| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
10 Mar 2009 : Column 303W—continued
Immigration: Peterborough
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals seeking indefinite leave to remain who are resident in Peterborough constituency have been waiting for their determination of status for a period of (a) less than 12 months, (b) between 12 and 24 months, (c) between 24 and 36 months and (d) more than 36 months; and if she will make a statement. [249285]
Mr. Woolas: The following table details the number of applicants resident in Peterborough awaiting a decision on their indefinite leave to remain application broken down by specified periods, but without reference to the reason.
The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.
| Applicants recorded as being resident in the Peterborough postal area awaiting a decision regarding an application for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom, by specified period, on 15 January 2009 | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five 2 Data relate to lead applicants only Source: UKBA Case Information Database | |
Intelligence Services
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish the reports her predecessors received on the activities of the security service in relation to the 1984 miners' strike, with particular reference to intelligence received from the National Union of Mineworkers and the method by which it was obtained. [261370]
Mr. Coaker: It is the established policy of successive Governments to offer no comment in response to questions about alleged activities of the intelligence and security agencies. The Home Office can therefore not confirm or deny whether the Secretary of State for the Home Department's predecessors received reports in connection to the 1984 miners’ strike.
North Wales Police: Sick Leave
Mr. David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many North Wales police officers currently absent from work through illness have been absent for a period of (a) between three and six months, (b) between six and 12 months and (c) more than 12 months. [261889]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 9 March 2009]: The information requested is not held centrally. The available data relating to police sickness absence are for the amount of police officer and police staff working time lost to sickness. The data are available on the Home Office website, located at:
Offenders: Personal Records
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which (a) individuals and (b) organisations other than police forces are permitted to use the Police National Computer; and if she will make a statement. [259060]
Mr. Coaker: There is a substantial body of legislation which regulates the Police National Computer (PNC), the principal part of which is the Data Protection Act (1984, 1988, 1998 and 2003) and part 5 of the Police Act 1997. The code of practice for the management of police information, introduced under the provisions of the Police Act 1996 and the National Police Records (Recordable Offences) Regulations 2000, form a secondary layer of regulation.
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary inspects police forces' use of PNC.
Access to PNC by non-police organisations is governed by the PNC Information Access Panel (PIAP), whose membership is comprised of the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Association of Police Authorities, the Home Office, and the National Policing Improvement Agency.
Any business case considered by PIAP requesting access to the PNC must:
1. Identify where there is a lawful and justifiable reason for the granting of access. ‘Justifiable’ is to include:
Protection of Life and Property
Preserving Order
Preventing the Commission of Offences
Bringing Offenders to Justice
Counter Terrorism.
2. Determine whether the access is appropriate to the lawful data needs of the applicant organisation.
3. Ensure appropriate safeguards exist for compliance with data protection and human rights legislation or information assurance rules.
4. Make sure adequate security measures are in place for the transmission to and storage in the requesting organisation.
5. Be certain that an appropriate training regime exists in the applicant organisation for users of PNC.
PIAP has defined the following organisations as ‘non-police’ and has agreed that authorised users within these organisations can have a level of access commensurate with their previously stated and agreed business needs.
Non-police organisations with access to PNC:
1. Access Northern Ireland
2. Charity Commission for England and Wales
3. Criminal Cases Review Commission
4. Criminal Records Bureau
5. Defence Vetting Agency
6. Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
7. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
8. Department for Transport
9. Department for Work and Pensions
10. Disclosure Scotland
11. Drivers Vehicle and Licensing Authority
12. Environment Agency
13. Financial Services Authority
14. Foreign and Commonwealth Office
15. Gangmasters Licensing Authority
16. Health and Safety Executive
17. Highways Agency
18. Her Majesty's Prison Service
19. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs
20. Home Office
21. Independent Police Complaints Commission
22. Jersey Customs and Immigration
23. Mersey Tunnels Police
24. Ministry of Justice
25. National Air Traffic Service
26. National Health Service
27.Office of Civil Nuclear Security
28. Office of Fair Trading
29. Royal Mail
30. United Kingdom Border Agency
31. Vehicle and Operators Service Agency.
Offensive Weapons: Crime Prevention
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much had been spent on the implementation of the Tackling Knives Action Programme in each of the participating areas at the latest date for which figures are available; and if she will take steps to implement the programme in other areas with high levels of knife crime. [259517]
Mr. Coaker: More than £5 million has been spent on the implementation of the Tackling Knives Action Programme (TKAP). A breakdown of the £1.8 million that was initially invested in the 10 areas is appended as follows. A further £300,000 was provided to the forces to procure 85 search arches and 566 wands in addition to the 350 wands and 100 arches previously provided nationally.
In October, £3.4 million of extra funding was allocated to police forces in the TKAP areas to extend after-school patrols, Safer Schools Partnerships and Operation Staysafe
programmes, to ensure that young people are kept safe in and around their school. A further £100,000 has also been made available to combat underage sales of knives.
In addition to the 10 ‘first tier’, TKAP police forces have also identified Bedfordshire, South Yorkshire and Northumbria as areas that could benefit from TKAP’s intensive approach as well as the British Transport police. The geographical coverage of TKAP continues to be kept under review.
| Initial investment in TKAP police force areas | |
| £ | |
Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding her Department will allocate to the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner in each of the next three years; and how much will be allocated specifically for the regulation of those who provide immigration advice and services. [261219]
Mr. Woolas: The grant in aid to be given to the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) for the year 2009-10 is under consideration but has not yet been completed.
Police: Compensation
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what scheme of compensation exists for British police officers injured while working in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan; and if she will make a statement. [261847]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 9 March 2009]: British police officers serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, or their dependants, are eligible for an award under the Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations if they become permanently disabled as a result of an injury received in the execution of duty. Police officers serving in those countries may also be eligible for an award under a separate compensation scheme administered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the event of an injury while on or off duty in the mission area.
Police: Greater Manchester
Mr. Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of the cost of policing the new electronic borders operations centre in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester. [258920]
Mr. Woolas: We have taken the view that the benefit of protecting this facility far outweighs the cost.
Police: Powers
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps her Department has taken to modernise the (a) powers and (b) practices of police forces. [258854]
Mr. Coaker [h olding answer 2 March 2009] : The Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 and the accompanying PACE codes of practice are subject to ongoing review.
A formal public consultation on PACE and modernising police powers was carried out in March 2007 and August 2008. The PACE review website provides full details of the consultation process.
Police: Road Traffic Control
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many road traffic police officers there were in 1996; and how many there are at the present time. [261538]
Mr. Coaker: Available data relate to 1995-96 and 2007-08, when there were 8,084 and 6,299 full-time equivalent police officers respectively employed in the function traffic.
Prostitution
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much local authorities spent on average in each of the last five years on policing prostitution. [259207]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Police funding is devolved directly to police forces from central Government and it is for each force to identify how its budget is spent.
Therefore, the Home Office does not monitor the spending by different forces on specific aspects of policing.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |