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1 Feb 2007 : Column 514W—continued
Community Policing
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of safer neighbourhood teams operate throughout the period between midnight and 6am each night in (a) England and Wales and (b) Avon and Somerset. [117761]
Mr. Coaker: Statistical information concerning the hours of operation of safer neighbourhood teams, also known as neighbourhood policing teams, is not collated centrally by the Home Office. The availability and working hours of all neighbourhood teams is an operational decision made by the chief constable in each area, as informed by the current needs and priorities of the local community.
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding has been allocated to neighbourhood policing teams in Avon and Somerset for (a) 2007 and (b) 2008. [117762]
Mr. McNulty: In 2006-07 a sum of £5.1 million has been allocated towards the cost of Neighbourhood Policing in Avon and Somerset. We have allocated a sum of £6.8 million in 2007-08.
The allocation of this funding within the force area is a matter for the chief constable and the police authority.
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many safer neighbourhood teams in England and Wales do not have their full complement of (a) police officers, (b) police community support officers, (c) special constables and (d) youth workers. [117765]
Mr. Coaker: Statistical information detailing the staffing levels of safer neighbourhood teams, also known as neighbourhood policing teams, is not collated centrally by the Home Office.
There is no national neighbourhood policing model but most teams are a mix of officers, PCSOs and others. The recruitment of staff and deployment of resource is an operational decision for the chief constable in each force. Numbers, staffing mix, skills and powers in each neighbourhood policing team will be decided by the chief constable after an assessment of the needs of the communities they serve.
Community Support Officers
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community support officers (CSOs) operate within Chorley constituency; how many additional CSOs are due to be deployed within Chorley constituency during the course of 2006-07; and what funding has been provided for these additional support officers. [117641]
Mr. McNulty: Chorley is part of the southern (C) division of the Lancashire constabulary.
On 30 June 2006 the southern division had 38 police community support officers (PCSOs). Information on the number of police community support officers in basic command units is collected annually. The deployment of PCSOs to basic command units is an operational matter for the chief constable and within the southern division a matter for the divisional commander.
Lancashire has a target to reach 417 PCSOs in April 2007. For 2006-07 the sum of £5.8 million has been allocated to the police authority towards the cost of Neighbourhood Policing in Lancashire. We have allocated £7.6 million in 2007-08.
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community support officers he expects to be recruited in West Lancashire in each of the next three years. [112304]
Mr. McNulty: The Home Office has provided funding though the Neighbourhood Policing Fund to increase the number of PCSOs in Lancashire to 417 in 2007. Lancashire constabulary will not be expected to increase PCSO numbers further, but will determine the scale of their PCSO work force themselves taking account of local circumstances. It is a matter for the chief constable how PCSOs are deployed across the force area.
Crime and Disorder Act 1998
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Department for Education and Skills on the duty of local authorities to consider the implications of all their activities on crime and disorder under section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. [117763]
Mr. McNulty: In November 2005 the Home Office published the National Community Safety Plan 2006-09, followed by an update in November 2006. The National Community Safety Plan is the mechanism by which central Government Departments consider the implications of their activities, and the activities of the authorities and agencies who deliver their priorities, on crime and disorder. 11 Government Departments contributed to the National Community Safety Plan, including the Department for Education and Skills. Their contributions to the NCSP cover areas of policy which have been discussed between the Home Office and Department for Education and Skills.
Domestic Violence
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Prime Minister’s answer of 6 December 2006, Official Report, column 302, on domestic violence, if he will provide a breakdown of how the £70 million provided to tackle domestic violence has been allocated. [112642]
Mr. Sutcliffe: In the last two years, approximately £70 million has been spent on tackling domestic violence. This spending can be broken down as follows.
In 2005-06, over £59 million of supporting people funding was used to provide housing-related support to victims of domestic violence. In addition to this, the Home Office allocated:
£3 million to fund local delivery of support to victims of domestic violence and their children;
£1 million to support the development of the Specialist Domestic Violence Courts Programme;
£1 million to fund a variety of projects, including a matrix of national domestic violence helplines; and
£500,000 for a national awareness raising campaign.
In 2006-07 the Home Office allocated £6 million to tackle domestic violence:
£3 million to support and improve local delivery on domestic violence for victims of domestic violence and their children;
£1 million to expand the Specialist Domestic Violence Courts Programme;
£1 million for Independent Domestic Violence Advisors; and
£1 million to continue to fund national domestic violence services, including the matrix of helplines.
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions have taken place with local authorities in Wales to provide sanctuary schemes through safe rooms in Wales for victims of domestic violence. [111091]
Mr. Hain: I have been asked to reply.
Provision in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government. The All Wales Domestic Abuse Strategy sets out a framework for the development of local action to combat domestic abuse. It aims to facilitate the development and implementation of a co-ordinated joint agency approach, to improve current service provision and to protect all individuals.
