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8 Oct 2007 : Column 160Wcontinued
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances her Department awards contracts to outside organisations without undertaking a tendering process. [154033]
Mr. Byrne: Home Office procurement policy is to comply with its legal obligations, including those under the EU procurement rules, and public procurement policy. Goods, works or services are acquired through competitive tendering unless there are convincing reasons to the contrary, and all purchasing should be based on value for money criteria having regard to propriety and regularity.
Tendering processes may be omitted with regard to small, irregular, low value spot purchases such as individual travel and expense transactions where tendering costs outweigh the value for money benefits of a tendering process.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the differences are between basic and enhanced Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks; and what guidance has been given to public authorities on which type of CRB check should be commissioned. [153892]
Meg Hillier: A basic disclosure is the lowest level of disclosure. This would contain details of convictions considered to be unspent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974 or state that there are no such convictions. The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) does not currently provide a basic check.
There are two levels of disclosures currently available from the CRB, known as standard and enhanced. The two checks are available in circumstances where an employer is entitled to ask exempted questions under the ROA. This includes any organisation whose staff or volunteers work with children or vulnerable adults.
Standard disclosures are available to anyone working with children or vulnerable adults, as well as certain other occupations and entry into professions as specified in the ROA. They show spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings held on the Police National Computer. If the post involves working with children or vulnerable adults, the following may also be searched:
Protection of Children Act (POCA) List.
Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) List.
Information that is held under Section 142 of the Education Act 2002 (formerly known as List 99).
Enhanced disclosures are available to anyone involved in regularly caring for, training, supervising or being in sole charge of children or vulnerable adults. They are also available for certain licensing purposes and judicial appointments. Enhanced disclosures contain the same information as the standard disclosure with the addition of any relevant information held by local police forces and disclosed at their discretion.
It is ultimately for each employer and not the CRB to determine what level of check is required for specific employment positions. Such determination is based on their legal and other responsibilities and subject to any statutory requirements as set by their own regulatory authorities.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the timetable is for publication of crime detection rates by Basic Command Unit for 2006-07; and for what reason they were not published with the recorded crime statistics on 19 July 2007. [153891]
Mr. McNulty: The content of the annual bulletin on crime is reviewed each year and as part of this a decision was made that it would be more appropriate to focus this bulletin on crime and victimisation and to plan to produce a separate bulletin specifically on detections rates.
Given the work involved in producing the crime bulletin it was not feasible to produce the bulletin on detections at the same time. However, some information on detections was included in Appendix 3 of the annual bulletin that appeared on 19 July.
The statistical bulletin on detection of crime by the police in 2006-07 was published on 20 September 2007. The information is too large to be included within the Official Report but it can be accessed on-line at the following web addresses. I will arrange for the relevant tables to be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drink-driving tests were carried out in the Peterborough constituency in each year since 1997. [154070]
Mr. Coaker: Data collected centrally relate to police force areas only and are not available at constituency level.
Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions took place against uninsured drivers in the Northumbria police force area in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [154307]
Mr. Coaker: The latest figures are for the period 1997 to 2004 and are given as follows. Figures for 2005 will be available later this year.
Proceedings at magistrates courts for the offence of using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks( 1) , Northumbria police force area, 1997 to 2004 | |
Total proceedings | |
(1) An offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 143 (2). (2) As from 1 June 2003, driving a motor vehicle while uninsured against third party risks became a fixed penalty offence. Notes: It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences may be less than complete. Work is underway to ensure that the magistrates courts case management system currently being implemented by the Ministry of Justice reports all motoring offences to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. This will enable more complete figures to be disseminated. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. |
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research her Department has (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned into the effect of the Government's 10-year drug strategy on reducing availability at street level of illicit drugs; and if she will make a statement. [153885]
Mr. Coaker: The following projects (a) undertaken by Home Office researchers looked at the effectiveness of attempts to reduce the availability of drugs at street level:
An evaluation of the Street Level Up Approach Pilot Project in four sites in England, assessing the use of intelligence to disrupt drug trafficking. The final report was not published but circulated on a restricted basis.
An evaluation of three initiatives established to tackle middle market drug trafficking: Operation Middle Market, Merseyside Middle Market Drugs Unit and Tarian Regional Task Force. A report summarising learning from the research was published for a police audience. Copies of the report are only available on request from the relevant Head of the Research Unit.
The following research projects (b) commissioned by the Home Office looked at the effectiveness of attempts to reduce the availability of drugs at street level:
A study of retail drug markets and the local action taken against them in eight deprived neighbourhoods. A report is available on the Home Office RDS website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hors240.pdf
A project examining the implementation of new powers to close crack houses in four case study areas. Findings were published on the Home Office RDS website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/dpr42.pdf
An estimate of the size of the UK illicit drug market for six categories of illicit drugs for the reference year 2003-04. A report is available on the Home Office RDS website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/rdsolr1606.pdf.
