| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
6 May 2009 : Column 267W—continued
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 19 March 2009, Official Report, column 69WS, on asylum support, in which areas the plastic payment card system for the administration of section 4 support is to be piloted; how many asylum seekers will be involved in the pilot programme; what the planned timetable for the pilot programme is; what the aims of the pilot programme are; what estimate she has made of the cost of the pilot programme; what criteria will apply in respect of its assessments; when she expects to publish an evaluation of the pilot programme; and if she will make a statement. [271647]
Mr. Woolas: The introduction of the Section 4 Support Card will be piloted in London and the north-west region and the plan is to issue the card to around 200 people.
The date for commencing the pilot programme has not yet been determined and planning for the pilot programme is at an early stage. I am unable to provide any more information at the present time. There are no plans to issue a statement.
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 19 March 2009, Official Report, column 69WS, on asylum support, if she will provide section 4 support for asylum seekers in cash; and if she will make a statement. [271648]
Mr. Woolas: There are no plans to begin paying section 4 support to failed asylum seekers in cash.
Asylum: Terrorism
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences since 11 September 2001 have at some point claimed asylum. [241282]
Mr. Woolas: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those arrested in the course of Operation Pathway claimed asylum after being arrested. [271668]
Mr. Woolas: The UK Border Agency does not normally disclose the immigration status of individuals.
Community Relations
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2009, Official Report, column 312W, on community relations, when she expects Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary to report its findings in relation to its inspection of police Prevent activity. [271523]
Mr. Coaker: Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary are nearing completion of their inspection of police Prevent activity, and plan to report their findings in May 2009, a month later than previously planned.
Community Relations: Contracts
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any of the tasks to be undertaken under the Channel Project will be delivered by subcontractors. [271515]
Mr. Coaker: Channel relies on the full range of local partners, including statutory and community-based partners, to provide support packages for those individuals identified as vulnerable to being drawn into violent extremism. These organisations are not funded through the Home Office’s Channel grant. Home Office funding for Channel covers the costs of salaries for Channel co-ordinators.
Community Relations: Finance
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2009, Official Report, column 1482W, on community relations: finance, how many of the 33 projects aimed at disrupting violent extremism will be delivered by subcontractors; and how the performance of those subcontractors will be monitored. [270569]
Mr. Coaker: Our delivery partners (subcontractors) are contributing to the delivery of 16 of the 33 projects aimed at disrupting violent extremism. Where they are being used, a number of systems are in place to monitor delivery including:
Internal evaluation schemes;
Project Board meetings or monthly update meetings;
Independent evaluation;
Progress reports;
Agreed action plans.
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2009, Official Report, column 1481W, on community relations: finance, which of the grass roots projects aimed at tackling radicalisation funded by her Department are being delivered by subcontractors; and what measures are in place to monitor the performance of such subcontractors. [270587]
Mr. Coaker:
The nine projects that are funded by the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism Prevent Unit are being delivered by subcontractors. The arrangements
in place to monitor these projects are through a third sector intermediary and their evaluation is overseen by internal researchers.
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2009, Official Report, columns 1481-82W, on community relations: finance, what projects aimed at preventing violent extremism are being undertaken by youth offending and youth secure establishments; and whether any of these projects are being run by subcontractors. [270674]
Mr. Coaker: There are currently 40 operational projects in Youth Offending Teams, Young Offender Institutions and Secure Training Centres across England and Wales that the Youth Justice Board have responsibility for. A further nine are due to undertake projects with immediate effect.
Projects range from mentoring to sport and arts based activities to civil and community lead initiatives. Project work with young people across the criminal justice sector ranges from light touch prevention projects working with those young people who have yet to enter the criminal justice arena, to more tailored interventions with young people on community and custody orders.
Youth Offending Teams, Young Offender Institutions and Secure Training Centres have been actively encouraged to work with a range of different community and third sector partners. They have also been encouraged to align to the local authority’s local Preventing Violent Extremism delivery plan, which they must feed into. This process will limit the possibilities of duplication in projects and funding.
Funding has been given to the Youth Offending Teams, Young Offender Institutions and Secure Training Centres and the Youth Justice Board has an established audit and accounting process already in place with these establishments. In addition, progress is overseen by the Youth Justice Board’s Preventing Violent Extremism Programme Board and governance structures within the Office of Security and Counter-Terrorism also provide oversight and challenge. The University of Huddersfield has been contracted to provide independent evaluation of the effectiveness of the programmes.
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Prevent strategy has cost in each year since its inception; and if she will make a statement. [272556]
Mr. Coaker: The Prevent Strategy was launched in October 2007. Total Home Office spending in 2007-08 was under £2 million. The United Kingdom's Strategy for Countering International Terrorism published in March 2009 sets out the cost of key deliverables in 2008-09 and this includes more than £140 million across Government on the Prevent Strategy.
