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15 Jun 2007 : Column 1394W—continued
Genetics: Databases
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) adults and (b) children resident in Northern Ireland appear on the national DNA database; how many do not have any convictions or cautions in each case; and if he will make a statement. [140159]
Paul Goggins: I have been asked to reply.
Responsibility for the maintenance and development of the national DNA database lies with the Home Office, however I am advised that the total number of subject sample profiles currently retained on the
National DNA database which were taken by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is 39,055. These are categorised as follows:
Samples taken from children (those aged under 18)—3,355
Samples taken from adults (those aged 18 and over)—35,700.
The aforementioned figures relate to the number of subject sample profiles retained and not the number of individuals from whom samples have been taken, as DNA samples have been taken from some individuals on more than one occasion. The National DNA database does not hold information on a person’s address, which means that a sample taken by the PSNI will not necessarily relate to a person resident in Northern Ireland.
Information on convictions and cautions is not held on the national database and it is therefore not possible to provide a breakdown against DNA samples retained.
Human Trafficking
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2007, Official Report, columns 1751-2W, on human trafficking, how many of those charged under each section in each year were convicted; and how many in each category were sentenced to a term of imprisonment. [128321]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 19 March 2007]: Data on the number of defendants convicted, sentenced, and given immediate custody at all courts’ under S57, S58, S59 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003; and S25 (1)(a), S25(1)(b), S25(1)(c), S25, S25A, S25B of the Immigration Act 1971, in England and Wales in 2005, from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform can be found in the following table. The 2006 Court proceedings data will be available in the autumn of 2007.
Immigrants: Turkey
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with colleagues in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on changes to the terms of the Ankara Agreement with Turkey; and if he will make a statement. [142516]
Mr. Byrne: The Ankara Agreement has not recently been discussed by Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Ministers and no changes to its terms are planned. Any change to the Ankara Agreement would have to be negotiated by the EU and Turkey.
Road Traffic Act 1988
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with chief constables on the deployment of officers to enforce section 41D of the Road Traffic Act 1988; and if he will make a statement. [142813]
Mr. Coaker: Deployment of resources is an operational matter for individual chief officers. This particular issue has not featured in my discussions with them.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted in (i) Essex, (ii) Southend and (iii) England and Wales of an offence under section 41D of the Road Traffic Act 1988 since that section came into force. [142814]
Mr. Coaker: Section 41D of the Road Traffic Act 1988 was inserted by the Road Safety Act 2006 and came into effect on 27 February 2007. Data on its operation will be available in 2009.
Using a mobile phone whilst driving became an offence under earlier legislation in December 2003. Information on this offence can be found in Offences relating to motor vehicles—Supplementary tables 2003 and Offences relating to motor vehicles—supplementary tables 2004, available in the Library and at:
Safety Belts: Vans
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will launch a campaign to target van drivers not wearing seat belts in breach of the 50 metre delivery exemption limit. [142899]
Mr. Coaker: Failure to wear a seat belt in this situation is an offence under section 14 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and associated regulations. The Roads Policing Strategy, agreed by ACPO, the Department for Transport and the Home Office recognises failure to wear seat belts generally as one of the key behaviours leading to avoidable deaths and injuries on the roads and gives an undertaking to tackle it. Enforcement of the law is an operational matter for individual chief officers of police. I have no plans to ask them to launch such a campaign.
Serious Organised Crime Agency: Finance
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total expenditure on setting up and running the Serious Organised Crime Agency has been since its creation, broken down by region. [141918]
Mr. Coaker: The information is as follows:
An analysis of SOCA expenditure by region is not available. Final costs will be reported through the audited financial accounts and laid before Parliament later in the year.
(a) Set-up costs 2005-06
These were reported in the 2005-06 accounts of the Home Office, the National Crime Squad (NCS) and the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS), each of which incurred expenditure to support the set-up of SOCA. In total, £8.9 million net additional resource expenditure plus capital expenditure of £7.73 million was incurred. Additionally, in 2005-06, NCS and NCIS also reported a total of £10.65 million of their core budget expenditure as being related to SOCA preparations. This included the value of NCS/NCIS staff time spent on the implementation and planning for the new Agency.
