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26 Nov 2007 : Column 182W—continued
Crime
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many investigations resulted in the police taking no further action in (a) England and Wales and (b) each police force area in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement. [167100]
Mr. McNulty: The information requested is not collected centrally. The Home Office collects information on the number of offences recorded and detected by the police but no information is held on the actual number of investigations undertaken by the police.
Departmental Buildings
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent by her Department on renovation and refurbishment of its properties in each of the last five years. [164370]
Mr. Byrne: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Opinion Polls
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what opinion polls the Department has conducted of (a) the public and (b) staff since 27 June 2007; and what the (i) name of the firm employed to conduct the poll, (ii) purpose and (iii) cost to the public purse was in each case. [164959]
Mr. Byrne: The information is as follows.
(a) Since 27 June 2007 the Department has conducted one wave of public opinion polling across a broad range of Home Office issues, of during August 2007. This polling was carried out by Ipsos MORI, at a cost of £13,875 (ex VAT).
The polling was used to give the Department a better understanding of public priorities, concerns and satisfaction levels. This will help direct the Department’s strategy and future policy initiatives.
(b) The Home Office headquarters, Border and Immigration Agency and Identity and Passport Service have not conducted any opinion polls of staff since 27 June 2007. The Criminal Records Bureau employed the research company Ipsos MORI to conduct a staff survey between 10 and 28 September 2007. This is an annual consultation exercise with staff to gain feedback on any issues of concern that senior management can take steps to address and it was undertaken at a cost of £25,000.
Departmental Publicity
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department and its agencies spent on managing their corporate identities in the last 12-month period for which figures are available. [167351]
Mr. Byrne: Over the past 12 months £77,069 has been spent on managing corporate identity when Border and Immigration Agency became a shadow executive agency.
Departmental Wines
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to ensure that English wine is served exclusively or at the request of guests at meals, parties and receptions hosted by her Department; and if she will make a statement. [164287]
Mr. Byrne: All public procurement procedures must comply with the EC treaty. The key principles of the treaty, from a public procurement point of view, are the free movement of goods and services, and non-discrimination on the grounds of nationality. This legislation is designed to ensure that all public procurement across the European Union is fair, transparent and non-discriminatory.
This means that the Home Department cannot specify that it will buy goods (eg wine) only from a particular country or locality, as that would discriminate against producers from other EU member states.
However, the Government are committed to increase opportunities for small and local suppliers to tender for contracts, thus increasing competition and securing better value for money. The Home Office does this by advertising contracts on the Home Office eSourcing Portal www.homeoffice.bravosolution.com which reduces bureaucracy in the procurement process.
The facility management contractor for the Department’s headquarters building includes a number of English wines on its hospitality menu for selection at departmental functions.
Drugs: Misuse
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what drugs programmes are administered by her Department; and what the budget for each was for the last five years for which figures are available. [164798]
Mr. Coaker: The Home Office is responsible for administering the national sports-based Positive Futures social inclusion Programme, Blueprint drug research programme and the Drug Interventions Programme. The Home Office is also jointly responsible with the Department of Health and Department for Children, Schools and Families for the management of the FRANK drug awareness campaign. The Home Office also contributes to and manages the cross-Government Young People Substance Misuse Partnership Grant.
Total expenditure on these drugs programme was captured within the Home Office departmental report for 2006-07 on our previous strategic objective that fewer people’s lives are ruined by drugs and alcohol. The relevant figures are set out as follows, including outturn figures for 2006-07 where an estimate was published previously:
| £000 | ||
| Resource | Capital | |
| Notes: 1. 2004-05 includes net in-year budget transfers of about £24,000, which were subsequently processed in line with PES 2005 12. 2. 2006-07 includes £17,459 misallocated capital that is being corrected. 3. 2006-07 and 2007-08 figures both exclude £11,273 resource disbursed as grants under local area agreements and now classified separately on the HM Treasury database. Source: HM Treasury database | ||
Entry Clearances: Employment
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the number of A2 nationals likely to enter the UK for employment purposes annually (a) under existing arrangements; and (b) following full right of access under EU law. [162669]
Mr. Byrne: The Border and Immigration Agency has not made any estimates of the number of A2 nationals likely to enter the UK for employment purposes following full right of access under EU law. Figures on migration since January 2007 are available in the quarterly releases of Romanian and Bulgarian accession statistics which can be found on the BIA website
I will place in the House Library copies of the most recent quarterly release.
Harassment: Complaints
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints of (a) sexual and (b) racial harassment were received by the Metropolitan Police in each year since 1997. [167414]
Mr. McNulty: This is a matter for the Metropolitan police.
Human Trafficking
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions her Department has had with the Scottish Executive on Operation Pentameter 2. [167181]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 22 November 2007]: There have been regular discussions with the Scottish Executive in relation to the conduct of Operation Pentameter 2. The Scottish Executive are represented alongside the Home Office on the police-led multi-agency co-ordination group leading the operation.
Immigration Controls: Heathrow Airport
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there are any guidelines at Heathrow airport to maintain an ethnically balanced team checking passports of outgoing and incoming travellers. [166016]
Mr. Byrne: The Border and Immigration Agency recruit and roster staff without regard to race or ethnic background and in accordance with the Home Office Race Equality and Diversity Statement.