Community Security Trust
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will place a copy of her speech to the annual dinner of the Community Security Trust on 2 March 2009 in the Library; and if she will make a statement. [263290]
Mr. Coaker: A copy of the Home Secretary's speech to the annual dinner of the Community Security Trust on 2 March is available on the Home Office website at
Demonstrations: Parliament Square
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many (a) males and (b) females in each age group were arrested during the demonstration in Parliament Square on 20 April 2009; how many have been charged with offences committed during that demonstration; and if she will make a statement; [270872]
(2) how many police officers of each rank took part in policing the demonstration held in Parliament Square on 20 April 2009; and if she will make a statement. [270798]
Mr. Coaker: The Home Office does not hold this information. These are operational matters for the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what steps she (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to ensure that Parliament Square is kept free of demonstrators on parliamentary sitting days; what recent representations she has received on this issue; and if she will make a statement; [270960]
(2) if she will commission a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis on the policing of the demonstration held in Parliament Square on 20 April 2009; what steps the police (a) have taken and (b) are planning to take to clear Parliament Square of demonstrators; and if she will make a statement. [270873]
Mr. Coaker: The Government are committed to protecting and facilitating the right to peaceful protest. Police tactics and decisions on policing protests are matters for the independent judgment of chief officers of police. We have made it clear that there should be no unnecessary restrictions on the right to protest in the vicinity of Parliament. Following our consultation exercise last year on managing protest around Parliament, we announced our intention to repeal the relevant provisions in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. We intend to do that as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many arrests the police have made of persons demonstrating in Parliament Square and adjacent areas since 3 April 2009 under section 132 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 for the offence of demonstrating without authorisation in a designated area; [271680]
(2) how many items have been confiscated by the police from Tamil demonstrators in Parliament Square and in lieu of arrest under the provisions of section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 since the commencement of the protest; [271682]
(3) how many arrests the police have made in connection with the Tamil protest in Parliament Square and adjacent areas since its commencement; for what
offence or offences each individual has been arrested; and how many of these arrests were made of the offence of display of support for an organisation proscribed under section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000. [271683]
Mr. Coaker: The Home Office does not hold this information. These are operational matters for the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the daily cost of policing the ongoing demonstration in Parliament Square has been; how many police officers of each rank are taking part in policing the demonstration; how many (a) males and (b) females in each age group have been arrested since 21 April 2009; how many have been charged with offences committed during that demonstration since 21 April 2009; and if she will make a statement. [272169]
Mr. Coaker: The Home Office does not hold this information. These are operational matters for the Commissioner of the Metropolitan police.
Departmental Billing
John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of its suppliers her Department has paid within 10 days of receipt of invoice in each of the last five months. [272249]
Mr. Woolas: The percentage of invoices paid within 10 days to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in each of the last five months is as follows:
| Month | Percentage of invoices paid to SMEs within 10 days |
As many suppliers issue more than one invoice in each month, it is not possible to provide the percentage of the Department’s suppliers which are paid within 10 days of receipt of invoice.
Departmental Data Protection
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many private contractors have been granted access to personal data held by her Department in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement. [241805]
Jacqui Smith: The information required is not held centrally, therefore we are unable to provide an answer because of the disproportionate cost threshold.
Mr. Vara:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of contractors and suppliers to (a) her Department and (b) its agencies have reported that they are compliant with the Government's security standards following publication of the report, “Data Handling Procedures in
Government”, and the accompanying document, “Cross-departmental Actions: Mandatory Minimum Action”, on 25 June 2008. [245325]
Mr. Woolas: All contractors have been informed of the requirements.
In addition, in September 2008 each major Home Office supplier was sent a letter to a named, senior individual in the organisation reminding them of their responsibilities regarding data handling and requesting sight of the supplier’s policy. A self assurance model is being developed, supplemented by a risk based audit regime on suppliers.
A supplier conference has been held which specifically included a presentation on the approach to data handling and supplier obligations.
The Home Office is using the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) model services contract which contains the revised security terms and guidance to reflect the recommendations contained in the “Data Handling Procedures in Government” report for all new contracts.
Departmental Databases
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) guidelines and (b) safeguards her Department has in place for the commercial licensing of its departmental databases. [271994]
Mr. Coaker: The Home Office does not hold any commercial licensed databases for the use of private companies therefore there are no guidelines or safeguards in place.
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which of her Department's (a) centrally managed and (b) agency managed databases are commercially licensed for the use of private companies; to whom each is licensed; and how much revenue her Department has received for each licence. [271995]
Mr. Coaker: The Home Office does not hold any commercial licensed databases for the use of private companies.
Departmental Higher Education
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in her Department undertook courses funded by the Department for (a) undergraduate degrees, (b) postgraduate degrees or diplomas, (c) Masters degrees, (d) MBA degrees and (e) PhD degrees in the last 12 months, broken down by pay band. [242129]
Mr. Woolas: The Home Office HQ, United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA), Identity and Passport Service (IPS), and the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) provide sponsorship for staff to undertake a range of training leading to higher education qualifications.
Data are not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |