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20 Mar 2007 : Column 784W—continued
Drugs: Smuggling
Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the performance of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency in detecting drugs trafficking since 1 April 2006; and if he will make a statement. [127588]
Mr. Coaker: As published in the 2006-07 Annual Plan, the SOCA Board determined that SOCA should devote 40 per cent. of its effort against the threat posed by drugs trafficking.
As required by the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, SOCA will issue an annual report as soon as possible after the end of the financial year 2006-07. This report will include an assessment of the extent to which the annual plan for that year has been carried out.
Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what quantities of (a) heroin, (b) cocaine, (c) ecstasy and (d) cannabis were seized as a result of HM Revenue and Customs operations in each of the last three years. [127589]
Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
Quantities of drugs seizures made by HM Revenue and Customs are published in the Annual Report of HM Revenue and Customs. The last three years’ seizures by weight, as published in those reports, are set out in the following table:
| kilograms | |||
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | |
Firearms
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2007, Official Report, column 1928W, on firearms, if he will place in the Library the advice provided by the Forensic Science Service. [127427]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 14 March 2007]: Advice provided by the Forensic Science Service relating to firearms surrendered during the amnesty in 2003 was on a case-by-case basis direct to the police force concerned.
Holloway Prison
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2007, Official Report, column 108W, on Holloway prison, which games and videos are available for use. [126606]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Prisoners at Holloway have access to a range of films and DVDs. The prison has a central library of videos and DVDs which are vetted for suitability by the prison librarian. From this small library a number of films are provided to the first night centre for use by new prisoners.
Additionally, women on the enhanced level of the incentives and earned privileges scheme are entitled to receive up to 10 DVDs and six computer games through the post. These games and DVDs must be originals, must arrive at the prison sealed, and are vetted for suitability by prisoner reception staff. Unsuitable games and DVDs are placed in the prisoner’s stored property and she is advised in writing that the game or DVD will not be issued as it has been deemed unsuitable. The prisoner may appeal this decision to the Governor should she disagree.
Identity Cards
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the most recent timetable is for introducing compulsory identity cards. [125642]
Joan Ryan: We will start issuing biometric immigration documents from 2008 and identity cards to British citizens from 2009. It is the Government's policy that ID cards should eventually be compulsory for everyone resident in the United Kingdom who is aged 16 or over.
Under the Identity Cards Act 2006 registration on the National Identity Register and the issue of ID cards will be linked to applications for British passports and biometric immigration documents for foreign nationals, subject to approval by Parliament of
a designation order under section 4 of the Identity Cards Act. As a result, ID cards will be issued to a large proportion of the resident population as they apply for or renew one of these documents. Passport applicants may opt out of obtaining an ID card before 1 January 2010.
The UK Borders Bill currently before Parliament provides powers to require specified categories of foreign nationals to apply for a biometric immigration document. At some time in the future, further primary legislation will be introduced to provide the powers to require the remainder of the population to obtain an ID card and so to make ID cards compulsory.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) personal data and (b) biometric data he plans identity cards will hold. [125720]
Joan Ryan: It is intended that the identity card for British citizens will be valid as a travel document within the European economic area. As a result, like the passport, it will need to meet International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) requirements regarding information to be recorded on travel documents.
Hence, the biographical information to be recorded on the identity card will closely match that currently recorded on the personal details page of the passport.
With regard to biometric information, it is intended that the biometrics to be recorded on the identity card will be a subset of those to be recorded on the National Identity Register and will be in line with international requirements. This biometric information would be recorded securely on the card's chip and protected by encryption.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to bring forward legislation to make identity cards compulsory. [125947]
Joan Ryan: We will start issuing biometric immigration documents from 2008 and identity cards to British citizens from 2009. It is the Government's policy that ID cards should eventually be compulsory for everyone resident in the United Kingdom who is aged 16 or over.
Under the Identity Cards Act 2006 registration on the National Identity Register and the issued ID cards will be linked to applications for British passports and biometric immigration documents for foreign nationals, subject to approval by Parliament of a designation order under section four of the Identity Cards Act. As a result ID cards will be issued to a large proportion of the resident population as they apply for or renew one of these documents. Passport applicants may opt out of obtaining an ID card before 1 January 2010.
The UK Borders Bill currently before Parliament provides powers to require specified categories of foreign nationals to apply for a biometric immigration document. At some time in the future, further primary legislation will be introduced to provide the powers to require the remainder of the population to obtain an ID card and so to make ID cards compulsory.
