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22 Feb 2010 : Column 378W—continued
Police National Computer
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department has issued to police forces on removing records from the Police National Computer relating to people who have had their DNA profile removed from the National DNA Database as an exceptional case; and if he will make a statement. [317148]
Mr. Hanson: The Home Office has issued no such guidance to the police.
The PNC retention guidelines issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers include an exceptional cases procedure. In accordance with this, it is for individual chief police officers to use their discretion to decide whether to amend or delete information placed by their force on the police national computer (PNC) and the national DNA database (NDNAD). In exercising that discretion, they may make different decisions in respect of information held on the different systems.
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many personal records have been removed from the Police National Computer in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [317149]
Mr. Hanson: The police national computer (PNC) is an operational tool and is not designed to produce the information requested. To obtain the information would incur a disproportionate cost.
Police: Emergency Calls
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent estimate is of the (a) average and (b) average target response time for police attendance at the scene of an incident following a 999 call in (i) each police force area and (ii) England and Wales. [317826]
Alan Johnson: The Policing Pledge, which was introduced across all police forces in England and Wales at the end of 2008, sets out the minimum standards of service that the public can expect to receive from the police including for response times. Through the pledge, the police have committed to aim to answer 999 calls within 10 seconds, deploying to emergencies immediately, giving an estimated time of arrival and reaching the incident as safely and as quickly as possible. In urban areas, they aim to arrive within 15 minutes and in rural areas within 20 minutes.
The Home Office does not collect data centrally on average response times. However in October 2009, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary published a report on the standard of pledge delivery across all police forces. The report notes that on responding to emergency calls, 17 forces were graded 'good', 25 were 'fair' and one force was 'poor'.
It is for individual police forces and authorities to ensure delivery of the policing pledge in their area. The Government will hold forces to account for progress through the single top-down target we have set them to improve public confidence that crime and antisocial behaviour are being tackled locally, and in the light of inspection work by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary. Latest British Crime Survey (BCS) figures released in January 2010 show an improving trend, that, nationally, 50 per cent. of the public now agree that the police and local councils are dealing with the antisocial behaviour and crime issues that matter locally.
Police: Feltham
Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time police officers there were in Feltham and Heston (a) in 1997 and (b) at the latest date for which information is available. [316699]
Mr. Hanson: Data on numbers of police officers are not available specifically at constituency level. The Feltham and Heston constituency lies within the Metropolitan police's basic command unit (BCU) of Hounslow borough. Figures at BCU level have been collected only since 2002-03. They show that the number of full-time equivalent police officers in Hounslow rose from 467 on 31 March 2003 to 518 on 31 March 2009, the latest published period. These figures include officers on career break or maternity/paternity leave. A full BCU breakdown of police officer numbers appears each year in supplementary tables to the annual 'Police Service Strength' publication, available on the Home Office website and the Library of the House.
Police: Football
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the expenditure was of the UK Football Policing Unit in England and Wales in each year since 2003. [317579]
Alan Johnson: The UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) was established in November 2005 following a review of the funding and delivery arrangements for policing regulated football matches in England and Wales. UKFPU is a front-line Home Office unit jointly overseen with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) lead for policing football. It undertakes a range of statutory functions and provides an infrastructure for policing English and Welsh football matches at home and, in particular, abroad. Information on expenditure is only available for the financial year commencing April 2006-the initial period having been funded from core Home Office resources.
| Expenditure of the UK Football Policing Unit (£) | |
Powers of Entry
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many powers of entry have been (a) created and (b) amended by legislation sponsored by his Department since 1997. [311555]
Mr. Hanson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 28 January 2010, Official Report, columns 1046-48W.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the Prime Minister's speech at the University of Westminster on 25 October 2007, on liberty, for what reasons the proposed new test for powers of entry has not been implemented. [314957]
Mr. Hanson: I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 28 January 2010, Official Report, column 1047W.
Powers of Entry: Public Consultation
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the public consultation to be undertaken as part of Lord West's review of powers of entry will commence. [312021]
Mr. Hanson: Proposals on a future framework approach for powers of entry will be published later this year.
