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15 Mar 2007 : Column 526W—continued
Dr. Howells:
In advance of the elections, we are working hard to help the Government of Nepal to provide conditions in which political parties are able to
campaign and voters cast their votes free from threats, intimidation and violence. We are working in partnership with the Election Commission, the UN and a number of Government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to ensure that elections to the Constituent Assembly are free and fair. Our support to the election process ranges widely from co-funding the work of the UN Mission in Nepal in the weapons monitoring process to a contribution directly to the Peace Fund, which aims to address voter education. In addition, we have contributed funds to the Election Commission and also to the Carter Centre who will provide long-term observers to the elections as well as to the Asia Foundation to bring together local NGOs to monitor the elections.
The forthcoming elections to a Constituent Assembly in Nepal will be key to sustaining the momentum of the current peace process. However, it is vital that they are credible, free and fair and that they allow a voice to marginalised groups. We will continue to work with the Government of Nepal, our international partners and NGOs to ensure free and fair elections take place.
Sri Lanka: Politics and Government
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of recent conflict between the Sri Lankan Government and terrorists in the Batticaloa district; and what estimate she has made of the number of internally displaced persons who have been affected by the conflict. [127506]
Dr. Howells: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the written answer that I gave to him on 13 March 2007, Official Report, columns 246-247W.
We understand that hostilities between the Sri Lankan armed forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Batticaloa have resulted in the displacement of over 100,000 people. This number is likely to rise. The Department for International Development is considering a UN request for donor contributions to the Common Humanitarian Action Plan for Sri Lanka.
Sudan: Sanctions
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what measures are part of the Plan B package of sanctions against the Government of Sudan; and if she will make a statement; [125699]
(2) what discussions she has had with her (a) US, (b) EU and (c) African Union counterpart on the Plan B sanctions against the Government of Sudan; what the outcome was of these discussions; and if she will make a statement. [125700]
Margaret Beckett: The situation in Darfur is totally unacceptable. The Government of Sudan and rebel groups are regularly violating the ceasefire, as well as various UN Security Council Resolutions.
The UK has consistently made clear that tougher measures should follow if the Government of Sudan and rebel groups fail to abide by their commitments. We
believe the time has now come to act. We want to see the UN’s arms embargo on Darfur extended to the whole of Sudan and sanctions imposed on a further set of individuals in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1591 (2005). We are pressing other members of the Security Council to agree these measures and have already made the case for them with our EU partners. Following our lobbying, the EU’s General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting on 5 March agreed strong conclusions supporting the need for further action from the UN Security Council.
Home Department
Anabolic Steroids: Misuse
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to tackle the (a) use and (b) sale on the internet of anabolic steroids. [127276]
Mr. Coaker: The Government recognise the harms associated with the misuse of anabolic steroids and have controlled their availability under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. This is only one part of the effort to reduce misuse. Education and prevention are key measures. The FRANK campaign makes it clear that the misuse of steroids is dangerous and can lead to some potentially fatal medical problems. The harmful short and long-term effects of anabolic steroid use are also described in the most recent version of the Department of Health publication “Dangerousness of drugs” (2003). Needles and syringe exchange services are also available to provide harm reduction paraphernalia to those who are at risk of blood borne virus infection (HIV, hepatitis B and C) by sharing injecting equipment.
The Government and the law enforcement agencies take very seriously the use of the internet for the advertising, and in some cases the sale, of controlled drugs. Where a website is hosted by a UK Internet Service Provider (ISP) and contains material which is illegal, the agencies can issue the ISP concerned with a notice and take down order to remove the offending material. UK ISPs have a very good record of removing such sites following notification.
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps police forces are taking to tackle the availability of anabolic steroids. [127400]
Mr. Coaker: It is an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 Act to produce, supply or possess/import/export with intent to supply without a licence. Police forces have operational discretion when enforcing the law.
Angel Lodge, Wakefield
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to make an announcement on whether the bid to site initial accommodation facilities at Angel Lodge in Wakefield has been successful. [116231]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 17 January 2007]: We have decided to use Angel Lodge to offer initial accommodation for asylum seekers in Wakefield. This facility will be used to complement similar facilities already operating in Leeds and Barnsley. We expect first entrants to the property in the week beginning 19 March and will operate the site at a reduced capacity in the first instance.
