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22 Feb 2007 : Column 869W

Stevens Report

Mark Durkan: To ask the Solicitor-General (1) whether he has had discussions with (a) the Director of Public Prosecutions and (b) the Prime Minister on the Stevens Report; [121100]

(2) on what date he received a copy of the report of the Stevens investigation; and on what date the report was submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions. [121204]

The Solicitor-General: The Attorney-General has had discussions with the DPP about the Director's consideration of possible prosecutions arising out of the Stevens report as part of the normal process of superintendence. The Attorney-General has not discussed the Stevens report with the Prime Minister.

I have had no discussions with either the Director or Prime Minister regarding the Stevens report.

There was no single Stevens report. The Stevens team provided to the Public Prosecution Service a vast amount of material in the form of statements and documentary exhibits—including lengthy transcripts of interview. This material was submitted over a period of time which reflected the progress of their inquiry. The material would be accompanied by a covering report. The last report was received on 15 April 2003. It was the task of the PPS to analyse all the material provided, not to merely consider a police report. The analysis included cross referencing to earlier material that resulted from the two previous Stevens investigations and, in particular, prosecutorial decisions based on those investigations. The advice of senior counsel was sought and the Stevens team were asked to carry out further work.

The Attorney-General has not seen the Stevens reports or the evidence submitted. The PPS, with the assistance of counsel, prepared a number of detailed analyses of the evidence and underlying legal principles. The analyses alone filled 16 files which were contained in eight separate binders. They were received by the Attorney-General's Office on different dates between mid 2004 and mid 2005. It is the nature of superintendence that the Director will discuss with the Attorney-General cases of particular complexity or seriousness. The decisions remain those of the Director.

A great deal of additional work has been carried out since, including further advices from (three) senior counsel. Decisions are close to being finalised.

Prime Minister

Departments: Flags

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Prime Minister on what dates the Union flag was flown from 10 Downing street since 2005. [122436]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 11 January 2007, Official Report, column 650W.


22 Feb 2007 : Column 870W

Departments: Theft

David T.C. Davies: To ask the Prime Minister what items valued at above £100 were reported as stolen from his Office's buildings or premises in the last 12 months. [121974]

The Prime Minister: None.

Human Trafficking

Mr. Steen: To ask the Prime Minister when he signed the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. [122281]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary, Home Office (Mr. Coaker) to the hon. Member for Daventry (Mr. Boswell) on 19 February 2007, Official Report, column 110W.

Foreign Relations

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Prime Minister what the cost to the public purse of each of his special envoys has been since establishment of each such post; and if he will make a statement. [120215]

The Prime Minister: For details of special envoys, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 19 June 2006, Official Report, columns 1614-15W.

For details of remuneration for Baroness Symons, I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Dr. Howells) gave to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 9 October 2006, Official Report, column 451W. Other special envoys have not received remuneration.

Special envoys are entitled to claim reasonable travel and subsistence expenses incurred as part of their work. These expenses are paid in accordance with existing Foreign and Commonwealth Office guidelines on allowances and subsistence. Information on expenses claimed by all the special envoys since the establishment of each such post could be provided only at disproportionate cost. There is no cost to the public purse for the travel of either Lord Levy or Lord Powell.

Intelligence Services: Annual Reports

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Prime Minister whether the 2005 annual reports of (a) the Interception of Communications Commissioner and (b) the Intelligence Service Commissioners have been submitted to him; and on what date he received them. [122054]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement I made to the House on 19 February 2007, Official Report, column 4WS.

Home Department

Community Policing

Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms he uses to
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monitor and evaluate the performance of safer neighbourhood teams in England and Wales. [121780]

Mr. Coaker: The Home Office monitors and evaluates neighbourhood policing nationally through a strategic research programme rather than measuring the performance of individual teams. Implementation is measured by repeat surveys of all forces and basic commaned units, and results are being compared with outcomes in the Police Performance Assessment Framework (PPAF). Outcomes which should be affected include crime and antisocial behaviour, feelings of safety and security, and satisfaction with and confidence in the police. An additional study is testing theimpact of neighbourhood policing at a BCU level, following the successful evaluation of the ward level National Reassurance Policing Programme. Surveys are being carried out in four Pathfinder BCUs each matched to a comparison site, to measure change in public perceptions and experiences. Results will be published in due course.

The Home Office also continues to assess police performance through PPAF. The statutory performance indicators in PPAF on public confidence in the police (2a) and perception of antisocial behaviour (10b) measure the impact of neighbourhood policing. Finally, HMIC’s baseline assessments also provide a qualitative measure of neighbourhood policing delivery.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change there was in the maximum award available under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in each year since 1997. [121247]

Mr. Sutcliffe: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for North Southwark and Bermondsey (Simon Hughes) at oral questions on 19 February 2007, Official Report, column 17.

Driving Offences: Lancashire

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers were prosecuted under the Road Traffic Act 1998 for failing to stop after an accident in Lancashire in each year since 1997. [122460]

Mr. Coaker: Available information taken from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform and given in the following table shows the number of defendants prosecuted for the offence of ‘failing to stop after an accident’ under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 170 (4) from 1997 to 2005 (latest available).


22 Feb 2007 : Column 872W
Proceedings( 1) at magistrates courts for accident offences( 2) within Lancashire police force area, 1997 to 2005
Number

1997

211

1998

211

1999

185

2000

187

2001

205

2002

161

2003

205

2004

163

2005

165

(1) These data are on the principal offence basis.
(2) Aiding, abetting, causing or permitting accident offences under the RTA88 s. 170(4).
Notes:
1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. Work is under way to ensure that the magistrates courts case management system currently being implemented by the Department for Constitutional Affairs reports all motoring offences to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. This will enable more complete figures to be disseminated.
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 forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when these data are used.

EC Immigration

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 30 January 2007, Official Report, column 12WS, on the Justice and Home Affairs Informal Council, if he will place in the Library a copy of the joint paper on migration submitted to the Finnish Presidency of the European Union by G6 member states. [119527]

John Reid: I will arrange for a copy of the G6 joint paper on migration to be placed in the Library.

Local Child Curfew Schemes: Lancashire

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many child curfew orders were issued in Lancashire in each year since 1997. [122459]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The available information is contained in the table.

Persons aged 10 to 17 sentenced to curfew( 1) orders at Lancashire courts( 2)
Number

1997

(3)

1998

1999

2000

8

2001

25

2002

87

2003

127

2004

145

2005

144

(1) Given for principal offences.
(2) Magistrates courts in Lancashire and the Crown court if committed by magistrates in Lancashire.
(3) Curfew orders were introduced on an area by area basis from 1995.
Note:
Although care is taken in collating and analysing the returns used to compile these figures, the data are of necessity subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. Consequently, although figures are shown to the last digit in order to provide a comprehensive record of the information collected, they are not necessarily accurate to the last digit shown.
Source:
RDS-NOMS, Home Office

Oral Questions

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which questions on the order paper for oral answer by him on 19 February 2007 were
22 Feb 2007 : Column 873W
drafted wholly or in part by a (a) member of the ministerial team, (b) special adviser, (c) civil servant, (d) parliamentary private secretary on his behalf and (e) Government Whip; and if he will make a statement. [122319]

Mr. McNulty: Questions on the order paper are a matter for the individual hon. Members who tabled them.

Passports: Lost Property

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many British passports were reported lost or stolen (a) in the UK and (b) abroad in each year since 1997. [120400]

Joan Ryan: The UK Passport Service did not routinely collect information on the number of lost and stolen passports prior to 1999. Up until the introduction in December 2003 of a comprehensive system for the reporting and recording of lost and stolen passports, only the total number of these passports was recorded.

The information shown in the table for 1999 to 2003 cannot therefore be broken down between the UK and abroad. Also it is mainly based on information contained in applications for replacement passports. It may not therefore show the true number of passports lost and stolen in these years.

The 2004-06 figures are taken from the improved reporting and recording arrangements introduced in 2003. The figures relating to losses abroad are compiled from electronic reports received from Foreign and Commonwealth Office (F and CO) posts overseas. The increase in F and CO reports between 2004 and 2005 is a reflection of the phased implementation of the lost and stolen reporting arrangements at overseas posts.

Total number of lost and stolen passports Number of processed electronic reports of loss and theft from F and CO

1997

n/a

n/a

1998

n/a

n/a

1999

62,364

n/a

2000

114,624

n/a

2001

148,230

n/a

2002

166,358

n/a

2003

184,301

n/a

2004

275,040

5,295

2005

286,988

17,264

2006

290,996

22,180

n/a = not available.

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