In addition, the Welsh Assembly Government funds a 24-hour all Wales helpline for victims of domestic abuse.
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many local authorities in Wales are taking part in sanctuary schemes for those affected by domestic violence. [111092]
Mr. Hain: I have been asked to reply.
The Welsh Assembly Government is aware of one scheme in Wales, in Rhondda Cynon Taff. A number of other authorities are developing schemes aimed at enabling people at risk to remain safely in their own homes. For example, the Safer Cardiff Women’s Unit have set up a scheme to improve protection of properties alongside advice and counselling for those at risk.
Both the UK Government and the Welsh Assembly Government are keen to promote further good practice in this area.
EU Data-sharing System
Mr. Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is Government policy to support the EU initiative on creating an EU data-sharing system. [110812]
Joan Ryan: There are a number of EU initiatives to share information. In principle the UK is always keen to share information with EU partners that will add to our ability to protect the public. But it is important to balance this against the need to protect personal privacy and to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy and cost.
Firework Regulations
Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fines were issued for breaches of firework regulations in Leicester in (a) 2005 and (b) 2006. [111727]
Mr. Coaker: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform show that one person was fined under the Explosives Act 1875, Section 80 for the offence of throwing, casting or firing any fireworks in or into any highway, street, etc public place. Court proceedings data for 2006 will be available in the autumn of 2007.
Data held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of PNDs issued, in England and Wales from 2005 to 2006 (January to June provisional) can be found in the following table.
In addition, the penalty notice for disorder (PND) scheme was introduced in England and Wales in 2004. Under the scheme, the police can issue an 80 fixed penalty for a number of fireworks offences under the Explosives Act 1875 and Fireworks Act 2003. The offence of throwing fireworks in a thoroughfare (Explosives Act) came into force in August 2002: the offences of breach of the fireworks curfew, possession of category four fireworks, and possession by a person under 18 of an adult firework (Fireworks Act) were added to the PND Scheme on 11 October 2004. The following table shows the number of PNDs that were issued in the Leicestershire police force area for 2005 and for January to June 2006 (provisional); complete figures for 2006 will be available in the spring of 2007. We are unable to give the number of PNDs issued in Leicester during the above period, as data are not collected to that level of detail.
| Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder (PND) issued for firework offences in Leicestershire police force area, 2005-06( 1) | ||||
| Throwing fireworks | Breach of fireworks curfew | Possession of a Category 4 firework | Possession by under 18 of adult firework | |
| (1 )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 police forces. 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. (2 )Nil (3) Provisional —January to June 2006 Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform | ||||
Hit and Run
Mr. Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many hit and run incidents where the driver was subsequently identified the driver was found to be (a) under the influence of (i) alcohol and (ii) drugs, (b) uninsured and (c) unlicensed in each of the last five years. [117746]
Dr. Ladyman: I have been asked to reply.
The number of reported hit and run personal injury road accidents police where the driver failed, or refused to provide a breath test in each of the last five years is given in the following table.
| Accidents where a hit and run driver failed or refused to provide a breath test, GB 2001-2005 | |
| Number of accidents | |
However, as 80 per cent. of hit and run drivers were not contactable at the time of the accident to provide a breath test the actual number who would have failed the test may be higher than the numbers given in the table.
There were 140 accidents involving a hit and run driver where ‘Impaired by drugs’ was stated as contributory factor in 2005. Contributory factor data were not collected prior to 2005.
The information requested on unlicensed drivers and unregistered drivers is not available.
Identity Cards
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how his Department will determine who is liable for a civil penalty under sections 10 and 11 of the Identity Cards Act 2006; and which subsection of his Department will be responsible for the administration of those penalties. [111928]
Joan Ryan: Any civil penalties will be determined in accordance with sections 31 to 34 of the Identity Cards Act 2006 and, in particular, the Code of Practice on penalties.
This code will be published and will set out the matters that must be considered when determining whether a civil penalty should be imposed and if so, the amount of the penalty.
It is currently expected that the Identity & Passport Service will be responsible for the administration of the civil penalty scheme.
Immigration
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the constituent of the hon. Member for Hereford, reference J1105109 will (a) have her application finalised with the Immigration and Nationality Directorate and (b) have a national insurance number issued to her; and if he will make a statement. [115999]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 16 January 2007]: The information is as follows:
(a) I wrote to the hon. Member regarding this matter on 30 January 2007.
(b) I am unable to comment on when a national insurance number may be issued to your constituent. This will be a matter for the Department of Work and Pensions in due course.
Justice and Home Affairs Committee
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next expects to attend a meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Committee of the EU. [115467]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The next formal Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council will be held in Brussels on 15 February 2007. The Home Secretary will decide whether to attend closer to the event, once the agenda has been finalised and depending on priorities at the time. Should the Home Secretary be unable to attend this JHA Council or any other, another Home Office Minister would attend on his behalf.
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