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9 Jun 2008 : Column 86W—continued
Police: Mental Health
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were diagnosed with mental health problems in each year since 1997. [208065]
Mr. McNulty: This information is not collected centrally.
Police: Per Capita Costs
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was allocated (a) in total and (b) per capita for police services in (i) Suffolk and (ii) England in each of the last five years. [209411]
Mr. McNulty: Details of police force gross revenue expenditure are set out in the following tables.
The Government do not distribute grant to police authorities purely on the basis of population. The police funding formula uses a range of data relating to demographic and social characteristics to reflect the relative needs of each authority. Grant allocations also take into account the relative tax base of each authority. Grant allocations are stabilised by damping to limit year-on-year variations.
| Allocations for police services | ||||||
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | ||||
| Total gross revenue expenditure( 1) (£ million) | Resident population( 2)( ) (million) | Total gross revenue expenditure( 1) (£ million) | Resident population( 2)( ) (million) | Total gross revenue expenditure( 1) (£ million) | Resident population( 2)( ) (million) | |
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |||
| Total gross revenue expenditure( 1) (£ million) | Resident population( 2)( ) (million) | Total gross revenue expenditure( 3) (£ million) | Resident population( 2)( ) (million) | |
| (1) Total gross revenue expenditure—actuals from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) statistics (2) Resident population figures supplied by DCLG from ONS (3 )Total gross revenue expenditure—estimates from CIPFA statistics | ||||
Police: Recruitment
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much time must pass after a (a) British citizen previously living overseas, (b) British citizen previously serving overseas, (c) European Union citizen, (d) Commonwealth citizen and (e) citizen of a non-EU and non-Commonwealth country arrives in the United Kingdom from another country before they can apply to join the police force; and if she will make a statement about the reasons for the periods in each case. [208553]
Mr. McNulty: The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) does not stipulate a residency criterion for any applicant to a police force in England and Wales. However, because of the difficulty with obtaining sufficient vetting information from abroad, the Association of Chief Police Officers advises forces to implement a three-year residency criterion on all applicants including citizens of the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Certainly it is the case that applicants who cannot be vetted will not be appointed.
Police: Speed Limits
Mr. Amess:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police vehicles were recorded by speed cameras in each of the last three years, broken down by police force; how many police officers received notification of intended prosecution;
how many such prosecutions were (a) proceeded with and (b) subsequently dropped; and if she will make a statement. [209090]
Mr. Coaker: The information is not collected centrally.
The law allows vehicles being used for a police or other emergency service purpose to exceed a speed limit if observing it would be likely to hinder achievement of their purpose.
Police: Vale of Clwyd
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken to improve policing in the Vale of Clwyd since 1997. [205296]
Mr. McNulty: The Government have acted to improve policing throughout England and Wales since 1997. Crime in Denbighshire CDRP, which includes the Vale of Clwyd, fell by 30 per cent. in the four years up to 2006-07.
Domestic burglary, for example, dropped by 8 per cent. in 2006-07 compared to the previous year.
Funding for the North Wales Police Authority has increased from £62.4 million in 1997-98 to £99.5 million in 2008-09, an increase of £37.1 million.
As at September 2007, North Wales police had 1,564 police officers—195 more than March 1997, and 745 police staff—269 more than March 1997.
The Government have further assisted the implementation of Neighbourhood Policing across England and Wales. North Wales 2008-09 funding for Neighbourhood Policing, including PCSOs, is £3.17 million, compared with £3.08 million in 2007-08, an increase of 2.7 per cent. There are now 13 Neighbourhood Policing teams in North Wales police, four in the central BCU that covers the Vale of Clywd, and 154 PCSOs. North Wales received a 'good' grading for their implementation of Neighbourhood Policing in the 2006-07 Police Performance Assessments.
Proceeds of Crime
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many originating summonses for recovery order proceedings under Part 5 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 were issued by the Assets Recovery Agency in Northern Ireland in each year of the agency's existence; [206955]
(2) how many proceedings for recovery orders under Part 5 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 were concluded in (a) England and Wales and (b) Northern Ireland by the Assets Recovery Agency in each year of the agency's existence; [206957]
(3) how many claim forms for recovery order proceedings under Part 5 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 were issued by the Assets Recovery Agency in England and Wales in each year of the agency's existence. [206958]
Mr. Coaker: Information is not available in the form requested. The number of originating summonses/recovery order applications lodged by the Assets Recovery Agency in Northern Ireland was as follows:
| Number | |
In relation to England and Wales, this information was not collected as part of ARA's management information and not retained in the form requested. It would not be possible to obtain this information without incurring disproportionate cost.
Proscribed Organisations: Iran
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to remove the People's Mujahadeen Organisation of Iran from the list of proscribed organisations. [206948]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 21 May 2008]: The Terrorism Act 2000 (Proscribed Organisations) (Amendment) Order 2008 deproscribing the PMOI was laid on 21 May 2008. In accordance with Section 123(4) of the Terrorism Act 2000, it will come into force the day following the signing of the Order, which will occur once the approval of both Houses has been obtained.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the time-scale is for lifting the proscription of the People's Mujahadeen Organisation of Iran. [206310]
Mr. McNulty: The Terrorism Act 2000 (Proscribed Organisations) (Amendment) Order 2008 deproscribing the PMOI was laid on 21 May 2008. In accordance with Section 123(4) of the Terrorism Act 2000, it will come into force the day following the signing of the Order, which will occur once the approval of both Houses has been obtained.
