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29 Jan 2008 : Column 206W—continued
Figures for North West Leicestershire relate to the local authority rather than the parliamentary constituency. BERR do not have data at parliamentary constituency level.
Nuclear Power Stations: Construction
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2008, Official Report, column 1632W, on nuclear power stations: construction, how much funding will be provided to enable hard to reach groups to participate in a public inquiry into an application to build a nuclear power plant; what criteria will be used to assess eligibility for such funding; and what is the maximum value of funding which will be available for any individual inquiry. [183065]
Malcolm Wicks: The Government fund Planning Aid which provides independent, free advice to hard to reach groups in order to help them to participate in the planning system. For 2007-08 the grant is 31.7 million. The Planning White Paper referred to increasing grant funding for bodies such as Planning Aid to ensure that members of the public get the advice and support they need to get involved in planning inquiries on major infrastructure projects. No decisions have been taken on future levels of funding for Planning Aid.
Nuclear Power: Carbon Emissions
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether the analysis of the potential contribution of nuclear power for reducing carbon emissions, set out at paragraphs A5-A12 of Annex A to the White Paper on Nuclear Power, Cm 7296, includes an assessment of carbon emissions accruing from (a) uranium mining, milling, processing and environment, (b) the construction and decommissioning of nuclear power plants and (c) the management of radioactive waste arising from nuclear power plants. [180938]
Malcolm Wicks: The analysis of the potential contribution of nuclear power to reducing carbon emissions in annex A of the White Paper on Nuclear Power covers emissions arising at the point of generation. The issue of the full life cycle emissions from different electricity generation technologies is covered in the answer to question two from the consultation on nuclear power and is summarised in paragraphs 2.10 to 2.25 of the White Paper. The estimated full life cycle emissions from a nuclear power station (7-22gCO2/kWh) are equivalent to between 2 per cent. and 6 per cent. of those of a gas-fired station for every unit of electricity generated. These include all emissions from uranium processing, through construction and decommissioning to the management of radioactive waste.
The cost-benefit analysis of nuclear power published with the 2007 Energy White Paper included the full costs of nuclear, including those for waste and decommissioning.
Post Offices
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will place in the Library a list of the addresses of all post offices in the UK. [176357]
Mr. McFadden: Post Office Ltd. annually places in the Libraries of the House a list of all post offices in the network by parliamentary constituency. The list gives post office name, post town and post code.
Postal Offices: Rural Areas
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (1) what minimum number of rural post office branches would be required to ensure that 95 per cent. of the total rural population lived within three miles of a post office branch; and how many post office branches classified as rural there were at the end of financial year 2006-07; [182452]
(2) what minimum number of post office branches would be required to ensure that 99 per cent. of the UK population is within three miles and 90 per cent. of the population are within one mile of their nearest post office outlet. [182453]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 28 January 2008]: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.
Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Young People
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many successful prosecutions there have been for the offence of persistently selling alcohol to children under the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006; and how many licensees have lost their licences as a result. [182681]
Mr. Coaker: The Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 came into force on 6 April 2007, statistics on court proceedings and cautions for 2007 will be published in the autumn of 2008.
Community Development
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect that the implementation of the Respect Agenda has on West Chelmsford constituency. [181506]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 25 January 2008]: No assessment has been made of the effect that the implementation of the Respect Agenda has had in West Chelmsford. However, the Local Government User Satisfaction Survey 2006-07 showed that between 2003 and 2006 the number of people perceiving antisocial behaviour as a very or fairly big problem in Chelmsford fell from 35 per cent. to 15 per cent.
Through the Respect programme, we introduced new approaches nationally to tackle the root causes of antisocial behaviour. Key commitments in the Government's Respect action plan have now been met and mainstreamed locally.
We are committed to building on the excellent progress made across the country, working with local authorities and the police to tackle the problems on the ground but also to deal with the root causes through early intervention and prevention.
Three independent reports on the Government's strategy to tackle antisocial behaviour show that it is working: The Home Affairs Select Committee Report, the National Audit Office report (2006) and Public Accounts Committee Report (2007). Public perceptions of antisocial behaviour being a problem locally are down as shown in the British Crime Survey and the Local Government User Satisfaction Survey 2006-07.
Crime: Statistics
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to provide local crime statistics. [179633]
Mr. Coaker: The Government have committed to making consistent, monthly, local information on crime available throughout the country. This will include data on crime and community safety issues but will also comprise other kinds of information of use to the local community, such as information about what local agencies are doing to tackle their community safety priorities.
