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18 Dec 2008 : Column 1079W—continued
Drugs: Crime Prevention
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish the value for money study of drug policy expenditure undertaken as part of the 2007 drug strategy review. [243513]
Jacqui Smith: The most recently available evidence on illicit drug use and the effectiveness of a range of interventions, which was drawn on in the development of the Drug Strategy is set out in an appendix to the strategy document itself.
The Home Office has no current plans to publish the value for money analysis which helped to inform the development of the new drug strategy.
Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) families, (b) children under the age of 18 and (c) people over the age of 18 years were detained within Dungavel detention centre between 1 December and 31 December in each of the last five years. [241497]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 15 December 2008]: The number of families and children detained over the last five years between 1 December and 31 December are as follows:
2003: 16 families with 20 children
2004: 6 families with 10 children
2005: 6 families with 4 children
2006: 13 families with 28 children
2007: 3 families with 8 children
The number of individuals aged over 18 years detained between 1 December and 31 December over the last five years are as follows:
| Number of individuals | |
| (1) Data not available. | |
Human Trafficking
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Government spent on (a) Operation Pentameter 1 and (b) Operation Pentameter 2. [243320]
Jacqui Smith: We provided £100,000 to further support the victim care arrangements under Operation Pentameter 2. All other costs of both operations were met from existing budgets.
Outside of these operations we have, to date invested £5.8 million in the Poppy Project over the last six years to provide high level specialist support for victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation, and have committed a further £4.9 million over the next three years to support the work of the UK human trafficking centre.
Human Trafficking: Prostitution
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of people who have been trafficked who are (a) in the UK and (b) working as prostitutes; on what research her estimate is based; and if she will place in the Library a copy of the research. [242656]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The nature of the crime makes it difficult to provide an accurate assessment of the scale of the problem faced by the United Kingdom.
The latest estimate is that at any one time in 2003 there were up to 4,000 women in the UK who had been trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. We have no estimate of the scale of trafficking for non sexual purposes. This estimate was part of an internal Home Office document on the social and economic costs of organised crime.
The United Kingdom Human Trafficking and the Serious Organised Crime Agency continue to improve our knowledge of this issue and the analysis of the outcomes of Operation Pentameter 2 will further inform this work.
Identity Cards
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures will be introduced to secure the identity of (a) people under 16 years and (b) individuals who will not be enrolled on the National Identity Register. [241606]
Jacqui Smith: The Identity and Passport Service already holds securely identity information on some 43 million people of all ages issued with passports within the United Kingdom. It will continue to hold securely the identity information of people under 16 years of age who hold a passport and of adults who hold a passport but have not yet enrolled on the National Identity Register.
Identity Cards: Internet
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) with reference to the Introducing the National Identity Scheme guide of 6 November 2008, what mechanism will exist to allow the public to check their core identity information on the internet; [241636]
(2) with reference to the Introducing the National Identity Scheme guide of 6 November 2008, how will the security of the system to allow identity card holders to check their core identity information online be protected; [241637]
(3) with reference to the Introducing the National Identity Scheme guide of 6 November 2008, what estimate has been made of the cost of providing the system to allow identity card holders to check their core identity information online. [241638]
Jacqui Smith: It is intended that a web-based service will be introduced as identity cards begin to be introduced in high volumes to permit an individual to check their core identity information on the National Identity Register. This will be subject to secure remote authentication of the individual in question so that we are assured that it is the individual in question that is making the request. We are currently investigating the possible alternatives available to achieve this but no final method has been decided. The system will also need to achieve security accreditation in accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines before it can start operation.
The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) is currently in the process of procuring the system that will enable the establishment of this service. This process will involve the creation of varying systems design from participating bidders on the basis of outcome-based requirements provided by IPS. They can propose a number of different technical and security solutions to deliver such requirements. As a result, the detailed security measures that will be put in place in order to meet the appropriate security standards will be dependent on the final design proposed by the successful bidder. It is not possible to identify the specific cost of providing this service separately at this point in time.
Identity Cards: Public Opinion
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many items of correspondence her Department has received on identity cards and the national identity database in the last two years; and how many expressed (a) support for and (b) opposition to the Government's policy; [241661]
(2) how many written requests her Department has received from persons expressing the desire to apply early for an identity card. [241806]
Jacqui Smith: The Identity and Passport Services has received 3,073 items of correspondence regarding the identity cards and the National Identity Register from 1 November 2006 to 31 October 2008.
Correspondence received regarding the national identity scheme is not recorded as being in support of or in opposition to identity cards.
The volume of correspondence on the national identity scheme is recorded each month. The detail of the correspondence received is recorded by theme. The list of themes is not exhaustive and can be added to as required. One letter can generate multiple themes.
From October 2007 to September 2008, the number one theme every month, accounting for by far the most common subject matter, has been “Wants an ID Card”. The Identity and Passport Services received l,142 items of correspondence recorded under the theme of “wants an identity card” from 1 November 2006 to 31 October 2008.
Independent Safeguarding Authority
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the Independent Safeguarding Authority is funded; what considerations underlay the appointment of the chair, chief executive and board of the authority; what work it has undertaken to date; and if she will make a statement. [246053]
Meg Hillier: The Independent Safeguarding Authority is a non-departmental public body established by the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (as the "Independent Barring Board"), sponsored by the Home Office and funded by grant-in-aid.
The chair, Board Members and Chief Executive of the Authority were all recruited by open competition. The Chair and Members must meet the requirements set out in Schedule 1 of the 2006 Act. Requirements for the post of Chief Executive included significant senior management experience and knowledge of safeguarding issues.
In addition to the work required to establish the new Authority, recruit and transfer staff and establish a headquarters building, the Authority at present provides advice to the Secretary of State in accordance with paragraph 1 of Schedule 8 to the 2006 Act.
Metropolitan Police: Human Trafficking
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008, Official Report, columns 2275-6W, on Metropolitan Police: human trafficking, if she will place in the Library a copy of all recent correspondence between her Department, the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Metropolitan Police related to the funding of the Metropolitan Police human trafficking team. [243448]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The MPS were informed by ACPO of the grant available for the current financial year in early 2008. The MPS have found themselves unable to mainstream this work into their budget as expected. In the light of this and the availability of some money from their existing budget, we have agreed, exceptionally to provide funding which will enable the MPS to maintain the trafficking team for 2009-10. This funding has been offered on the basis that the full cost of the trafficking team is met solely from the MPS budget as from 1 April 2010.
Police: Chelmsford
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers, (b) police constables, (c) police sergeants and (d) police community support offices were working in West Chelmsford constituency in (i) 2007 and (ii) 2008 to date. [244181]
Mr. Coaker
[holding answer 16 December 2008]: Police strength data are not collected by parliamentary constituency areas. Data are collected at the Basic Command Unit (BCU) level and at the force level. These data are published annually in the Home Office
Statistical Bulletin "Police Service Strength, England and Wales", copies of which are available online and in the Library of the House.
Data for the Central BCU of Essex police are not collected by police rank and so data for all officers and for PCSOs are given in Table 1.
Data for Essex police for the police ranks requested and for PCSOs are given in Table 2.
| Table 1: Police officer and PCSO strength for the Basic Command Unit of Essex Central as at 31 March in the years given( 1) | ||
| 2007 | 2008 | |
| Table 2: Police officer strength and PCSO strength for Essex police force as at 31 March in the years given( 1) | ||
| 2007 | 2008 | |
| (1) These figures are based on full-time equivalents that have been rounded to the nearest whole number, due to rounding there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of constituent items. Figures include those officers on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. | ||
Police: Essex
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) discussions she has had with and (b) representations she has received from Essex Police on areas of budgetary (i) overspend and (ii) underspend by Essex police force since January 2008; and if she will make a statement. [244869]
Mr. Coaker: We have not received any representations nor held any discussions with Essex police on overspends and underspends.
Decisions on the distribution of resources are matters for the chief constable of Essex and the police authority. It is a legal requirement for the police authority to set balanced budgets taking into account any use of reserves.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of levels of job satisfaction of officers in Essex Police in each year since 1997; what assessment she has made of trends in such levels; and if she will make a statement. [244872]
Mr. Coaker: We do not undertake such assessments. It is a matter for the chief constable to consider whether they are appropriate.
Police: Firearms
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many authorised firearms officers there were in England in each year since 2005; [243603]
(2) how many authorised firearms officers were recruited in England in each year since 2005. [243604]
Jacqui Smith: Details of the number of authorised firearms officers in England and Wales are published on an annual basis and can be found on the Home Office website at:
Figures for the number of authorised firearms officers recruited every year are not collected separately.
Prostitution
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to hold a public consultation on the proposals contained in her Department's review Tackling the Demand for Prostitution. [244914]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The Review of Tackling the Demand for Prostitution engaged with key stakeholders and practitioners, including the Police and the Crown Prosecution Service as well as a variety of organisations that provide support to individuals involved in prostitution, and considered a range of evidence from a number of sources. There are no plans to conduct a public consultation on the recommendations of the review.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate she has made of the average age of people working as prostitutes; on what research that estimate is based; and if she will place in the Library a copy of that research; [244925]
(2) what estimate she has made of the number of prostitutes working in the UK who are (a) women, (b) men, (c) under the age of 16, (d) suffering from a drug addiction, (e) homeless, (f) supporting dependants and (e) working for another person's gain; on what research each estimate is based; and if she will place in the Library a copy of that research. [244926]
Mr. Alan Campbell: This information is not available.
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