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26 Mar 2009 : Column 646W—continued
Human Trafficking
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department plans to publish a report on the operation and outcomes of Operation Pentameter 2. [250112]
Mr. Alan Campbell: A report on Operation Pentameter 2 is being prepared by Gloucestershire constabulary, which led the operation. A summary version of this report, including results, will be made available in the spring.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 10 February regarding a constituent, ref: M2717/9. [265187]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 20 March 2009]: Lin Homer, Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency, replied on 20 March 2009.
Offences against Children: Internet
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with social networking sites and internet service providers on the removal of profiles of paedophiles and sex offenders. [264031]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The Government take the issue of protecting children online very seriously, and we are considering ways in which we can, with industry, protect children from those who would seek to harm them. Discussions are ongoing with a number of stakeholders regarding the removal of sex offenders from social networking sites.
Police: Right of Search
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what requirements there are on police officers to produce search warrants when searching premises; in what circumstances they are not required to produce such warrants; and if she will make a statement; [240505]
(2) who may give consent to the search of premises consequent to the arrest of the person who is in occupation or control of those premises under the provisions of the Code of Practice B issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984; and if she will make a statement. [241439]
Mr. Coaker [ h olding answer 9 December 2008]: Under PACE the police have the power to enter and search premises for evidence of an offence either on a warrant from a magistrate (for evidence of an indictable offence) or without a warrant. Powers of entry and search without warrant include the power to enter and search any premises:
for the purpose of making an arrest for an indictable offence, a limited number of summary offences or other specified circumstances (section 17 of PACE).
owned or occupied by a person who has been arrested for an indictable offence (section 18 of PACE).
where a person arrested for an indictable offence was at the time of, or immediately before, their arrest (section 32 of PACE).
Paragraph 5.1 of PACE Code of Practice B requires that if it is proposed to search premises with the consent of a person entitled to grant entry, the officer must make any necessary enquiries to be satisfied the person is in a position to give such consent. This may include the owner, landlord or occupier of the premises. PACE Code B also provides that in a lodging house or similar accommodation, every reasonable effort should be made to obtain the consent of the tenant, lodger or occupier.
Vetting
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the average estimated cost for the Criminal Records Bureau to complete a single check was in the latest period for which information is available; [264954]
(2) what target her Department has set for the length of time taken to process a Criminal Records Bureau disclosure application; and how long on average it took to process such an application in the most recent period for which figures are available; [265390]
(3) how many applications for Criminal Records Bureau checks were received in each year since 2002; and how many such checks were completed in each such year. [265448]
Mr. Malik: The total number of disclosures received and issued by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) is contained in the following table.
| Disclosures received | Disclosures issued | |
In running the disclosure service, the CRB operates to a set of published service standards (PSS) which include issuing 90 per cent. of enhanced disclosures in four weeks and 90 per cent. of standard disclosures in 10 days.
Data concerning the average time taken to complete a disclosure are not collated by the CRB. However, the Bureau has completed 88.2 per cent. of enhanced disclosures within 28 days in 2008-09 and at a unit cost of £26.18.
Justice
Courts: Hertfordshire
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of providing the Crown court service in Hertfordshire was in each year since 1997. [265815]
Bridget Prentice: Prior to the formation of Her Majesty’s Courts Service on 1 April 2005 the Crown court was administered by the Court Service and the detailed financial information relating to prior years is not held by HMCS. Obtaining the specific information relating to Hertfordshire would incur disproportionate cost as this would require a manual investigation of court records.
HMCS accounting records reflect HMCS management structure. This does not necessarily reflect HMCS geographical or court structure. As a consequence it is not possible to identify accurately all costs attributable to specific courts.
The costs of providing Crown court services in Hertfordshire for each of the last three years was:
| Financial year | £ million |
Costs included are the direct costs and cover salaries, staff expenses, accommodation expenses and depreciation.
The costs of circuit and High Court judges are not held at court level and are not included. The costs also exclude area and central overhead costs as these are not allocated to court level.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on (a) alcohol and (b) food in each of the last five years. [261160]
Maria Eagle: All expenditure on food and drink is in line with the internal Finance Policy Manual and the Gifts and Hospitality Policy, which set out mandatory guidance for all staff regarding the use of public funds. Both are consistent with the Treasury guidance on Managing Public Money, and the Treasury handbook on Propriety and Regularity.
The Ministry's policy on the provision of alcohol prohibits the supply of any alcohol paid from departmental funds for in-house hospitality. For external hospitality the guidance states:
“When providing hospitality to external parties, then discretion can be exercised, e.g. a modest amount of alcohol with a meal”.
There is no departmental requirement to separately monitor expenditure on alcohol and food. No separate account codes for these expenditure types are maintained, and to extract this information could be completed only at disproportionate cost.
Since April 2007 a record has been kept of the cost of receptions and formal dinners hosted by the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. This record indicates that in the financial year 2007-08 spending in these matters was £42,452. The total spending to January 2009 in 2008-09 financial year is £68.331. The majority of this spending is for the Lord Chancellor's Breakfast, hosted for the judiciary and foreign dignitaries on the occasion of the opening of the legal year.
Lancaster Farms Young Offender Institution
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what additional funding he has allocated for improvements to Young Offender Institute Lancaster Farms following the transfer of its juvenile population. [266041]
Mr. Hanson: £270,000 was allocated to fund additional fencing. The additional fencing has provided exercise yards and has enabled fewer restrictions upon the allocation of some young adults to purposeful activity working within farms and gardens.
Land Registry
John McDonnell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many internal grievances in the Land Registry led to an employment tribunal in each of the last two financial years; what the reasons for each such case were in each year; how many such cases were settled before a tribunal hearing in each such year; what the cost of out-of-court settlements was in each year; what the cost of fees for (a) solicitors and (b) barristers for cases taken to tribunal was in each year;
and what the cost of awards made against the Land Registry at tribunal was in each year. [265533]
Mr. Wills: 11 grievances led to an employment tribunal in 2007-08. 14 grievances led to an employment tribunal in 2008-09. The reason for each case in each year is as detailed in the following tables:
| 2007-08 | |
| Claim | Reason for claim |
| 2008-09 | |
| Claim | Reason for claim |
|
Unfair dismissal (fixed term employee) and disability discrimination | |
One case was settled before hearing at tribunal in 2007-08. No cases were settled before hearing at tribunal and four were withdrawn by the complainant in 2008-09.
The cost of out-of-court settlement in 2007-08 was £1,400. There were no out-of-court settlements in 2008-09.
The cost of solicitors’ fees in 2007-08 was £17,673.78. The cost of barristers’ fees in that year was £3,073.40.
The cost of solicitors’ fees in 2008-09 was £76,902.98. The cost of barristers’ fees in that year was £29,934.70.
There were no costs awarded against Land Registry in 2007-08. The costs awarded against Land Registry in 2008-09 were £1,250.
All 2008-09 figures are as of 24 March 2009.
Magistrates Courts: Hertfordshire
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the provision of the magistrates court service in (a) Hemel Hempstead and (b) Hertfordshire cost in each year since 1997. [265814]
Bridget Prentice: Prior to the formation of Her Majesty’s Courts Service on 1 April 2005 magistrates courts were the responsibility of individual magistrates courts committees. Consequently, HMCS does not hold records relating to magistrates courts prior to 1 April 2005.
The directly attributable costs of providing magistrates court services at Hemel Hempstead for each of the last three years was:
| Financial year | £ million |
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