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6 July 2009 : Column 560W—continued
White Phosphorus
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether civilians and non-combatants have been injured during operations by British military personnel using white phosphorus in (a) Iraq, (b) Afghanistan and (c) elsewhere in the last 10 years; what his policy is on the use of white phosphorus munitions by British forces; and if he will make a statement. [283298]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: White phosphorus munitions are only used by UK forces to protect troops on operations by producing a smoke screen to provide cover in accordance with the Third Protocol of the UN Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the use of Certain Conventional Weapons, ratified by the UK in 1995, when it became illegal to use white phosphorus as a primary incendiary weapon under UK law. Training of UK forces in the use of white phosphorus emphasises that it should only be used for its intended purpose; as an obscurant and not as an anti-personnel weapon.
The Government do not collate figures for civilian casualties in Afghanistan, Iraq or on other operations. Every effort is made to avoid civilian casualties in all theatres, and any that are the result of action by UK armed forces are always a matter of profound regret.
Home Department
Electronic Communications
14. Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with internet service providers on maintaining records of electronic communications; and if he will make a statement. [283797]
Mr. Hanson: The Home Office has regular discussions with a wide range of communications service providers. These discussions include the implementation of the EU Data Retention Directive, and potential future policies set out in the recent consultation document, “Protecting the Public in a Changing Communications Environment”.
Metropolitan Police: Human Trafficking Unit
17. Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral answer by the Prime Minister of 20 May 2009, Official Report, column 1504, what progress his Department has made towards increasing the budget for the Metropolitan police’s human trafficking unit. [283801]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Additional funding of £435,000 already has been given to the Metropolitan Police to support the costs of their human trafficking team for the current financial year.
Stop and Search
19. David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department issues to police forces on the use of stop and search techniques in detecting crime. [283803]
Mr. Hanson: Guidance entitled “Practice Advice on Stop and Search” was produced in 2006 by the Central Police Training and Development Authority for the Association of Chief Police Officers.
The practice advice helps officers to carry out their duties in a practical manner and provide a consistent level of service to the public.
Prostitution
21. Dr. Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons his Department has proposed the creation of a new offence of paying for the sexual services of a prostitute controlled for gain. [283805]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The new offence will shift the focus of enforcement activity away from those who are working as prostitutes and on to those who have sex with prostitutes who are forced or coerced.
National DNA Database
24. John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many serious crime cases ending in conviction DNA evidence retained on the national DNA database was presented in court in the last 12 months. [283808]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Data are available on the number of detections with DNA, but not the number of convictions. In 2007-08, 83 serious violent crimes and 184 rapes were detected in which a DNA match was available. It is not possible to say whether the DNA match was the key factor in solving the crime.
Violence against Women and Girls
Ms Barlow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress his Department has made in its consultation on “Together We Can End The Violence Against Women And Girls”; and when he expects the resultant strategy to be published. [283793]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The consultation closed at the end of May and we have received more than 8,000 responses.
My Department is analysing the responses to inform development of a strategy which will be launched by the end of the year.
Operation Pathway
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department has taken to review progress on Operation Pathway since the resignation of Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick. [283802]
Mr. Hanson: It is a long-held practice of successive Governments not to comment on ongoing police investigations.
Kingsnorth Climate Camp: Policing
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received on the policing of Kingsnorth climate camp in August 2008. [283807]
Mr. Hanson: The Home Office has received a number of items of parliamentary and public correspondence, and a number of media enquiries, relating to the policing tactics employed at Kingsnorth climate camp in August 2008.
Asylum: Deportation
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the UK Border Agency spent on (a) commercial air flights and (b) chartering flights for the deportation of unsuccessful asylum seekers in each month of the last four years. [280809]
Mr. Woolas: The total costs for public expense removals on scheduled flights and chartered flights in each of the last four financial years are shown in the following table. It is not possible to disaggregate the costs for removal of failed asylum seekers from the overall removal figures without the examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
These figures do not constitute part of National Statistics as they are based on internal management information. The information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols and should be treated as provisional and subject to change.
The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of persons removed and departed voluntarily from the UK on a quarterly and annual basis. National Statistics on immigration and asylum are placed in the Library of the House and are available from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
| £ | ||
| Charter flights | Scheduled flights( 1) | |
| (1) The total cost of charter and scheduled flights includes administration cost plus cancellation fees. | ||
Borders
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for the future functions of the UK’s border authorities; and if he will make a statement. [282655]
Mr. Woolas: The Government have already taken steps to strengthen our borders and control migration, a significant part of which is integrating immigration and customs operations at ports and airports in a way that connects effectively to local and special branch policing.
The Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill contains provisions which will build a robust legal framework for the UK Border Agency and ensure officers have the powers they need to do their job effectively.
Crimes of Violence
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on initiatives for sharing hospitals’ anonymised data about violent crime with police forces. [283799]
Mr. Alan Campbell: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, in his former role as Health Secretary, drove work to ensure that A and E departments were sharing data with crime reduction partners. 58 hospitals in Tackling Knives Action Programme areas are now sharing data, including six in Hampshire. The Home Secretary is planning to meet the Secretary of State for Health to discuss the acceleration of this work.
Crimes of Violence: Essex
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) crimes of burglary, (b) violent crimes and (c) vehicle crimes were reported in (i) Essex and (ii) Castle Point in each of the last five years. [283735]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The available information relates to offences recorded by the police and is given in the following table.
A number of changes have been made to recorded crime in response to suggestions in the two reviews of crime statistics. One such change is that the term 'violent crime' is no longer used in connection with the recorded crime statistics and figures for violence against the person are now provided.
Crimes of Violence: West Midlands
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of violent crime in the West Midlands was perpetrated against (a) young people, (b) families and (c) pensioners in the last 12 month period for which figures are available. [283776]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The requested information is not collected centrally.
Recorded crime data provided to the Home Office from each police force area cannot separately identify the individual circumstances of victims.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of violent crime in the West Midlands was perpetrated against (a) females and (b) males in the last 12 month period for which figures are available. [283778]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The requested information is not collected centrally.
Recorded crime data provided to the Home Office from each police force area does not separately identify offences committed against females and males.
Databases: Communication
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for a national database maintaining records of (a) e-mails, (b) Voice Over Internet Protocol telephone calls and (c) instant messages; and if he will make statement. [283859]
Mr. Hanson: The Government have no plans to build a national database maintaining records of e-mails, VoIP telephone calls or instant messages.
This was made clear in the public consultation “Protecting the Public in a Changing Communications Environment” which was published by the Home Secretary on 27 April 2009.
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