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6 Oct 2008 : Column 132W—continued
Animal Experiments: Statistics
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2007, what procedures her Department uses to (a) ensure the accuracy of the published statistics and (b) correct any inaccuracies. [222797]
Meg Hillier: I refer the hon. Member to the Introductory Notes of the Department’s publication Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2007, paragraphs 2-8.
The statistics are compiled from returns, submitted by project licence holders at the end of each year, or on the termination of the licence when this occurs during the year. A simplified copy of the form and its instructions can be found in Appendix B, a copy of which can be obtained from the Department’s website at:
Licence holders are required, as a condition of their licence, to submit a return even if no work has been undertaken (nil returns). A record is kept of all licensees from whom returns have been received. Those who fail to do so are reminded of their obligation under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
To ensure that the published data are as complete as possible, the Home Office will not publish the statistics unless the number of missing returns represents less than 0.5 per cent. of all the returns expected. In 2007, all forms were returned.
Verification and subsequent publication of these statistics are done by the Science and Research Group (SRG) of the Home Office. Checks include whether sub-totals sum to totals, and whether totals are consistent across different tables.
Project licence holders classify their procedures according to a standard coding list, see Appendix B. The current classification system dates from 1995, and was modified in 1999 in those areas relating to source of animals, production and breeding, toxicology and legislation. During the collection and verification process, forms that have been incorrectly coded are referred back to the licensees for correction.
The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate (ASPI) scrutinise the returns and output tables and provide advice to SRG. During this process, inspectors may contact licensees to discuss and confirm coding, and inform SRG of any amendments that may be necessary.
Where errors are identified, these may be corrected within internet versions of publications and in subsequent editions of the annual publication. Decisions on whether to correct data are a matter for Science and Research Group (SRG) of the Home Office and the Home Office’s chief statistician, as part of the National Statistics framework.
Community Safety Accreditation Schemes
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many imams have been accredited under the arrangements put in place by her Department and the Department for Communities and Local Government for such accreditation. [224533]
Mr. Khan: I have been asked to reply.
The Department for Communities and Local Government supports a range of community-led training programmes for Muslim faith leaders. There are no arrangements in place for accreditation for imams by Government.
Criminal Records
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how long was taken on average to complete a criminal records check in the most recent period for which figures are available; [224313]
(2) what proportion of criminal records checks took more than four weeks to complete in the most recent period for which figures are available. [224314]
Meg Hillier: Data concerning the average time taken to complete a disclosure are not collated by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB).
The CRB operates to a set of Published Service Standards (PSS) which is to issue 90 per cent. of enhanced disclosures within 28 days and 90 per cent. of standard disclosures within 10 days.
The performance figures for the financial year 2007-08 to March were 93.5 per cent. of enhanced disclosures issued within 28 days and 99.7 per cent. of standard disclosures issued within 10 days.
The most recent figures for August 2008 show 85.4 per cent. of enhanced disclosures issued within 28 days and 96.1 per cent. of standard disclosures issued within 10 days.
Criminal Records Bureau
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Criminal Records Bureau checks were subsequently found to be incorrect or to contain errors in relation to the presence or absence of evidence relating to criminality in each year since the Bureau’s inception. [222982]
Meg Hillier: All the quality control procedures at the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) are geared to achieving the highest levels of accuracy. In addition, the CRB carries out a post disclosure accuracy check that analyses all aspects of the disclosure application and its issue. This check was introduced in 2007 and is based on a statistical sample of disclosure applications and from that sample it can be ascertained that the accuracy rate for 2006-07 is 99.94 per cent. and for 2007-08 is 99.98 per cent. No comparative data is available before these dates.
The CRB operates a central database in order to record transactions that occur during the disclosure process, where applicants’ personal data provided on an application form are compared against information held by the police, the Department of Health and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Although the CRB has access to conviction and other information through this process, the police and the other data sources above are the data owners of material held on their respective databases and as such are responsible for the accuracy of information held thereon.
