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28 Feb 2007 : Column 1346W—continued


Offenders: Mentally Ill

Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether an offender medically diagnosed as having a personality disorder is classified as having a mental illness. [120592]

Ms Rosie Winterton: I have been asked to reply.

Only the courts can give a definitive interpretation of legislation. However, the Government's view is that a person, whether or not they are an offender, who has been diagnosed as having a personality disorder would have a mental disorder within the meaning of that definition in section 1(2) of the Mental Health Act 1983. It is not possible to say categorically whether that personality disorder could properly be classified as mental illness within the terms of that Act. Mental illness is not defined and there is some uncertainty about its boundaries. It may also depend on the particular clinical presentation of the person in question.

Operation White Dollar

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps were taken to ensure full compliance with international human rights standards by (a) all seconded UK officers from the Serious and Organised Crime Agency, (b) the US Drugs Enforcement Agency and (c) the Colombian Department of Administrative Security during Operation White Dollar. [118892]

Mr. Coaker: Operation White Dollar took place during 2004. The Serious Organised Crime Agency came into being on 1 April 2006. SOCA’s co-operation with all overseas law enforcement partners is conducted in compliance with relevant UK law.

Passports: Photographs

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passport applications were rejected by the Identity and Passport Service in each of the last five years because the pictures submitted did not reach the required standard. [121953]


28 Feb 2007 : Column 1347W

Joan Ryan: These data are only available from 12 September 2005, when new photograph standards became mandatory.

Since that date the numbers of applications rejected because the pictures submitted did not reach the required standard are shown as follows:

Rejections Percentage of applications received

2005

151,363

12

2006

389,401

6.3

2007

34,947

5.5


Personation

Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has considered ways in which his Department can help combat fraud and identity theft by publicising measures that use thumbprints to verify transactions. [122239]

Joan Ryan: We recognise that thumbprints, fingerprints and other biometrics have an important role to play in verifying identity in a range of circumstances.

The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) has completed the roll out of the new ePassport, which contains a facial biometric stored on the chip. IPS will also pilot the addition of fingerprints in passports, in line with international moves to incorporate biometrics in travel documents. Other examples include the fingerprinting of visa applicants and asylum seekers. IPS intentions in using biometrics to deliver the National Identity Scheme were set out in the Strategic Action Plan published in December 2006. Copies of the plan are available in the House Libraries.

More widely, in July 2006, the Chancellor appointed Sir James Crosby to lead the Public Private Forum on Identity Management. The Forum’s remit includes reviewing the current and emerging use of assurance of identity in the public and private sectors, the identification of best practice, and considering how technology can be harnessed to maximise efficiency and effectiveness. The Forum will report to the Chancellor in the spring.

Police

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department issues to police services on the use of uniformed police
28 Feb 2007 : Column 1348W
officers to perform administrative or other tasks in operation rooms. [121053]

Mr. McNulty: The deployment of police officers is a matter for Chief Officers of Police. HO Circular 105/1988 invited Chief Officers and police authorities to review the scope for the use of police staff and identified control room operators and operations room duties among those suitable for police staff.

Police National Computer

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Metropolitan police last conducted an audit of data on the Police National Computer; and what percentage of that data was found to be inaccurate. [121249]

Mr. McNulty: This is a matter for the Commissioner of the Metropolitan police service.

Police: Finance

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much total Government grant was given to police forces in (a) England and (b) Wales in each year from 1997-98 to 2006-07, broken down by police authority; and what the per capita allocation was in each case. [119572]

Mr. McNulty: Government funding for police authorities is chiefly allocated using a funding formula that provides an assessment of the relative need of each police force in England and Wales. This assessment is based on the social characteristics of each police authority which are considered to affect the level of demand for police services in the community.

The police funding formula was reviewed in consultation with the Police Service in 2005 and a revised formula was implemented for the 2006-07 settlement. This revision incorporated more recent data from the 2001 census, changes in the structure of policing, and more up-to-date analysis of how the characteristics of different areas affect policing demands. To avoid large changes in grant resulting from this revision, each police authority was guaranteed an increase in formula grant of at least 3.1 per cent. in 2006-07.

Funding is not, and never has been, distributed on a per capita basis.

The information requested is set out in the tables.


28 Feb 2007 : Column 1349W

28 Feb 2007 : Column 1350W
£
1997-98 1998-99( 1) 1999-2000 2000-01
Force Total grants( 5) Funding per head of population Total grants( 5) Funding per head of population Total grants( 5) Funding per head of population Total grants( 5) Funding per head of population

Avon and Somerset

138,313,499

94.88

142,121,594

96.95

144,263,871

97.68

150,782,484

101.51

Bedfordshire

52,283,671

95.29

53,145,176

96.07

52,702,281

94.21

55,612,617

98.67

Cambridgeshire

58,452,244

84.06

61,395,347

87.60

63,618,434

90.35

66,794,515

94.34

Cheshire

86,964,255

88.76

89,514,514

91.16

93,843,499

95.72

98,652,612

100.45

Cleveland

68,543,675

123.93

73,598,816

132.97

74,586,908

134.86

77,906,156

140.68

Cumbria

51,689,610

105.88

52,464,445

107.28

53,440,848

109.48

56,073,285

115.00

Derbyshire

84,853,897

89.12

88,041,981

92.09

90,982,525

94.84

92,359,712

95.94

Devon and Cornwall

135,697,854

88.29

145,068,610

94.00

149,183,156

96.05

156,036,306

99.48

Dorset

55,448,924

81.40

58,601,947

85.61

60,965,465

88.96

60,362,656

87.40

Durham

65,945,940

110.33

71,495,623

119.92

74,876,145

126.00

78,566,735

132.43

Essex

133,369,705

84.48

133,628,889

84.22

137,836,631

86.29

148,052,355

92.10

Gloucestershire

51,572,923

92.54

52,613,493

94.68

52,768,508

94.06

54,572,664

96.66

Hampshire

152,982,748

87.51

161,609,885

92.02

165,342,031

93.59

172,706,143

97.41

Hertfordshire

77,681,507

76.94

79,191,900

77.91

84,999,665

83.01

97,231,293

94.42

Humberside

96,807,934

110.23

101,341,017

115.60

101,119,245

115.57

106,325,716

121.67

Kent

149,025,763

96.43

154,856,411

99.77

156,955,629

100.41

165,902,676

105.46

Lancashire

149,068,267

105.60

156,042,176

110.46

158,100,067

112.06

168,816,934

119.38

Leicestershire

85,229,718

92.87

86,435,805

94.31

89,652,784

97.34

93,112,380

100.82

Lincolnshire

54,057,200

87.03

52,034,033

83.12

54,591,457

86.28

58,693,284

91.68

Norfolk

70,426,457

90.93

71,355,039

91.38

70,980,156

90.25

75,400,183

95.02

Northamptonshire

52,720,386

86.48

54,617,185

88.75

55,917,769

90.08

59,368,168

94.91

North Yorkshire

62,426,875

85.47

66,306,104

90.29

66,218,968

89.59

67,540,019

90.69

Nottinghamshire

109,452,993

107.34

112,196,885

110.15

117,699,362

115.55

120,209,021

118.30

Staffordshire

100,411,686

95.77

99,766,037

95.10

100,199,909

95.63

102,359,273

97.81

Suffolk

53,633,797

81.26

55,854,253

84.11

58,717,827

87.99

61,692,503

91.74

Surrey

78,807,464

75.86

69,192,636

66.52

77,222,022

73.15

94,700,598

89.59

Sussex

132,248,358

90.37

137,621,104

93.45

141,383,482

95.11

145,298,679

97.34

Thames Valley

176,026,751

85.57

185,810,897

89.86

188,695,306

90.58

195,303,954

93.23

Warwickshire

43,319,658

87.20

43,204,518

86.57

43,979,170

88.03

48,857,158

97.48

West Mercia

91,613,903

81.40

92,575,014

81.45

97,537,617

85.38

103,887,626

90.29

Wiltshire

53,621,786

90.27

54,034,079

90.07

54,591,774

90.30

57,681,486

94.89

Shires

2,772,699,448

91.27

2,855,735,413

93.62

2,932,972,511

95.67

3,090,859,191

100.36

Greater Manchester

322,824,607

128.01

332,328,944

131.78

341,697,763

135.84

355,025,948

141.09

Merseyside

214,272,608

153.84

216,739,970

156.32

218,438,468

158.49

226,598,721

164.91

Northumbria

181,378,619

127.98

193,647,646

137.23

197,388,520

140.69

200,928,458

143.89

South Yorkshire

145,978,152

114.39

150,771,198

118.38

156,643,793

123.35

162,809,017

128.57

West Midlands

324,272,354

125.13

340,993,840

131.83

348,794,630

135.08

363,303,245

141.29

West Yorkshire

243,631,508

117.54

252,902,143

122.00

258,821,535

124.90

273,669,704

131.97

Prov Mets

1,432,357,848

127.07

1,487,383,741

132.18

1,521,784,709

135.62

1,582,335,093

141.30

Metropolitan

1,587,490,149

226.49

1,606,763,440

227.59

1,629,305,447

227.96

1,635,386,149

226.20

Total England

5,792,547,445

119.04

5,949,882,594

121.89

6,084,062,667

124.10

6,308,580,433

128.15

Dyfed-Powys

42,576,799

88.78

43,538,940

90.37

43,621,325

91.28

46,475,828

95.53

Gwent

57,276,040

103.88

59,012,580

106.94

62,157,692

111.61

64,485,422

116.78

North Wales

62,428,693

95.34

63,181,866

96.18

64,516,140

98.35

67,564,170

102.16

South Wales

142,270,462

117.66

144,632,011

119.63

148,162,838

119.86

152,434,371

126.31

Total Wales

304,551,994

105.20

310,365,397

107.04

318,457,995

109.79

330,959,791

113.85

Total England and Wales

6,097,099,439

118.27

6,260,247,991

121.05

6,402,520,662

123.30

6,639,540,224

127.36


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