Understanding Drugs, a comprehensive teacher and pupil information pack which is now available to every secondary school in England. The FRANK campaign has updated its cannabis information resources with new TV and radio ads and wide-ranging information leaflets now available. In addition, the Department of Health will be issuing a toolkit for mental health practitioners on the links between cannabis and mental health.
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will sign the European Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings. [101355]
Mr. Coaker: The UK is currently considering whether to sign the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The Government are examining how the Convention's approach could best be harmonised with effective immigration controls.
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to prevent human trafficking in the UK. [101356]
Mr. Coaker: Work currently being undertaken to prevent human trafficking includes a number of different elements. These include the recent opening of the UK Human Trafficking Centre in Sheffield; research and intelligence gathering to improve our knowledge and understanding of the scale and nature of human trafficking in the UK; awareness raising and capacity building in source and transit countries; and measures designed to address demand for trafficked persons.
We are working hard with source countries to tackle the problem of trafficking at its root. We have provided funds for various anti-trafficking projects and
awareness raising campaigns in the Western Balkans region, West Africa (including Benin, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Ghana, Niger and Togo) and the Greater Mekong region (parts of Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam).
The UK Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking, currently being developed and due to be published early in 2007, will provide further details of the work being undertaken in this area.
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken to prevent defunct paedophile support groups from re-establishing. [100493]
Mr. Coaker: There are a range of legislative and enforcement measures in place that are aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse. Through the Sexual Offences Act 2003, the law was overhauled to provide greater protection for children from sexual abuse, and a new offence of meeting a child following sexual grooming was introduced. Those who seek to harm children, whether through the online or offline environment, and whether acting alone or in groups, can expect to face the full force of the law. Of course, enforcement measures are kept under constant review in order to deal with the challenges presented by the constantly developing IT environment.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the pension age is for (a) prison officers and (b) police officers; what changes to these arrangements are planned; and if he will make a statement. [101276]
Mr. Sutcliffe: With regard to the pension age for prison officers, the Principal Civil Service Pension scheme is in two sections. Section 1, the 2002 section, is referred to as the premium scheme and has a pension accrual rate of one sixtieth. Section 2, the 1972 section, is referred to as the classic scheme. Classic has a pension accrual rate of one eightieth plus a lump sum accrual rate of three eightieths.
The current normal pension age for members of both schemes is 60. However, some prison officers who are members of the classic scheme have a normal pension age of 55.
In line with the principles agreed with the trade unions at the Public Services Forum in 2005, a new pension scheme will be introduced for new entrants to the civil service who will have a pension age of 65.
With regard to police officers, under the Police Pension Scheme 1987, to which most officers belong, there is no fixed retirement age for the police. Officers with at least 25 years service may retire with an immediate pension from the age of 50. Officers may also retire with an immediate pension, irrespective of age, after 30 years service, when they will have accrued maximum benefits. This means that an officer who joined at 18 and a halfthe earliest age at
which it is possible to start as a police officeris entitled to retire at 48 and a half with a full pension. Otherwise officers become eligible to retire with an immediate pension from the age of 55, 57 or 60, depending on what their compulsory retirement age would have been for their rank and force before such ages were revised with effect from 1 October this year. Officers with less than 25 years service who leave the police with deferred benefits will receive their pensions at 60.
The accrual rate under the Police Pension Scheme 1987 is one sixtieth of final salary for each year during the first 20 years and two sixtieths for each of the next 10 years, providing a target pension of two thirds of final salary, if no lump sum is taken, after 30 years.
Members of the Police Pension Scheme 2006, those who joined the police service on or after 6 April this year, have a set pension age of 55 at or after which a serving officer can leave with an immediate pension irrespective of his or her length of service. Officers who leave the police service below the age of 55 with deferred benefits will receive their pension at 65.
The accrual rate under the Police Pension Scheme 2006 is one seventieth of final salary for each year providing a target pension of one half of final salary, plus a fixed lump sum of twice final salary, after 35 years.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers retired in receipt of a pension from the date of retirement at (a) under 50 years of age and (b) between 50 and 55 years of age in each year since 1990-91; and if he will make a statement. [101311]
Mr. McNulty: The information is a matter for the chief officer of each police force and is not available centrally.
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information his Department collects on the (a) interests, (b) affiliations and (c) memberships of police officers; and if he will make a statement. [100866]
Mr. McNulty: The Home Office does not collect data on the interests, affiliations or memberships of police officers. This is a matter for their respective forces.
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how long traffic was delayed on the south side of Waterloo bridge adjacent to County Hall and St Thomas' hospital as a result of the closure of Westminster bridge consequent on security arrangements relating to the State Opening of Parliament ceremony on 15 November. [101000]
Mr. McNulty: The operational arrangements for policing of the State Opening of Parliament are the responsibility of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service.
Dr. Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of the Independent Monitoring Board at each young offender institution holding juveniles have qualifications in child protection. [101679]
Mr. Sutcliffe: This information is not available.