Immigration: EU Countries
Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what studies her Department has conducted into the (a) potential effects of the impending transition of Schengen area EU states including Poland, Slovakia and Hungary on border control systems of nations such as Ukraine and (b) consequential impact on UK immigration policy. [166692]
Mr. Byrne: [holding answer 20 November 2007]: The Home Office is considering the implications of the expansion of the Schengen area and any additional immigration response required.
Influenza
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what (a) advice and (b) resources would be made available to local authorities in addressing the problems of increased mortality as a consequence of an influenza pandemic; and if she will make a statement; [164973]
(2) if she will make a statement on the development of policy for the handling and management of the deceased as a consequence of increased mortality during any future pandemic influenza outbreak; when she plans to issue revised guidance; and what discussions she has had with devolved authorities on the co-ordination of policy. [164844]
Mr. McNulty: On 30 August 2007, the Home Office published Planning for a possible Influenza Pandemic—A framework for planners preparing to manage deaths, for consultation. This draft document provides guidance to local authority planners faced with the task of managing excess fatalities in the event of pandemic influenza. It was produced by the Home Office in consultation with a working group representing all the Departments involved in this task together with the Local Government Association, the Faith Communities Consultative Council and representatives of the funeral industry. Representatives of the devolved Administrations also attend the working group.
After the close of the consultation period on 30 November 2007, we will consider the views of respondents and the need for any revisions to the document. The Departments with responsibility for processes such as medical certification of the cause of death; and burial and cremation certification will issue guidelines to their operational counterparts in light of the consultation. We will ensure that local authorities are informed of any changes and make revisions to the publication during the first quarter of 2008. It is not proposed that additional resources for managing excess deaths will be made available to local authorities during an influenza pandemic.
Missing People: Finance
Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding her Department provided to the charity Missing People in 2006-07; how much has been provided for 2007-08; and what the allocation will be in 2008-09. [167128]
Mr. McNulty: In 2006-07, the Home Office provided funding of £600,000 to Missing People with an additional £300,000 one-off payment. In 2007-08, £600,000 has again been provided from the Home Office to the charity. The baseline budget proposed for funds to Missing People from the Home Office in 2008-09 is £600,000, but this allocation is subject to final decision by Ministers.
National Missing Persons Bureau
Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information technology equipment and resources are available to the police National Missing Persons Bureau. [167147]
Mr. McNulty: The Police National Missing Persons Bureau (PNMPB) currently use a Metropolitan Police Service system called Merlin to record and search records of missing persons. They also have access to PNC (Police National Computer) to carry out checks on missing/wanted persons and utilise open source facilities such as the internet and electoral roll for various searches. The PNMPB has responsibility for the UKMissingkids.com website and, therefore, has the requisite software to host this site.
In April 2008, the PNMPB will transfer to the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA). From this time, accessibility to technology and resources will be significantly enhanced. The NPIA is implementing Hermes as the database for the PNMPB. Hermes is a purpose-built database developed and implemented in to the Missing People charity through the Invest to Save Initiative in 2004-05. The shared technology between the bureau and the charity will facilitate effective transfer of data between the two organisations and collaborative efforts on research and analysis projects.
The PNMPB, under the NPIA, will also have access to, and be able to search, the PNC. In addition, the bureau will be able to triangulate reports of missing persons with serious offences and the activities of sexual and dangerous offenders by having direct access to ViSOR (Violent and Sex Offender Register), INI (IMPACT Nominal Index) and SCAS (Serious Crime
Analysis Section) data. They will also be able to access the child homicide database CATCHEM (Central Analytical Team Collating Homicide Expertise and Management), the National Injuries Database, and liaise with the National DNA Database custodian—the NPIA.
National Missing Persons Bureau: Manpower
Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff work for the police National Missing Persons Bureau; and at what grade. [167129]
Mr. McNulty: The Police National Missing Persons Bureau is currently staffed by Metropolitan Police Service employees as follows:
1 x band D
2 x full-time band E, plus 1 x part-time (3 days per week) band E
1 x band E currently on maternity leave and being covered by agency staff.
The bureau is overseen by a band C member of staff who is able to commit one fifth of his working hours to this role due to his other responsibilities.
In April 2008, the PNMPB will transfer to the National Policing Improvement Agency. From this time, the staffing structure will become:
1 x Bureau Manager, grade 3a
1 x Police Liaison Officer, seconded police sergeant, or civilian grade 2b
1 x Strategic Analyst, grade 2b
1 x Tactical Analyst, grade 2b
6 x Intelligence Officers, grade 1b
The bureau will be headed up by a grade 3b member of staff who also heads the Serious Crime Analysis Section.
National Security
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the review by Lord West on the protection of strategic infrastructure assessed potential vulnerabilities of (a) civil nuclear installations, (b) military nuclear sites and (c) the national electricity grid. [166326]
Mr. McNulty: I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary’s statement of 14 November 2007, Official Report, columns 44-45 WS.
The review addressed the programme of work to protect the electricity sector and other parts of the critical national infrastructure. Lord West also considered the protective security framework for civil nuclear power stations, responsibility for which falls to the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. However, the review did not address protective security for military nuclear sites, responsibility for which falls to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence.
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department from which Government Departments the 160 counter-terrorism advisers she announced in her statement of 14 November 2007, Official Report, columns 667-72, on national security, will be sourced. [167387]
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