Animal Welfare: Lancashire
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of animal abuse occurred in Lancashire in each of the last five years. [126148]
Mr. McNulty: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Antisocial Behaviour
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the number of antisocial behaviour co-ordinators in England and Wales. [126419]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 9 March 2007]: The Home Office currently provides each Crime and Disorder Reduction partnership with £25,000 via the Safer Stronger Communities Fund to assist local areas tackle antisocial behaviour through the appointment of ASB co-ordinators. Ultimately, however, the number of co-ordinators appointed is a matter for each local area to determine.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has held on introducing new measures to combat antisocial behaviour in England and Wales. [126420]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 9 March 2007]: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary launched the consultation paper “Strengthening powers to tackle antisocial behaviour” on 14 November 2006 seeking views on proposals for strengthening powers to tackle antisocial behaviour.
The proposals included: the case for new front-line powers to tackle antisocial behaviour; a deferred Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND); and a new Premises Closure Order.
The consultation closed on 6 February 2007 and a summary of responses will be published in due course.
Antisocial Behaviour: Fixed Penalties
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate he has made of the number of offenders receiving multiple penalty notices for disorder. [126297]
Mr. Coaker:
Data on the number of people issued with more than one Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND) in England and Wales are not held centrally and no estimate has been made. However, police forces do keep
records of PND recipients on local databases which help inform local operational decisions. Forces are also required to enter details of PNDs issued for recordable offences onto the Police National Computer, but not all PND offences are recordable.
Asylum: Russia
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals were granted asylum in the UK, based upon a well founded fear of persecution by (a) the Russian Federation and (b) other territories included in Part II of the Extradition Act 2003 in each year since 2000; and how many grants of asylum from the Russian Federation in each year were related to events in Chechnya. [126282]
Mr. Byrne: The requested information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.
Information on asylum decisions is published in quarterly web pages and in the annual statistical bulletin “Asylum Statistics United Kingdom”. Copies of these publications and others relating to general immigration to the UK are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
CCTV: Eastbourne
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many publicly-funded CCTV cameras were in operation in Eastbourne in each of the last five years. [125447]
Mr. McNulty: No data on the number of publicly-funded CCTV cameras operating on a local or on a national level are centrally held by the Home Office.
Community Support Officers: East Sussex
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police community support officers there were in (a) Eastbourne and (b) East Sussex in each of the last five years. [125450]
Mr. McNulty: Police community support officers (PCSOs) were introduced as part of the Police Reform Act 2002; therefore data for PCSO strength are available from 2002-03 onwards.
PCSO strength data are not centrally collected at the borough level; therefore figures for Eastbourne are not available. PCSO strength data are not centrally collected at the county level, so figures for East Sussex are not available. PCSO strength data are collected at the force level, so data for Sussex police force for the requested time periods are given in the table.
PCSO strength data will be centrally collected at the force basic command unit level from 2006-07 onwards.
| Police community support officer strength( 1) (FTE)( 2) for Sussex police as at 31 March 2003 to 31 March 2006( 3) | |
| Police force: Sussex | |
| At 31 March each year | Number |
| (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. (2) Full-time equivalent includes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (3) Police community support officers were introduced in statute in 2002, therefore data are not available prior to 2002-03. (4) Strength figures as at 31 March 2005 onwards include those staff on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. Therefore these figures are not comparable with those provided for other years in the table. | |
Crime: Bus Services
Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many reported crimes committed on bus services in the Greater London area there were in (a) 2006, (b) 2005 and (c) 2004; [126741]
(2) how many robberies of personal property were reported as having been committed on public buses in the Greater London area in (a) 2006, (b) 2005 and (c) 2004; [126849]
(3) how many physical assaults on public buses in the Greater London area were reported in (a) 2006, (b) 2005 and (c) 2004; and how many of these assaults were on (i) drivers and (ii) passengers. [126850]
Mr. McNulty: The information requested is not available centrally. Offences committed in relation to bus services cannot be separately identified in the recorded crime series.
Crime: Hospitals
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed in each hospital in each of the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by type of crime. [126570]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 9 March 2007]: The information requested is not available from the recorded crime statistics. Crimes specifically occurring in hospitals cannot be separately identified in this data series.
Crimes of Violence
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many cases of (a) violent crime and (b) serious violent crime were reported in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) England and Wales in each year since 1997; [126302]
(2) how many domestic burglaries were reported in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England and Wales in each year since 1997; [126313]
(3) how many drug offences were reported in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England and Wales in each year since 1997. [126314]
Mr. McNulty: The available information is given in the following tables. Statistics for the Jarrow constituency are not available centrally and figures for South Tyneside relate to the South Tyneside crime and disorder reduction partnership (CDRP) area.
| Table 1: Offences recorded by the police, 1997 | |
| Offence | Number |
| n/a = Not available. (1) Trafficking in controlled drugs only for 1997. | |
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