Departmental Internet
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department paid (a) Facebook, (b) Bebo and (c) other social networking sites for advertising the MyLifeMyID.org website; and how many hits the website received as a result of that advertising. [223330]
Meg Hillier [holding answer 10 September 2008]: We cannot provide details of the amount spent on each of those sites as the advertising was provided by a third party consolidator (uk.advertising.com) who ran the advert across a range of sites which indexed highly among the youth audience, and they do not supply clients with a breakdown of spend per site. However, as detailed in the MyLifeMyID Research document published on the Identity and Passport Service website:
the advertising cost—including Virtual Surveys management fee—was £25,750 (excluding VAT).
The number of people who clicked through from the adverts to a sign-up jump page which detailed the survey and encouraged them to sign-up to the forum while the advertising was running was 52,330. This works out as £0.49 per hit.
Entry Clearances: Taiwan
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether she has concluded her consideration of whether reciprocal entry arrangements between the UK and Taiwan should be in place without the requirement for a tourist visa; and when she expects to announce her decision; [221421]
(2) if she will consider the merits of allowing Taiwanese citizens to enter the UK without requiring a tourist visa. [222333]
Mr. Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the Home Secretary's statement to Parliament of 10 July entitled Visa Waiver Test, which outlined the current status of the UK's first global review of its visa regimes. We expect to announce final decisions in early 2009.
EU Legislation
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in her Department are wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or administration of EU legislation and consequent policies. [222283]
Meg Hillier: Officials throughout the Home Office are involved in a full range of EU business. Those working specifically on EU business in its international directorate currently total 20. The UK Border Agency has an international policy directorate, which has a total of 20 staff working on European related matters.
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) proposed and (b) adopted Justice and Home Affairs EU legislation the UK has (i) opted into and (ii) not opted into. [222319]
Meg Hillier: The list of EU Justice and Home Affairs measures in to which the UK has decided to opt in or not under the arrangements in the Protocol on the position of the UK and Ireland in relation to Title IV of the treaty establishing the European Community are provided in a table which has been placed in the House Library.
Eurojust
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what UK participation there will be in the expanded Eurojust programme. [214160]
Meg Hillier: The UK is participating in negotiations in the Justice and Home Affairs Council on a proposal to amend Eurojust’s current legal base. That proposal aims to enhance the effectiveness of Eurojust by ensuring that it is provided with appropriate information to undertake its tasks and by providing clarity on the powers of National Members. There will be no changes as regards the powers, role and responsibilities of the UK National Member or his team. The UK will continue to participate actively in Eurojust’s activities, which we believe assist domestic authorities in pursuing cross-border investigations and prosecutions.
Fixed Penalties: Young People
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she gives to police forces on the issue of fixed penalty notices to offenders under 16 years of age under the provisions of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001. [224334]
Mr. Hanson: I have been asked to reply.
Guidance on the issue of Penalty Notices for Disorder to 10-15 year olds can be found on the Home Office website at “Police Operational Guidance: Penalty Notices for Disorder for offences committed by young people aged 10 to 15”.
Genetics: Databases
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of DNA samples were removed and destroyed from the National DNA database following a request to do so from the person from whom the DNA was taken in each year since the National DNA database has been operating, broken down by police authority area; and if she will make a statement. [197286]
Meg Hillier: The number of DNA profiles produced from samples taken from individuals by police forces in England and Wales which have been removed, for all reasons, since 2002-03, and the number of profiles held on the National DNA database (NDNAD) (for England and Wales police forces) at the end of each year, are shown in table 1. Removals broken down by police force are shown in table 2.
Information is not available breaking down removals into the number resulting from requests from the person from whom the DNA sample was taken, and the number resulting from other reasons. Details of removals before 2002-03 are not available because the NDNAD does not retain historic information; in 2002, an NDNAD management information database was created, which captures details of all record ‘transactions’, including the removal of records, and enabled the collection of this information from this point. As some profiles are duplicates, the number of profiles and the number of individuals these represent are not the same.
| Table 1: England and Wales | ||
| Profiles removed | Profiles held (approximate) | |
| Table 2 | ||||||
| Force | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007( 1) |
| (1) April to 31 December. | ||||||
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