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4 Nov 2008 : Column 358W—continued
| Table (B):Crimes in which a handgun was used( 1) causing fatal injury and offences per 100,000 population: England and Avon and Somerset, 1997-98 to 2006-07 | ||||
| England | Avon and Somerset | |||
| Number of offences | Offences per 100,000 population | Number of offences | Offences per 100,000 population | |
| (1 )By being fired, used as a blunt instrument or used as a threat (2 )There was a change in the counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998. (3 )The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on 1 April 2002. Figures for some crime categories may have been inflated by this. | ||||
Genetics: Databases
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her most recent estimate is of the number of errors on the national DNA database; and how many and what percentage of the errors which were on the database in 2007 have been corrected. [229175]
Mr. Alan Campbell: It is not possible to estimate the number of erroneous records that may exist on the National DNA Database (NDNAD) and I refer my right hon. Friend to the reply given on 25 March 2008, Official Report, column 71W, by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office (Meg Hillier), in response to a question from him on the number of irregularities on the National DNA Database.
About 13.3 per cent. of records on the NDNAD are estimated to be duplicates or replicates. These are not erroneous but are dealt with in this answer because of my right hon. Friend’s previous reference to them as “mistakes”—21 April 2008, Official Report, column 1032W, refers.
Replicate records can arise for a number of reasons but as they do not cause leads to be missed, or possible miscarriages of justice, they are not regarded as erroneous.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people aged under 18 who (a) have not been convicted of any crime and (b) have been convicted of a minor crime have their details stored on the national DNA database. [231720]
Mr. Alan Campbell: I refer my right hon. Friend to the written answer given to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 1 September 2008, Official Report, column 1565W.
No information is available on whether the crime for which the individual was convicted, cautioned, reprimanded or had received a final warning was minor or more serious and this could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of individuals from each police force area who have details stored on the National DNA Database have been found guilty of an offence. [232328]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The National DNA Database does not record convictions. That is done by the Police National Computer (PNC). When data was last obtained from PNC it showed that at 31 March 2008, 857,366 people on the National DNA Database did not have a current criminal record on the Police National Computer. However, this figure includes those who have been convicted and their records deleted, and those where proceedings are still ongoing, as well as those who have never been convicted. It would be possible to break this figure down by police force area only at disproportionate cost.
Illegal Immigrants: France
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assistance the Government provides to France on the policing of the French border of the Channel tunnel. [231730]
Mr. Coaker: The UK and French Governments and police organisations co-operate closely on policing of the channel tunnel. UK and French senior officials and police officers meet regularly in the Joint Security Committee (JSC), which is set up by the Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) to ensure continued comparability of security standards for the channel tunnel. Kent police provide a permanent police presence and response to the channel tunnel which is funded under the terms of the Channel Tunnel Act. Kent police, under joint arrangements, also maintain a permanent liaison office in Coquelles that provides direct engagement with the French authorities. Article 4 of the Sangatte treaty further mandates regular joint operational meetings between French and UK agencies. The safety and security of the channel tunnel is supported by other initiatives such as the annual exercise programme, the lead for which alternates between the UK and France.
Investigatory Powers Tribunal
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received on the effectiveness of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal in the last 12 months. [229240]
Mr. Coaker: The Secretary of State for the Home Department has not received any representations on the effectiveness of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.
Police National Computer: Access
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who is permitted to have access to the information contained on the police national computer. [232296]
Mr. Coaker: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the then Minister of state for security, counter-terrorism, crime and policing (Mr. McNulty), to the hon. Member for Monmouth (David T.C. Davies) on 5 March 2008, Official Report, column 2672W.
Police: Olympic Games 2012
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what budgets police authorities have established for the cost of overtime and other expenses in connection with the policing of the 2012 London Olympics. [232901]
Mr. Coaker: Future budgets set by police authorities are a matter for the police authorities concerned. The Government are currently drawing up a detailed assessment of the likely additional security costs of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games.