The Home Office is working with ACPO, the APA and other stakeholders to identify how best this can be achieved.
Cybercrime
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she expects to implement the additional protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime on the criminalisation of acts of a racist and xenophobic nature committed through computer systems. [174425]
Mr. Coaker: The Government believe that our current law effectively deals with incitement to racial hatred, and strikes the right balance between the need to protect individuals from violence and hatred and the need to protect freedom of expression. We will therefore not ratify the protocol as it does not allow us to maintain our criminal threshold for this sort of offence.
E-mail: Fraud
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the banking industry on phishing e-mails; what steps her Department is taking to prevent phishing; and if she will make a statement. [181139]
Mr. Coaker: The Home Secretary has not had any discussions with the banking industry on this matter.
The Government have a dialogue with the banking and internet industries through our joint initiative, GetSafeOnline. This has the purpose of providing information to the public on protecting themselves against e-crime, such as phishing.
The UK banking industry also helps online banking customers stay safe while online through BankSafeOnline. org. Customers can also report scams through this site.
Firearms: Licensing
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to review firearm and air rifle licensing regulations. [182704]
Mr. Coaker: Controls on firearms are kept under close scrutiny and changes made where necessary to secure public safety. The Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 and the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 both included measures which further regulate the use and possession of air weapons and realistic imitation firearms. As recently announced, I will be consulting shortly on the introduction of stricter controls on deactivated firearms.
Immigration
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women discovered by police and immigration services as part of Operation Rampart were in the UK as illegal immigrants; and how many had been trafficked into the United Kingdom. [181114]
Mr. Coaker: 48 women found were discovered to be in the country unlawfully.
Of the women discovered in this operation one had been identified as a victim of trafficking.
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were (a) arrested, (b) charged and (c) convicted of immigration offences as part of Operation Rampart. [181113]
Mr. Coaker: Operation Rampart led to the arrest of 42 people on suspicion of being in the United Kingdom unlawfully. Of these 37 people were removed from the country. Three people were also charged with document offences.
In a related operation three people were arrested and prosecuted for passport offences and on conviction were also removed from the UK.
Immobilisation of Vehicles
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2007, Official Report, columns 306-7W, on immobilisations of vehicles, if her Department will strengthen regulation of wheel clampers on private land in 2008; and if she will make a statement. [171109]
Mr. Coaker [h olding answer 5 December 2007 ]: The Home Office is continuing to consider reviewing policy on the regulation of vehicle immobilisers. We have not reached any conclusion however, and therefore no decision has been made at this point about whether a review will proceed, or if it does, the likely timescale.
Macfarlan Smith
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2007, Official Report, columns 213-15W on Macfarlan Smith, when the analysis of Macfarlan Smith’s position began; and when is it expected to be completed. [179508]
Mr. Coaker: Work commenced on 5 October 2006 and continues. Completion depends upon finalising the data collection and assessment.
Offensive Weapons
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether her Department has conducted consultations on restricting or controlling the sale of knives; and if she will make a statement; [182529]
(2) what consideration she has given to licensing the sale of domestic and non-domestic knives; and if she will make a statement; [182531]
(3) what restrictions are in place on the sale of (a) domestic and (b) non-domestic knives; and if she will make a statement. [182532]
Mr. Coaker:
There are a number of restrictions and controls on the sale of knives and other bladed instruments. The Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act 1959 bans the sale of flick knives and gravity knives. The Criminal Justice Act 1988 prohibits the manufacture, sale and
hire of 17 weapons specified in the Criminal Justice Act (Offensive Weapons) Order 1988 including butterfly knives. The Government consulted in March 2007 on adding samurai swords and other offensive weapons to the Order, and has announced its intention to proceed with a ban on the sale of samurai swords, subject to exemptions for collectors and reputable martial arts groups, by April 2008.
While the Government do not currently have plans to license the sale of knives we have, as part of our commitment to tackling knife crime, made it an offence to sell a knife to a person aged under 18 in the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006, which is an increase from the previous age of 16. The Knives Act 1997 also makes it an offence to market knives as suitable for combat, or in ways likely to stimulate or encourage violent behaviour.
Proceeds of Crime
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money has been confiscated as proceeds of drug crime in each police force area in each of the last 12 months. [182773]
Mr. Coaker: The total value of confiscation orders and cash forfeiture orders made in each police force in England and Wales from January to December 2007 against criminals involved in drug crime is set out in the following table. The enforcement of confiscation orders is primarily the responsibility of the HM Courts Service.
| Year: 2007 | ||||||
| £ | ||||||
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