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1 Sep 2009 : Column 1882W—continued
European Electronic Crime Task Force
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent assessment is of the effectiveness of the European Electronic Crime Task force; and what recent discussions he has had with his Italian counterpart on cyber crime. [287009]
Mr. Hanson: The European Electronic Crime Task Force went live on 30 June 2009. It was created by the Polizia Postale e delle Comunicazioni (Italian Postal and Communication Police) and Poste Italiane (Italian Post).
The purpose of the taskforce is to facilitate the exchange of information and analysis on cyber-crime techniques and to establish new techniques and tools for the prevention, detection, mitigation and effective investigation of cyber-crimes.
It is too soon to judge the effectiveness of the taskforce as it was only established in the past four weeks; however this seems a useful initiative and builds on the strong existing links between Italy and the UK in fighting this area of crime.
Fixed Penalties
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many penalty notices for disorder have been issued in respect of each offence by each police force in each year since 2002. [286043]
Claire Ward: I have been asked to reply.
The number of penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) issued from 2004 to 2007 (latest available) in England and Wales, broken down by police force area and offence, are shown in tables which have been placed in the House Library.
PNDs were made available to all 43 police forces in England and Wales from April 2004.
PND data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
Forced Marriage
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases dealt with by (a) the Forced Marriage Unit and (b) police forces have involved persons who have been obliged to sign applications for leave to remain under duress from their spouses. [288849]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) does not routinely collect the information requested. However, of the 420 cases where the FMU provided direct support to victims in 2008, 207 involved reluctant sponsors (where a victim has already been forced into marriage and is now being forced to sponsor their spouse's visa) and 10 cases where the sponsor wished to withdraw their sponsorship of their spouse prior to them being granted indefinite leave to remain.
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent investigations his Department has carried out in respect of allegations that persons have been obliged to sign recent applications for leave to remain under duress by their spouses. [288881]
Mr. Woolas: The information is not held centrally at a sufficient level of detail to extract what is often one of several issues raised.
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on any link between instances of forced marriage and cases where persons have been obliged to sign applications for leave to remain under duress by their spouses. [288882]
Mr. Alan Campbell: To date, there has been no specific research commissioned to evaluate the link between instances of forced marriage and cases where persons have been obliged to sign applications for leave to remain under duress by their spouses.
In 2008 the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) introduced a new system in order to capture more robust figures on forced marriage. During 2009 the FMU will continue to work with other Government Departments and the non-government organisations to build a co-ordinated approach to data collection. Within this we will consider how to better capture data on immigration matters.
Foreign Workers: Vetting
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to improve access to international conviction data to improve checks on workers from overseas in the UK. [287915]
Mr. Woolas: Officials from my Department and the Criminal Records Bureau have reached an agreement in principle on sharing criminal record information with Australia and New Zealand for employment vetting purposes. We are also in ongoing discussions with France and Ireland.
Under the terms of EU Council Framework Decision 2009/315/JHA the United Kingdom can, when an individual is seeking a copy of their own criminal record, ask the member state of nationality or previous residence for such information and related data. If such a request is made, the requested member state shall reply in accordance with its national law. Member states, including the United Kingdom, are required to take the necessary measures to comply with this Framework Decision by 27 April 2012.
Foreigners: Drugs
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many alien persons and what quantity and type of narcotic intended for the UK were intercepted by (a) HM Revenue and Customs and the UK Border Agency and (b) Royal Navy vessels in UK territorial waters in each of the last 10 years. [288547]
Alan Johnson: From April 2008, the UK Border Agency took on responsibility for maritime operations which had previously been undertaken by HM Revenue and Customs.
Prior to the creation of the UK Border Agency, people trafficking and illegal immigration did not feature as Maritime operational targets. Our crews are now actively briefed and alert to the risk of illegal immigration. Policy and legislative guidance on this matter is presently subject to review.
Seizure results and outcomes arising from Maritime operations are not distinguished from other border operations.
UK Border Agency assets work regularly in support of operations by other agencies. We do not record details of seizures resulting from operations carried out by other agencies involved in border patrols.
Identity Cards
Mr. Willetts:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 1 June 2009 to Baroness Hanham, Official Report, House of
Lords, column WA36 on identity cards, which other organisations representing students have been involved in recent stakeholder activity. [287831]
Mr. Woolas: As part of stakeholder activity across the country to raise awareness of the National Identity Service we have met with a number of organisations. These have included the National Union of Students, Universities UK, Student Services from Manchester University and the Learning Skills Council in Manchester.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 1 June 2009 to Baroness Hanham, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA36 on identity cards, what the dates were of meetings held between the Identity and Passport Service and (a) the National Union of Students, (b) Universities UK and (c) other organisations representing students. [287832]
Mr. Woolas: As part of stakeholder activity across the country to raise awareness of the National Identity Service we have met with a number of organisations. These have included the National Union of Students, Universities UK on 26 February 2009, Student Services from Manchester University on 8 January 2009 and the Learning Skills Council in Manchester on 25 February 2009. Representatives from Manchester University attended the Home Secretary event in Manchester on 29 January 2009.
Illegal Immigrants: Drugs
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) patrol boats and (b) aircraft are available to police to combat illegal immigration and drug smuggling operations. [288544]
Alan Johnson: In 2008 there were 108 patrol boats and 33 aircraft operated by police forces in England and Wales, used for a number of operational policing tasks at the discretion of individual chief officers.
