| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
5 Nov 2008 : Column 596W—continued
Crimes of Violence: Hampshire
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded incidents of violent crime there were in (a) Southampton, (b) Test Valley Borough and (c) the ceremonial county of Hampshire in each of the last five years. [231303]
Mr. Alan Campbell: A number of changes have been made to recorded crime in response to the two reviews of crime statistics. One such change is that the term ‘violent crime’ is no longer used in connection with the recorded crime statistics. We now provide figures for violence against the person and these are given in the following table.
The available information is given in the following table and relates to the Southampton and Test Valley crime and disorder reduction partnership (CDRP) areas and the Hampshire police force area.
| Table 1. Offences of violence against the person recorded by the police—2003-04 to 2007-08 | |||||
| Number of offences | |||||
| Offence | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
Departmental Advertising
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on television advertising in each of the last five years. [230781]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 27 October 2008]: The following table outlines Home Office spend on television advertising in each of the last five years:
| Total TV spend (£) | |
| Note: These figures refer to the cost of media excluding fees, VAT and production costs. | |
During this time, TV advertising addressed the important issues of drug misuse, burglary, vehicle crime, alcohol harm and police and police community support officer recruitment.
Departmental Databases
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what use (a) her Department and (b) its agencies make of (i) MOSAIC data and (ii) ACORN data. [222040]
Mr. Woolas: The Home Office and its agencies use such data to target our paid for communications effectively, and maximise their value for money. ACORN data are also used to derive indicators applied within the principle formula Police Grant and in analysis of the British Crime Survey to help measure variations in the risk of being a victim of crime by type of residential neighbourhood. ACORN data are also used to group areas of the country sharing similar characteristics into most similar families which in turn enable each area to be compared with its peers for performance assessment purposes.
We will continue to use these commercial products in the future in new analyses where their application is most appropriate to answer analysis and research questions.
Departmental Postal Services
Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of documents sent to members of the public by her Department were lost in the post in the latest period for which information is available. [228977]
Mr. Woolas: To assess the percentage of all documents lost in the post across the whole of the Home Office area of business would be disproportionate to costs. However, on the loss of passports, the Identity and Passport Service despatch new passports to customers by Secure Delivery, a secure courier service provided by Secure Mail Services (SMS). In the last two years, around 720 passports have been lost, which represents 0.012 per cent. of the 6 million total deliveries in those years. SMS couriers now use handheld GPS technology to assist in deliveries and losses are expected to significantly reduce as a consequence.
Deportation
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the people subject to a control order the Government have attempted to deport. [231632]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 30 October 2008]: We have considered deportation for all foreign nationals currently subject to a control order.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals were removed from the UK after they had been admitted to the country in each of the last 10 years. [232408]
Mr. Woolas: The following table shows the number of cases removed or departed voluntarily from the UK between 1998 and 2007. These figures include persons departing voluntarily after enforcement action had been initiated against them and since January 1999 persons leaving under assisted voluntary return programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration. These figures exclude non-asylum cases refused entry at port and subsequently removed (including cases dealt with at juxtaposed controls).
Further National Statistics on removals from the UK are available from the Library of the House and Table 6.1 of the Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2007 bulletin
| Enforced removals and voluntary departures from the UK( 1,)( )( 2,)( )( 3) , 1998 to 2007( 4) | |
| Number | |
| (1) Includes enforced removals, persons departing voluntarily after enforcement action had been initiated against them, since January 1999 persons leaving under assisted voluntary return programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration and since January 2005 persons who it has been established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (2) Due to a reclassification of removal categories, figures include asylum removals which have been performed by Enforcement Officers using port powers of removal and a small number of asylum cases dealt with at juxtaposed controls. (3) Excludes non-asylum cases refused entry at port and subsequently removed from the UK (including non-asylum cases dealt with at juxtaposed controls. (4) Figures are rounded to the nearest five. (5) Provisional figures. | |
Deportation: Offenders
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration officers are assigned to work in prisons on duties related to the deportation of foreign national prisoners; and in which prisons they work. [231573]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 3 November 2008]: There are currently 24 dedicated immigration officers (plus six assistant immigration officers) who work in prisons throughout the UK on duties related to the deportation of foreign national prisoners. Their work is supplemented by staff from local enforcement offices when required. In addition, there are seven immigration officers who are embedded in Canterbury and Bullwood Hall prisons.
The UK Border Agency (UKBA), working closely with the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), is planning to increase the number of immigration officers embedded in prisons during the next six months.
Drugs: Crime
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to introduce further powers to seize the assets of drug dealers. [232893]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The Government announced earlier this year, as part of the draft legislative programme for 2008-09, that we would introduce new measures on the seizure and recovery of criminal assets. That remains our firm intention. Legislation will be introduced as parliamentary time permits.
Drugs: Seizures
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the monetary value was of illegal drugs seized by the UK Border Agency in 2007-08. [227243]
Jacqui Smith: The UK Border Agency was not formed in the financial year to which the question relates, therefore cannot provide the required information. I refer the hon. and learned Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Timms) on 15 October 2008, Official Report, column 1311W.
Dungavel Detention Centre
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of families held at Dungavel Detention Centre will be included in the pilot scheme to relocate those held at Dungavel to housing outside the centre. [232798]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 3 November 2008]: The UK Border Agency is working with Glasgow city council, the Scottish Refugee Council, the Scottish Executive and other partners to develop an alternative to detention pilot for families in Scotland. The pilot has not yet started but the planning process is at an advanced stage and engagement with the wider external stakeholders community is currently taking place. The pilot will build up over time to allow us to learn and explore alternatives to detention and, I hope, therefore reduce the need for the enforced removals and detention of families by assisting them to make arrangements for voluntary departure. It is intended that the pilot will be up and running in early 2009.
Not all families will go through the pilot. But if it is successful in that more families that are here illegally leave the UK without the need to detain them, the Government will consider expanding the pilot further.
For families that are here illegally and refuse to consider the current options for leaving the UK under their own steam we have no option but to retain the ability to enforce their departure if they choose to defy our laws and the decisions of our independent courts.
Electronic Government
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether mechanisms are in place to monitor the extent to which her Department’s (a) internal and (b) external (i) correspondence and (ii) distribution of publications is carried out electronically. [199187]
Mr. Woolas: All correspondence requiring a ministerial reply, as well as letters and emails from the public addressed to Ministers or to the Home Office and requiring an official reply, is tracked and managed on the Department’s correspondence tracking system. That system is not however used to track and manage any other correspondence, including commercial or casework related correspondence, correspondence between Government Departments, and letters addressed to individual members of staff by name. No mechanisms exist to monitor the extent to which all external and internal correspondence is carried out electronically.
Most publications are made available electronically via the Home Office website, but no mechanisms exist to monitor the extent of electronic distribution.
Emergency Services: Scotland
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on pension changes for the (a) police and (b) fire and rescue services. [227819]
Mr. Coaker: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has had no meetings with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland on pension changes for the police and fire rescue services.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |