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27 Feb 2009 : Column 1149W—continued
Since January 2001 the following number of JOWOG and JOWOG related meetings have taken place:
| Meetings in the US | Meetings in the UK | Total number of meetings | |
I am withholding further detail of the content of JOWOG discussions in the interests of national security.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what visits have been made by (a) US personnel to Aldermaston and (b) Aldermaston personnel to (i) Los Alamos, (ii) Sandia and (iii) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories in each year since 2003; and what the purpose of each of those visits was. [258427]
Mr. Hutton: The total number of visits by Atomic Weapons Establishment personnel to each of the US national laboratories and vice versa in support of all aspects of work covered by the Mutual Defence Agreement (including the Polaris Sales Agreement as amended for Trident), is as follows:
| To Los Alamos | From Los Alamos | |
| To Sandia | From Sandia | |
| To Lawrence Livermore | From Lawrence Livermore | |
These figures include personnel making more than one visit, and visits to several sites during a single trip.
I am withholding further detail of the purpose of these visits in the interests of national security.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether scientists from the United States have made use of hydrodynamic facilities at the Atomic Weapons Establishment for experiments on US warhead designs. [258434]
Mr. Hutton: Under the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement, joint UK/US hydrodynamic experiments have been carried out to ensure the continued safety, security, and performance of our current nuclear stockpiles.
Home Department
Detainees: Mentally Ill
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people detained in a place of safety under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 were held in police cells in each of the last five years; [258341]
(2) how many people were detained in a place of safety under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 in each of the last five years. [258342]
Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
Comprehensive national information on the number of people detained in a place of safety under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 is not available.
Statistics are published by the Information Centre for health and social care on detentions under section 136 in hospitals in England and by the Welsh Assembly Government on detentions under that section in mental health facilities in Wales. Information on the number of such detentions is shown in the following table.
| Number of detentions under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 in hospitals in England and in mental health facilities in Wales, 2003-04 to 2007-08 | ||
| Number of detentions | ||
| England | Wales | |
| Sources: 1. In-patients formally detained in hospitals under the Mental Health Act 1983 and other legislation, England: 1997-98 to 2007-08, Information Centre for Health and Social Care, October 2008; 2 Admission of patients to mental health facilities in Wales (Including patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983), Statistical Release 167/2008, Welsh Assembly Government, October 2008. | ||
Equivalent information about detentions in police custody is not available. Research by the Independent Police Complaints Commission estimated that a total of 11,517 people were detained in police stations in England and Wales under section 136 in 2005-06.
Detainees: Prostitution
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals who had worked as a prostitute in the UK were subsequently detained in prison in each year since 2000. [258270]
Mr. Malik: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested is not held centrally. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Justice (Mr. Hanson) to my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Bolton, South-East (Dr. Iddon) on 10 December 2008, Official Report, column 116W.
The legal background to the offence of being a common prostitute, loitering, or soliciting for the purposes of prostitution is contained in Section 1 of the Street Offences Act, 1959.
Under the Act the maximum penalty for this offence is a fine, not imprisonment. Figures obtained from the prison service IT system confirm that there are currently no women serving prison sentences for the offence. Non-payment of any fine accruing from the offence would be recorded as defaulting on the payment of the fine.
It is not known how many males or females who previously worked as prostitutes have subsequently been detained in prison.
This is the position regarding England and Wales; for information regarding the legal position and a response to the question as it applies to Scotland and Northern Ireland it would be necessary to approach the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Prison Service.
Human Trafficking: Victims
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how much her Department is spending on the Poppy project in 2008-09; [258445]
(2) what capacity the Poppy project has to provide intensive support for the initial four-week support period; [258446]
(3) what mechanisms are in place to monitor the work of the Poppy project, including (a) how public funds are spent, (b) the capacity of the project in relation to demand, (c) the quality of counselling provided and (d) checks on volunteers; [258447]
(4) how many (a) full-time staff, (b) fully-qualified counsellors and (c) fully-qualified translators are employed by the Poppy project; [258448]
(5) what conditions apply to people receiving services provided by the Poppy project on (a) the initial four-week support, (b) support for resettlement, (c) compensation through (i) the courts and (ii) the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme and (d) eligibility for the new renewable one-year residence permits; [258449]
(6) how many identified victims of trafficking received from the Poppy project (a) the initial four week support, (b) support for resettlement, (c) compensation through (i) the courts and (ii) the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, (d) eligibility for the new renewable one-year residence permits and (e) other services in each of the last five years; [258450]
(7) how many identified victims of trafficking were denied services from the Poppy project in each of the last five years due to (a) the project's limited capacity and (b) the refusal by the victim to co-operate with prosecutions; and what other options for support are available for victims in such cases. [258451]
Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
The Government have invested £5.8 million into Eaves Housing for Women to run the Poppy project since 2003. The grant for this financial year is £1.3 million. This provides for a range of services including 35 supported accommodation places and eight full-time staff. While the project facilitates access to counselling and interpretative services and can pay for this where necessary, it does not directly employ these professionals.
Eaves Housing for Women is required to submit regular monitoring and financial information, which is reviewed on a quarterly basis. The organisation does
not submit any specific information on the use of volunteers. However the organisation is required to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of clients, which includes undertaking Criminal Records Bureau checks for staff and volunteers.
Under the terms of the grant clients can be supported for an initial four weeks, with longer-term services provided in return for cooperation with the authorities. To qualify for support women must be over 18-years-old, trafficked into the United Kingdom and sexually exploited through prostitution in the United Kingdom.
Between March 2003 and December 2008, 423 women received support from the Poppy project; 215 benefited from supported accommodation and 208 received outreach support. The Poppy project has developed partnerships with other organisations to help provide alternative services for individuals that do not meet the eligibility criteria or when the project is at capacity. Information on the number of individuals that have been unable to access the Poppy project is not held centrally.
It is open to the courts to award compensation orders in favour of a victim of crime and victims of violence can also apply to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. While the Poppy project can inform victims of avenues to access compensation, it is not within their authority to determine eligibility for, or administer compensation.
This year we will be expanding support services for victims of human trafficking and extending the reflection and recovery period to a minimum of 45 days. The Government will also introduce new renewable temporary residence permits for identified victims of human trafficking that participate in a criminal investigation.
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