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what research studies the Government have (a) undertaken, (b) commissioned and (c) reviewed which compare (i) the levels of illicit drug use and (ii) the levels of drug-related harm associated with international classification/regulatory systems; and if she will make a statement; [153886]
(2) what indicators her Department uses to measure the impact of changing the status of a drug within the ABC classification system on (a) levels of illicit drug use and (b) levels of drug-related harm; and if she will make a statement. [153888]
Mr. Coaker: The indicators used to measure illicit drug use and drug-related harm are not predicated on the Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABC) classification system.
Indicators on prevalence of illicit drug use among the general adult population in England and Wales are set out in reports based on the annual British Crime Survey. Indicators relating to children of school age are published in reports of the annual survey of smoking, drinking and drug use among secondary schoolchildren in England. The Drug Harm Index (DHI) provides an overall measure of the level of drug-related harm and how it changes over time. The operation of the DHI is set out in Measuring the harm from illegal drugs using the Drug Harm Index (Home Office Online Report 24/05).
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research studies the Government have (a) undertaken, (b) commissioned and (c) reviewed into the impact of changing the status of a drug within the ABC classification system on (i) availability and price at street level of illicit drugs and (ii) the levels of drug-related harm; and if she will make a statement. [153887]
Mr. Coaker: Since 1997 only two drugs have changed in status within the Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABC) classification systemcannabis in 2004 and methamphetamine in January 2007. The Government undertake several surveys to monitor evidence of trends in availability and price, but these are not predicted on the ABC classification system.
The Arrestee Survey and the annual survey of drug use, smoking and drinking among young people in
England provide data on the perceived availability of drugs. Data on price at street level has in the past been collected by the National Criminal Intelligence Service, using information generated during the course of police operations. The Drug Harm Index (DHI) provides an overall measure of the level of drug-related harm and how it changes over time. The operation of the DHI is set out in Measuring the harm from illegal drugs using the Drug Harm Index (Home Office Online Report 24/05).
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances US citizens with past drugs offences are not allowed to enter the UK. [156070]
Mr. Byrne: US citizens and other non visa nationals do not require a visa if seeking entry as a visitor to the UK for six months or less, however they are required to satisfy an Immigration Officer that they intend to stay for the period they have stated and that they do not intend to work or claim public funds.
In the event that the Immigration Officer becomes aware that the passenger has a criminal record or has been involved in criminal activity then they may be refused leave to enter.
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed penalty notices have been issued in the last 12 months; and how many have been contested in court. [154575]
Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
In 2004 (latest available) 3,435,254 motoring fixed penalty notices were issued. 2005 data will be available later this year.
Information on recipients of motoring offences fixed penalty notices who elect to challenge the penalty in court is not identifiable separately within the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform.
In addition, penalty notice for disorder (PND) may be issued to offenders aged 16 and over for a specified range of minor disorder offences. PNDs have a 21 day suspended enforcement period during which the recipient must either pay the penalty shown on the notice in full or request a court hearing.
In 2005 146,481 PNDs were issued, of which 1,588 were contested in court. The equivalent information for 2006 will be available in the autumn of 2007.
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions her Department has had with (a) the Department of Health and (b) devolved administrations on the implications of restrictions in the number of work permits issued to overseas care workers. [149341]
Mr. Byrne: Work permits are issued where employers are able to justify that the work permit criteria are met.
The Border and Immigration Agency has held meetings with the Department of Health since January 2007 to develop updated guidance for issuing work permits for senior care workers.
The Border and Immigration Agency has consulted via correspondence with the Scottish Executive Health Department; Care Council for Wales (on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government); and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for Northern Ireland since April 2007 to develop updated guidance for issuing work permits for senior care workers.
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions her Department has had with care providers on the issuing of work permits for overseas care staff. [149342]
Mr. Byrne: The Border and Immigration Agency has conducted normal business correspondence relating to individual work permit applications and meetings with individual employers at their request. The purpose of such meetings is to discuss issues specific to work permit applications submitted by that employer.
The Border and Immigration Agency holds quarterly Sector Advisory Panel meetings with representatives from key industry bodies (including Sector Skills Councils) and other Government Departments. A key feature of each meeting is to discuss labour market issues affecting the relevant industry such as training, recruitment, skills and pay.
The Border and Immigration Agency has also held meetings with Skills for Care and Development, which is the Sector Skills Council for the social care work force in the UK, since January 2007 to develop updated guidance for issuing work permits for senior care workers.
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department plans to publish new guidelines on the issuing of work permits for senior care workers; and if she will make a statement. [149344]
Mr. Byrne: The Border and Immigration Agency published updated guidance regarding work permit applications for senior care workers on 13 August 2007.
This guidance is available on the website:
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