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28 Feb 2007 : Column 1346Wcontinued
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.
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. SOCAs co-operation with all overseas law enforcement partners is conducted in compliance with relevant UK law.
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]
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 | |
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 Forums 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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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