Other assets (mainly military) are made available through the Military Aid to Civil Authorities (MACA) and Military Aid to Civil Power (MACP) process for specific operations. MACA/MACP covers standing arrangements for the Police Service and other civil agencies to draw on military capability in time of need. These operations would usually be led by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs or the Serious Organised Crime Agency.
Illegal Immigrants: Housing
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate he has made of the annual cost of providing accommodation for illegal migrants to the UK. [287181]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 16 July 2009]: The UK Border Agency does not provide accommodation to migrants other than to:
asylum seekers who are destitute, or likely to become destitute, whilst their claim (including any appeal) remains under consideration; failed asylum seekers with dependent
children under the age of 18 years and those who are unable to leave the UK immediately for reasons beyond their control who would otherwise be destitute.
Local authorities are responsible for providing assistance to migrants who are destitute and have care needs. This form of assistance may include the provision of accommodation under the National Assistance Act 1948. The Home Office does not collect data on the cost of this.
Illegal Immigrants: Olympic Games 2012
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) illegal immigrants and (b) failed asylum seekers have been discovered working on construction of the main Olympic site. [288084]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 20 July 2009]: Since April 2008, UK Border Agency (UKBA) staff have been working on site with the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and contractors to support the process of checking that people employed on the Olympic park are legally entitled to work in the UK. This process was extended across the Athletes' Village in February 2009.
In addition to my previous answer of the 26 January 2009, between January 2009 and March 2009, a further two foreign nationals were arrested as a result of the UK Border Agency's activity.
IMPACT Programme
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the IMPACT Programme is expected to be fully operational; and what recent estimate he has made of the cost of the programme. [287914]
Mr. Hanson: The IMPACT Programme is on track to commence deployment of the Police National Database (PND) capabilities in 2010.
As part of the IMPACT Programme, the Impact Nominal Index (INI) was delivered on time in December 2005. A code of practice on the Management of Police Information (MoPI) was published in July 2005 and came into effect in November 2005. Detailed guidance was published in April 2006. The IMPACT Programme continues to assist forces in bringing about the required business change to effect successful compliance with the code of practice and the guidance by 2010.
The cost of the IMPACT Programme (INI, MoPI and PND) from 2005 through to 2011-12 is estimated to be £244.2 million, including historical costs and contingency funds.
Management of Police Information
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made by police forces in their implementation of the statutory code of practice on the management of police information. [287917]
Mr. Hanson: IMPACT continues to support police forces in bringing about the required business change to effect successful compliance with the code of practice and guidance for the Management of Police Information (MoPI).
In September 2006 the MoPI Delivery Board required all forces in England and Wales to achieve implementation in line with the MoPI code of practice and guidance by December 2010.
The board also required the IMPACT Programme to conduct regular formal reviews of all police forces in order to monitor progress and assess national implementation risk. Throughout March to May 2009, the fourth series of such reviews was conducted by the IMPACT Programme.
The review established that there could be every expectation that a large majority of police forces would be fully MoPI compliant and the remaining forces substantially MoPI compliant by December 2010.
Missing People
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) adults and (b) minors reported missing in 2008 remain unaccounted for. [287026]
Mr. Hanson: This information is not held centrally.
The central collection of data and other information to support work tackling the issues around missing people has been initiated through the 'Code of Practice on the Collection of Missing Persons Data', which was published in April 2009.
National Wildlife Crime Unit: Finance
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much it cost to run the National Wildlife Crime Unit in each of the last 10 years. [288214]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The current National Wildlife Crime Unit was created in April 2006, after the National Crime Intelligence Service (NCIS) was disbanded. Previously there was a Wildlife Crime Unit within NCIS. The unit received funding of £308,417 in 2006-07, £476,296 in 2007-08, £403,412 in 2008-09 and has been budgeted at £437,919 for 2009-10.
Neighbourhood Policing Publicity Campaign: Finance
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on marketing, public relations, communications and advertising in the 2008. [288848]
Mr. Hanson: The Spring 2008 Neighbourhood Policing Campaign was intended to inform the public that for the first time every neighbourhood in England and Wales had a neighbourhood policing team in their area and how to contact them. In the financial year 2007-08 the Home Office spent £1,179,754.00 on marketing, public relations, and advertising on this campaign.
Offences Against Children
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated (1) on potential links between those who (i) view evidence of child abuse online and (ii) abuse children; [288874]
(2) on any relationship between incidences viewing of child abuse online and the incidence of (i) abuse of children and (ii) other types of sexual offences; [288875]
(3) on the use of evidence of possession of different types of child abuse images to predict likely future risks to children. [288876]
Mr. Alan Campbell: In April this year law enforcement, government and academic experts from the G8 nations and others came together in a symposium hosted by the United States of America to discuss these issues raised; it included experts from the UK's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP). Their deliberations led to the issue on 30 May 2009 of a G8 Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial Statement "The risk to children posed by Child Pornography offenders". Among the many conclusions and recommendations was: an acceptance of a relationship between viewing and contact offending, although more work was required to determine the exact nature of that relationship; a recognition that based on conviction evidence a significant proportion of "image" offenders had committed some form of contact offence; and the exchange of child abuse images and communication between child sexual offenders legitimises and normalises their beliefs and behaviours providing a social context which encourages the further exploitation of children.
The Home Office, CEOP and other relevant stakeholders from across Government will be exploring how the recommendations from the G8 ministerial statement can be taken forward in a UK context.
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