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to comply with the decision of the Proscribed Organisations Appeals Committee in respect of the People’s Mojahadeen Organisation of Iran; when she plans to lay before Parliament an order to remove the organisation from Schedule 2 of the Terrorism Act 2000; and what Parliamentary procedure will apply to the order. [R] [207508]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 2 June 2008]: The Terrorism Act 2000 (Proscribed Organisations) (Amendment) Order 2008 deproscribing the PMOI was laid on 21 May 2008. In accordance with section 123(4) of the Terrorism Act 2000, it will come into force the day following the signing of the order, which will occur once the approval of both Houses has been obtained.
Prostitution: Young People
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the police are taking to tackle teenage prostitution in (a) Leicester and (b) England; and whether there is a police unit dedicated to combating teenage prostitution in (i) Leicester and (ii) England. [208555]
Mr. Coaker: The Government's Guidance, 'Safeguarding Children in Prostitution', which was published in 2000, acts as a circular to the police and sets out how forces should respond to the issue of child prostitution locally. The police are responsible for leading the investigation and detection of these crimes, as well as working in partnership with other local agencies to ensure the early identification of those at risk and the provision of adequate support and protection. The guidance does not specify that each police force should have a unit dedicated to tackling child sexual exploitation, although all police force areas in England and Wales now have dedicated specialist child abuse investigation teams staffed by specialist sexual offences officers and rape prosecutors.
Where the need to tackle sexual exploitation involves issues that cross local boundaries, the Government have funded organisations such as the UK Human Trafficking Centre and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre with the remit to tackle these issues and support local police forces.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much is planned to be spent on combating teenage prostitution in (a) Leicester and (b) England in 2008-09. [208558]
Mr. Coaker: No funding is allocated centrally by the Home Office for tackling teenage prostitution as it is primarily the responsibility of local partnerships to set local priorities and allocate funding accordingly.
DCSF are providing a grant of £50,000 to Barnardo's in this financial year for a project to pilot specialist services for children trafficked for sexual exploitation. They are also providing strategic funding of £135,000 over three years from this financial year to the Coalition for the Removal of Pimping (CROP).
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what projects are run by the third sector to combat teenage prostitution in (a) Leicester and (b) nationally. [208557]
Mr. Coaker: Local Safeguarding Children boards have a statutory obligation to ensure an effective response to child sexual exploitation. They must ensure that adequate protection and support is available for sexually exploited children and young people and that provision is in place to take action against those intent on abusing and exploiting children and young people in this way. As part of this work, LSCBs are responsible for commissioning services to meet the needs of young people.
In many areas, third sector organisations play a key role in addressing the issue of sexual exploitation. Their role can include preventative work, intervention in cases where someone is at risk of or suffering sexual exploitation, the provision of therapeutic work with children and young people who have suffered sexual exploitation and long-term intervention. They can also play an important role in gathering information and evidence to support the prosecution of those exploiting the children and young people, working in partnership with the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.
We do not hold information centrally on the specific role played by third sector organisations in Leicester.
Public Order: Football
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of policing the sporting event at Wembley Stadium on 17 May was; who met the cost of the policing; and what proportion of the cost each met. [207882]
Mr. McNulty: The FA cup final on 17 May was policed by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). The costs involved are an operational matter for the MRS.
Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effect of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 on civil liberties. [204345]
Mr. McNulty: The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 puts under statutory control public body use of covert investigatory powers, including interception, access to communications data, surveillance and the use of undercover officers and informants. It covers the spectrum of interference with privacy, from the most serious—such as an intelligence agency planting microphones inside the house of a suspected terrorist—to local councils' use of telephone company subscriber data to identify and prosecute those involved in unhygienic meat supply or benefit fraud. It ensures that in the case of both ends of the spectrum, authorisation is consistent with the human rights principles of necessity and proportionality. As part of the statutory safeguards built into RIPA, the authorisation of covert investigatory powers is subject to the oversight of independent Commissioners who carry out their remit by regular inspection visits, reporting to the Prime Minister and publishing annual reports on their findings. The Act also establishes an independent Investigatory Powers Tribunal to hear complaints.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of safeguards contained within the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. [204346]
Mr. McNulty:
The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) balances public authority intrusion into individual privacy with the need to protect the wider public by ensuring that use of covert investigatory powers is authorised only when this is necessary and proportionate. As part of the statutory safeguards built into RIPA to make sure the powers are used properly, the authorisation of covert investigatory powers is subject to the oversight of independent Commissioners who carry out their remit by regular inspection visits, reporting to the Prime Minister and publishing annual reports on their findings. The Act also establishes an independent Investigatory Powers Tribunal to hear complaints. The Government welcome the role of the Commissioners and the Tribunal, co-operate fully in their inspections and investigations and would assess their work as effective. In his report for 2006, the Interception of Communications Commissioner noted that staff of the agencies he oversees “are always anxious to ensure that they comply both
with the legislation and the appropriate safeguards”. Copies of the Commissioners' reports are in the House Library.
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many pages of forms need to be filled in by the police to obtain Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 authorisation. [203824]
Mr. McNulty: The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 provides a statutory framework for the use of a range of covert investigatory techniques by public authorities. There is currently no standard form, although the Act and related codes of practice set out the information that must be provided for the authorisations of the different investigatory powers. We are working with the police and other public authorities to reduce bureaucracy while ensuring that the appropriate level of information is provided.
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