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18 July 2007 : Column 391W—continued

Entry Clearances

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the independent monitor’s report into the issuing of tourist visas for visitors to the UK. [149803]

Dr. Howells: I have been asked to reply.

UKvisas’ detailed responses to the specific recommendations made by the Independent Monitor in her 2006 report can be accessed on the UKvisas website at:

The responses are available under the “Table of Comments by UKvisas in Response to the Independent Monitor’s Report 2006”.

Insurance: Motor Vehicles

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the police about the accuracy of information provided to them by the Motor Insurers Bureau on uninsured drivers; and if she will make a statement. [150172]

Mr. Coaker [holding answer 17 July 2007]: The police make extensive use of the Motor Insurance Database (MID) to help identify vehicles being driven uninsured and seize around 1,500 vehicles a week. We are aware of very few cases where it has been alleged that inaccurate data have led to an unjustified seizure and the police inform us that such occurrences are very rare.

The Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) makes information available to the police via the MID.


18 July 2007 : Column 392W

The accuracy of the MID is solely the responsibility of the insurance industry. It is for the police to decide in any individual case if they believe the information they obtain from the MID is sufficient to give them reasonable grounds for believing that a vehicle is being driven without appropriate insurance. In cases of doubt the MIB also provides a dedicated police helpline. Any challenge to the police seizure would be a matter for the courts.

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she gives to the police about seizing uninsured cars; and if she will make a statement. [150173]

Mr. Coaker [holding answer 17 July 2007]: The police seize vehicles driven by a person without appropriate insurance under section 165A of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The addition of this provision to the 1988 Act was one of a number of roads policing measures included in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. Information on all these measures and the powers they confer was given to chief officers of police at the time and has been supplemented subsequently by responses to individual inquiries. How the powers are exercised is an operational matter for individual chief officers and any guidance that might be issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Local Authorities: Terrorism

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with local authorities about civil contingencies and emergency planning in the event of a (a) nuclear, (b) biological and (c) chemical or dirty bomb detonating in the United Kingdom. [149202]

Mr. McNulty: The Home Office has no direct responsibility for local authority emergency planning; however, given their important role in civil contingency planning and preparation at a local level, local authorities are represented throughout the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Resilience Programme governance structure. Home Office officials therefore have regular discussions with local authority representatives on a wide range of issues relating to contingency planning for the possible use by terrorists of CBRN materials.

Mujahedin-e Khalq: Disclosure of Information

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish the information produced in camera for the hearing to discuss whether the People’s Mujahedin of Iran should be de-proscribed. [150470]

Mr. McNulty: The Proscribed Organisation Appeals Committee (POAC) sits in public save when considering material the disclosure of which is contrary to the public interest. The closed session with a special advocate representing the interests of the appellants enables POAC to consider material that would be the subject of public interest immunity in ordinary High Court proceedings. The special advocate sees the sensitive material and can make submissions upon it.
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In respect of the closed material deployed before it, POAC itself decides, in the light of argument from the special advocate, whether the Secretary of State’s claim to maintain its confidentiality should be accepted. We will not therefore be publishing any of the closed material that will be heard before POAC.

Police: Driving Under Influence

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer by the Secretary of State for Wales of 5 July 2007, Official Report, column 1187W, on police: driving under influence, if she will introduce a central record of the number of police officers in Wales prosecuted, disciplined or dismissed for drink-driving offences. [149101]

Mr. McNulty: We have no plans to introduce such a central record. Police disciplinary action, whether in relation to drink driving or other misconduct, is a matter for individual chief officers.

Pornography: Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding has been made available to (a) Sussex Police and (b) all police forces in England and Wales to deal with computer-based child pornography in each of the last five years. [150324]

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 to combat computer-based images of child abuse is not separately identified. Decisions on the distribution of resources are matters for the chief officer and the police authority.

Racial Violence

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many xenophobic crimes there were in (a) Southampton, (b) Hampshire and (c) England in each year since 1997. [151028]

Mr. Coaker: The information requested is not collected centrally in the recorded crime statistics. The crime statistics have data for racially or religiously aggravated offences as defined by statute but those specifically of a xenophobic nature cannot be separately identified.

Sexual Offences: Internet

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to require social networking sites (a) to cross-check new members against registered sex offenders’ lists and (b) to prevent registered sex offenders from signing up for services. [149426]

Mr. Coaker: Access to information about the personal details and whereabouts of registered sex offenders is restricted to law enforcement agencies. The police do
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have the power to disclose information about sex offenders to the public in appropriate circumstances. However, we do not intend to make this information routinely available to internet service providers or other persons or organisations not concerned with law enforcement.

The Review of the Protection of Children from Sex Offenders, published on 13 June, indicated that the Government will take steps to enable sex offenders to be required to register their e-mail addresses with the police. This will provide greater assistance to law enforcement agencies in monitoring offenders’ use of information and communication technology.

Sexual Offences: Wales

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sex offenders are registered in each police force area in Wales. [149455]

Mr. Coaker [holding answer 16 July 2007]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her on 9 July 2007, Official Report, column 1344W.

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many registered sex offenders in each police force area in Wales are (a) not at their registered address and (b) being searched for by their monitoring team. [149456]

Mr. Coaker [holding answer 16 July 2007]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her on 9 July 2007, Official Report, column 1344W.

In the event of a registered sex offender being recorded as missing, the police will immediately begin efforts to trace that offender.

Sussex Police: Finance

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget is for Sussex police (a) in 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09. [150340]

Mr. McNulty: The budget for Sussex police authority in 2007-08 is £237.1 million, an increase of 4.4 per cent. or £9.9 million over 2006-07.

We will be announcing details of the police funding settlement for 2008-09 later this year. Sussex police authority will then be in a position to consider its final budget for 2008-09.

Sussex Police: Manpower

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) civilian staff have been employed by Sussex police in each of the last 10 years, expressed as (a) a head count and (b) as whole time equivalents. [150341]

Mr. McNulty: The available data for full-time equivalent police officers and police staff are given in the table. Headcount figures for police officers exclude those on long term absence, referred to as officers “available for duty”, are available from 2002-03 onwards.


18 July 2007 : Column 395W
Police officer strength for Sussex police force area as at 31 March 1996 to 31 March 2006
As at 31 March: Full-time equivalent( 1) Headcount( 2)

1996

3,074

1997

3,085

1998

2,996

1999

2,847

2000

2,822

2001

2,855

2002

2,893

2003

2,989

3,003

2004

3,039

3,145

2005

3,044

3,048

2006

3,092

3,086

(1) 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. Figures exclude those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave.
(2) Officers available for duty. Excludes those on long term absence. Data available from 2002-03, following police numbers task force recommendations in 2001.

Police staff strength( 1) for Sussex police force area as at 31 March 1996 to 31 March 2006
As at March: Full - time equivalent( 2) Headcount( 4)

1996

1,131

1997

1,149

1,250

1998

1,185

1,304

1999

1,393

1,516

2000

1,328

1,430

2001

1,454

1,563

2002

1,507

1,617

2003(3)

1,578

1,706

2004(3)

1,811

1,948

2005(3)

1,950

2,101

2006(3)

1,994

2,157

(1) Civilian staff have been referred to as Police staff since March 2003. Figures exclude Traffic Wardens, Police Community Support Officers and Designated Officers (s.38).
(2) 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. Figures exclude those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave.
(3) Strength figures as at 31 March 2003 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.
(4) Data not available prior to 1997.

Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre: Complaints

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many detainees of Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre were removed from the UK before their civil claims for ill treatment were settled in each of the last three years. [149795]

Mr. Byrne: The information requested could only be obtained by the detailed examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.


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