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15 Oct 2009 : Column 1052Wcontinued
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received on the use of Mosquito ultrasonic deterrent devices; and if he will make a statement. [292957]
Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 14 October 2009]: The Home Office has received the following representations about the use of the Mosquito ultrasonic dispersal device:
Six (letters) from MPs on behalf of their constituents;
19 PQs from seven different MPs;
14 letters from members of the public and local authorities.
Of these, six were concerned that the device might breach a person's human rights and three were concerned with the legality of the device. Other questions and correspondence received referred to the use of the device and whether the Home Office will ban the device or provide guidance.
The Home Office encourages local agencies to consider the full range of innovations, schemes and practices intended to reduce crime, the fear of crime and antisocial behaviour. It is for local agencies like the police and local authorities to decide on the most appropriate interventions to tackle antisocial behaviour based on their knowledge of what works best locally, adopting a tiered approach to tackling antisocial behaviour using a blend of measures to provide a proportionate response.
The Home Office does not recommend or promote any commercial ultrasonic dispersal device or venture and at the present time does not have any plans to take further action on this matter.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in England in the last three years. [292226]
Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 14 October 2009]: Information on the number of Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) issued is available up to 31 December 2007. The number of ASBOs issued at all courts in England during 2005 was 3,907, in 2006 2,507 and in 2007 2,136, making a total of 8,550.
John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many external training courses were attended by staff of his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each course. [289604]
Mr. Woolas: The information requested is not held centrally and would be available only at disproportionate cost.
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the longest period has been between the (a) application for and (b) issue or refusal of a UK visa in Pakistan; and on what date the successful appeal against refusal of that visa was concluded. [292367]
Mr. Woolas: The UK Border Agency (UKBA) holds records of visa applications dating back to 1992 but it is not possible to ascertain precisely the processing times for older cases. Therefore, the UKBA has examined applications made in Pakistan since January 2006.
The longest processing time from application to decision was 917 working days in respect of a family reunion application. The application was issued and hence there was no subsequent appeal.
Current processing times are advertised on the Visa Services website at:
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many firearm offences, excluding those in which an air weapon was used, were recorded in each police force area in England and Wales in each year since 1998-99. [291776]
Alan Johnson: Available data relate to offences recorded in the period 1998-99 up to and including 2007-08, and are shown in the following table. Firearm statistics for 2008-09 are expected to be published in January 2010.
Firearms are taken to be involved in a crime if they are fired, used as a blunt instrument against a person, or used as a threat.
The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on 1 April 2002. Data for the years up to and including 2001-02 are not directly comparable with those for later years.
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