(b) Transitional Costs 2006-07
Transition costs in 2006-07 of £33.5 million; including a one-off cost of approximately £8 million, were incurred.
Theft: Mobile Phones
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to reduce the theft of mobile telephones; and if he will make a statement. [142812]
Mr. Coaker: Mobile phone theft is a key driver for robbery. The Government, police and industry have developed a strong partnership working together to tackle mobile phone theft. The Mobile Phone Crime Reduction Charter was launched by industry leaders in July 2006 and successfully achieved its target of blocking over 80 per cent. of stolen handsets within 48 hours. The Government and Metropolitan police fund a National Mobile Phone Crime Unit to provide a national centre of excellence and operational support around the country. We have robust legislation in place to target criminals who re-programme stolen handsets. The Government are continuing to engage industry on the issue of better crime proofing handsets as they become increasingly multi-functional in the future.
Theft: Wheelie Bins
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what data are recorded in relation to the theft of wheelie bins. [142382]
Mr. Coaker: No statistics are available centrally in relation to the thefts of wheelie bins. Such offences would be included within the recorded crime classification of ‘other theft’.
Vladimir Ismaili
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 April 2007, Official Report, columns 1059-60W, on Vladimir Ismaili, whether Vladimir Ismaili has been recaptured; and if he will make a statement. [141084]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 12 June 2007]: Vladimir Ismaili is still at large and a warrant for his arrest has been issued by Manchester Crown court.
Written Questions
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to answer questions (a) 129923 and (b) 129924, on illegal firearms, tabled on 21 March by the hon. Member for Taunton. [134389]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 30 April 2007]: I replied to the hon. Member on 11 June 2007, Official Report, column 890W.
International Development
Afghanistan: International Assistance
Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. [143181]
Hilary Benn: The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is regularly assessed by the Afghan Government and the UN. DFID is in close touch with the Government of Afghanistan (GoA) and the UN on these issues, which include the situation of refugees and returnees, those affected by severe weather conditions and those affected by mines.
Since 2001 over 4.8 million refugees have returned to Afghanistan. During a six week grace period from March-May 2007, 200,000 refugees returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan with assistance from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Statistics indicate that Kabul, Nangahar and Kunduz are absorbing the largest number of returnees at 51 per cent. UNHCR state they are coping well with the influx of returnees and are facilitating safe returns, which includes addressing any problems returnees may face on their journey back to Afghanistan, and providing any support once they have arrived at their final destination.
We have received a number of reports from diplomatic and other sources on the expulsion of illegal Afghan migrants from Iran. We are in close contact with the Government of Afghanistan and the office of the UNHCR on this issue. The UN WFP has despatched food to Zaranj, the main entry point into Afghanistan for families being deported from Iran.
Severe weather conditions like the recent rains and snow melt in Helmand caused considerable flooding. The Provincial Government response was supported by the UN, which has provided assistance to 735 households (5,145 people). The UK-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) supported a request to air-lift a pump to the dam. No further request for PRT assistance has been made to date.
17 per cent. of the Afghan population are living in one of 2,374 mine-contaminated communities. DFID has provided up to £1.4 million this year as part of HALO’s three year global mine action programme for 2007-10.
Burma: Overseas Aid
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what grants his Department provided for environmental projects in Burma in each of the last five years; and what the value of each grant was. [142036]
Mr. Thomas: DFID is providing £4 million over four years to the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Initiative in Burma. The project aims (i) to strengthen the capacity of poor communities to address their basic needs; and (ii) to provide continued and constructive engagement with selected remote rural communities in the areas of social development and sustainable livelihoods. One of the intended project outcomes is an increased local capacity for sustainable environmental management, achieved through improved community skills for good environmental management; better planning by communities of the use of their local natural resources; and the introduction of energy-efficient technologies and community forestry initiatives to reduce the demand for wood for fuel.
DFID has also provided a grant of £580,000 over three years to the non-governmental organisation Forest Trends, to assess the impacts of the Chinese timber market throughout SE Asia, including in Burma. Copies of their reports are available at:
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