Membership data does not include qualification details.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the G24-facilitated discussions between the Colombian Government and civil society on development and human rights issues; and how often representatives from the UK Embassy in Colombia have attended these meetings. [101569]
Mr. Hoon: In 2006, the G24 formally set up six sub-groups on thematic areas where representatives of civil society, the Colombian Government and the G24 could meet regularly to discuss specific issues of concern. This has provided a welcome forum for dialogue between non-governmental organisations and the Government on a range of human rights, conflict and development issues. We expect the thematic groups to continue in some form in 2007. The G24 is drawn from participants at the 2003 London Meeting on International Support for Columbia, which has a presence in Bogota.
Each of the six sub-groups meets every month. Our embassy in Bogota has participated in a number of the groups' meetings, including those focusing on the rule of law and human rights and reintegration into civil life. The embassy also attends the quarterly meetings of the Follow-up Commission involving civil society, Colombian Government and G24 representatives, and in regular G24 steering meetings.
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she plans to take towards ensuring that those detained in Ethiopia in connection with the political disturbances in 2005 receive a fair trial following the recent statement by Judge Teshale Aberra, a former senior judge in Ethiopia, about the judicial system in that country. [100822]
Mr. Hoon:
Officials from our embassy in Addis Ababa made representations to the Ministry of Justice about the ongoing trial of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) leadership on 12 July 2006 and our ambassador in Addis Ababa has raised it with Prime Minister Meles
Zenawi, bilaterally and with EU ambassadors on several occasions, most recently on 14 October. He has also visited two representatives of civil society detained in connection with the disturbances.
We will continue to make representations to the Government of Ethiopia regarding all those, including civil society representatives, detained in connection with the political disturbances in 2005.
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of the report produced by Michael Ellman, the EU observer in Ethiopia, on the trial of Coalition for Unity and Democracy opposition leaders. [100824]
Mr. Hoon: The EU observer to the Hailu Shawal and Coalition for Unity and Democracy leadership trial is employed by the EU and reports to the EU Presidency. Any reports the observer writes are submitted to the EU. The EU will take decisions on whether or not to publish any such reports. If any are published, the Government will place copies in the Library of the House.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she expects to publish her Department's gender equality scheme. [101482]
Mr. Hoon: The gender equality scheme (GES) will form part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) diversity equality scheme, which will be discussed by the FCO board on 24 November and published in early December. The GES will be revised before April 2007 to reflect a new action plan on gender.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that private organisations contracted to work (a) in her Department and (b) for non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies for which her Department is responsible are aware of their duties under gender equality legislation when exercising public functions on behalf of public bodies. [101505]
Mr. Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) revised its tender and procurement documentation in October to reflect the new public duties on disability and gender. We are also
providing training for all staff involved in procurement work so that they fully understand the provisions of the sex discrimination and equal pay legislation where relevant to their work;
informing procurement candidates or tenderers where to obtain information about contractors' obligations under the legislation and the gender equality duty; and
including in every contract a performance condition that the contractor must comply with these obligations and the gender equality duty.
We are sharing this with our non-departmental public bodies. The executive agencies for which we are responsible, FCO Services and Wilton Park, also drew up a detailed action plan in preparation for these new duties to ensure they promote diversity equality as appropriate with private organisations contracted to work for them. The action plan can be found at annex A of the FCO's diversity equality scheme, which will be published in December 2006. A copy will be placed in the Library of the House.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans she has to carry out gender impact assessments of her Department's major policy developments and new legislation. [101542]
Mr. Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) introduced a new impact assessment tool in September. All major policy developments and papers submitted to the FCO board and the Board's sub-committees will be assessed using this tool to ensure we fulfil the new public duties on disability and gender, as well as the existing duty on race.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) her Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies for which she is responsible are taking steps to meet the requirements of the forthcoming duty on public bodies (i) to end unlawful discrimination and harassment and (ii) to promote equality between women and men. [101557]
Mr. Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the executive agencies for which we are responsible, FCO Services and Wilton Park, completed an audit of our policies, service and functions in October in preparation for the new public duties on disability and gender. We are currently undertaking a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats analysis of our approach to gender issues. In December we shall host a workshop with our gender advisory group, non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies and then draw up a detailed action plan which will form an annex to our gender equality scheme.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will list the occasions since she has held her present office when she has used (a) rail services, (b) the London Underground, (c) tram or light railway services and (d) buses in connection with her ministerial duties. [101989]
Margaret Beckett: On 9 June I travelled return to Paris on Eurostar for the Anglo-French summit.
All my travel on official business is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in Travel by Ministers.
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether her Department has received the appeal determination from the Home Office referred to in the written answer of 7 November 2006, Official Report, column 1438W, on visas; and when the visas will be issued to the two children to travel to the UK. [101499]
Dr. Howells: The Visa Section at our High Commission in Kingston received the appeal determination on 2 November and has authorised the issuing of the visas. They are now waiting to receive the applicants' passports so the visas can be issued.
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