Mr. Hoban:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2007, Official Report, column 519W, on identity cards,
what estimate he has made of the number of officials in the Identity and Passport Service who will administer the civil penalty scheme. [126001]
Joan Ryan: At present, the number of officials planned to work on the administration of the civil penalty scheme has not been finalised.
National Identity Register
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether data held on the National Identity Register will be cross-checked with the electoral register. [126593]
Joan Ryan: The Identity and Passport Service uses the services of a credit reference agency to verify identity information provided with passport applications and plans to build on these services when the National Identity Register is introduced. One of the sources of data used by the credit reference agency is the electoral register.
The Government set out the role of the National Identity Register and the Identity Cards Scheme in relation to electoral registration and voting in its evidence to the House of Commons Constitutional Affairs and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions Committees published by the Committees on 16 March 2005.
National Identity Register: Personal Records
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) which data fields he plans to be held on each individual entered in the National Identity Register; [125944]
(2) what estimate he has made of the total number of data fields to be held on each individual entered in the National Identity Register; [125945]
(3) what estimate he has made of the number of individual data entries to be held on the National Identity Register in each of the first five years of operation. [125946]
Joan Ryan: The information that can be held on the National Identity Register is strictly limited in the Identity Cards Act 2006 and is outlined under section 3 and schedule 1 of that Act.
Details of the IT architecture which will support the recording of that information on the register will be dependent on the design that is agreed with any future suppliers and other parties involved in developing the technical systems that host it.
Thus, until procurement processes are completed and further work is conducted, the number of data fields recording National Identity Register information will not be finalised.
Offensive Weapons
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how often the Round Table on guns, knives and gangs has met in the last two years; on what dates it met; and if he will make a statement. [127418]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 14 March 2007]: Since December 2004, the Round Table on guns, knives and gangs has met four times: on 15 December 2004, 7 March 2006, 7 February 2007 and 6 March 2007.
Passports
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2007, Official Report, column 1515W, on passports, which fictional passports have been issued. [127558]
John Reid: Available IPS records confirm that the following fictional passports have been issued:
| Character | Production | Date |
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 February 2007, Official Report, column 1514W, on passports, whether there is a separate service level agreement for the Passport Validation Service. [127883]
John Reid: As stated on 1 March 2007, Official Report, column 1514W, updated key performance indicators for the Identity and Passport Service will be published later in the spring. A number of these will specifically relate to the Passport Validation Service.
The Passport Validation Service also enters into contractual agreements with user organisations which specify the terms under which the Passport Validation Service is delivered to them.
Police Custody
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were held in police cells during the recent activation of Operation Safeguard; and how many were (a) remand prisoners, (b) male remand prisoners, (c) prisoners given custodial sentences and (d) male prisoners given custodial sentences. [124830]
John Reid: Between 12 October and 22 December 2006 Operation Safeguard was used on 4,617 occasions. This does not correspond precisely to the number of prisoners: one occasion means one prisoner night in a police cell.
A breakdown of numbers of remand prisoners and prisoners given custodial sentences held in police cells is not held centrally. No women prisoners have been held in police cells.
Police Custody: Manpower
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether recommendations were made by his Department to (a) any chief constable and (b) ACPO on prisoner-to-police officer ratio during the recent activation of Operation Safeguard. [124721]
John Reid: The staffing levels in custody suites being used under Operation Safeguard are determined by individual chief constables based on operational knowledge and experience. Each site is fully risk assessed and resourced accordingly.
Police: Cadets
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding his Department has provided to police authorities in respect of police cadets in the latest period for which figures are available. [128851]
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.
Funding for police cadets is not separately identified. Decisions on the distribution of resources are matters for the chief officer and the police authority.
Police: Disciplinary Proceedings
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in England and Wales are suspended by police authorities; and what the total value is of their annual salaries. [128850]
Mr. McNulty: The information requested is not held centrally by the Home Office and is a matter for each force.
Police: Discrimination
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints of (a) racism, (b) gender discrimination and (c) discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation were made by (i) police officers, (ii) police community support officers and (iii) special constables against the police in each of the last five years. [121849]
Mr. McNulty: The Home Office does not hold a central record of the number of complaints of racism, gender discrimination and discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation made by police officers, police community support officers and special constables against the police. These are matters for the grievance procedure of each force.
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