Project Scope
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of (a) Project Scope and (b) Project Scope 2; [221383]
(2) how much her Department spent on the delivery of (a) Project Scope and (b) Project Scope 2; [221384]
(3) when the roll-out of (a) Project Scope and (b) Project Scope 2 will be completed; and if she will make a statement. [221385]
Mr. Watson: I have been asked to reply.
With regard to the effectiveness of the SCOPE programme I have nothing further to add to the words of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs during the recent debate on the Intelligence and Security Committee on 17 July 2008, Official Report, column 498W.
In respect of information requested concerning the costs associated with the programme, I refer to the answer given to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 6 November 2006, Official Report, column 862W.
We have informed our contractor for Phase 2 of SCOPE that a different approach to the delivery of those capabilities is needed. As a result we are discussing these implications with the contractor. The details of these discussions are commercially confidential and will remain so.
Research Development and Statistics Directorate: Publications
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bury St Edmunds of 26 June 2008, Official Report, columns 445-6W, on the Research Development and Statistics Directorate: publications, if she will place in the Library a copy of the research on neighbourhood wardens, redacting any sensitive personal information. [222947]
Mr. Alan Campbell: A copy of the draft unpublished research report on “Neighbourhood wardens: an evaluation of selected schemes” will be placed in the Library as requested.
Roads: Accidents
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were (a) prosecuted for and (b) convicted of road accident fraud in each of the last five years. [232316]
Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 3 November 2008]: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Sex Establishments: Licensing
Ms Barlow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether provisions to enable local authorities to license lap dancing clubs as sex encounter establishments will be included in the forthcoming Policing and Crime Reduction Bill. [232258]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Following a consultation with local authorities, the Home Secretary recently announced that the Government would take the necessary steps to give a stronger say to local people over the establishment of lap-dancing clubs in their area.
The Government are considering various options, including whether to license such clubs as ‘sex encounter establishments’ as defined under the Local Authorities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 and will introduce legislation as soon as the parliamentary timetable allows.
Shoplifting
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many shoplifting offences were committed in the last period for which figures are available. [229981]
Mr. Alan Campbell: There were 290,625 offences recorded by the police in 2007-08. This represents a fall of 1 per cent. over the previous year.
Surveillance: Telecommunications
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests law enforcement agencies made to telephone and internet companies for details of (a) telephone calls and (b) internet use involving a public body authorised to require the disclosure of information under Part 3 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 in each year since 2001; which were the 20 public bodies in respect of which the most requests were made; and how many requests were made in respect of each of those 20 bodies. [232947]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 3 November 2008]: The number of requests for communications data under Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) is published in the Interception of Communications Commissioner’s annual report. These figures were not collated before 2005 and are not broken down by agency, type of communication (i.e. telephone or internet) or the service provider.
| Number | |
Part 3 of RIPA deals with investigation of electronic data protected by encryption. These provisions have only been in force since October 2007. To date, 26 section 49 notices have been served on individuals requiring them to disclose material protected by encryption in an intelligible form.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to Question 201880, tabled on 25 April 2008 on the deployment of police officers to prevent violent extremism. [212937]
Mr. Coaker: My predecessor replied to you on 23 June 2008, Official Report, column 81W.
Health
Venous Thromboembolism
11. Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make risk assessments for venous thromboembolism mandatory for all patients on admission to hospital. [232541]
Ann Keen: We expect this venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk assessment policy to be adopted throughout the national health service (NHS). Currently, at the request of the Chief Medical Officer, the Chair of the national implementation group is visiting throughout the NHS to discuss with senior managers and doctors their strategies for implementing VTE risk assessment in their hospitals. We will be monitoring the position closely and formally reviewing the policy in a year’s time.
If there is inconsistency in, or lack of commitment to, implementation, we will consider making it mandatory to perform risk assessments.
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