Public Holidays
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of the introduction of an additional public holiday; and if he will make a statement. [315116]
Mr. Woolas: The value of the introduction of an additional day's public holiday in the Home Office can be costed at an estimated notional value of £2.2 million, but it would not in fact incur an additional cost to the pay bill, as staff would merely be paid for a day on which they were not working rather than one on which they were. Similarly, although there are services offered by the Home Office which generate income, income would not be lost, as those services are not available from an alternative source and so would be obtained and paid for on another day. Therefore, although a notional cost can be attributed to the introduction of an additional day's public holiday, there would be no actual cost.
Repatriation
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on the (a) Facilitated Returns Scheme and (b) Assisted Voluntary Returns programme in each year of their operation; and how many individuals have been awarded funds in each such year. [315379]
Mr. Woolas: Expenditure by the UK Border Agency on the Facilitated Returns Scheme (FRS) from its inception in October 2006 to March 2009 was approximately £4.3 million. Of the 4,200 foreign national prisoners removed or deported in 2007 around 25 per cent. were removed under the scheme. Of the 5,400 foreign national prisoners removed in 2008 and the 3,890 removed in quarters 1-3 2009, around 30 per cent. were removed under FRS.
| Assisted Voluntary Return programmes costs by full programme year 2000-07 | |
| Voluntary Assisted Return and Reintegration programme | |
| Programme year | Total funding (£) |
| Notes: 1. Pilot programme 1999. 2. Programme year 2000-05-April to July extended. 3. Programme year 2005-06 onwards-August to July. | |
| Assisted Voluntary Return for irregular migrants | |
| Programme year | Total funding (€) |
| Notes: 1. Pilot 15 November 2004 to 31 March 2005 2. Programme year-April to March | |
These costs may be subject to revision and are still subject to audit, costs have yet to be agreed. 2008 programme final
The following table shows how many individuals left under AVR.
| Asylum cases leaving under AVR programmes | Non-Asylum cases leaving under AVR programmes | |
| (1) Provisional figures. | ||
Both AVR and FRS are currently part funded by the European Union.
Repatriation: Offenders
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders were removed from the country under the Facilitated Returns Scheme in each year from October 2006 to October 2009; what the cost of the scheme was in each of those years; and what the average level of grant to offenders was in each of those years. [311016]
Mr. Woolas: Of the 4,200 foreign national prisoners removed or deported in 2007 around 25 per cent. were removed under the Facilitated Returns Scheme (FRS). Of the 5,400 foreign national prisoners removed in 2008 and the 3,890 removed in quarters 1 to 3 2009, around 30 per cent. were removed under FRS.
Management information on the average level of grant awarded to those removed under FRS and who claimed the reintegration package in 2006 or 2007 is not considered sufficiently reliable. In both 2008 and between quarters 1 and 3 of 2009 less than three-quarters removed under FRS claimed the reintegration package on return and of those that did, the average amount received was less than £2,500 for 2008 and £3,500 for quarters 1 to 3 of 2009.
The scheme continues to deliver significant number of removals of foreign national criminals and continues to be developed to maximise savings and maintain public safety.
The chief executive of the UK Border Agency will provide the Home Affairs Committee with information on the cost of the FRS when she writes later this month.
Sexual Offences
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many registered sex offenders in England and Wales have been found not to be residing at their registered address in each year since 1998. [314822]
Alan Johnson: The data requested are not collected in the format requested and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
Smuggling: Shipping
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many ships were searched by HM Revenue and Customs in UK ports in each of the last three years. [314539]
Mr. Woolas: In April 2008, specialist search teams which were previously the responsibility of HM Revenue and Customs, became part of the UK Border Agency.
The number of ships searched in Northern Ireland ports, by these teams in the last three years, is as follows:
| Financial year | Ships searched |
In addition to the searches carried out by these specialist teams, non-specialist UK Border Agency staff, including the Cutter fleet, also challenge and board commercial vessels arriving in UK ports.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many ships were searched by HM Revenue and Customs in Northern Ireland ports in each of the last three years. [314540]
Mr. Woolas: In April 2008, specialist search teams which were previously the responsibility of HM Revenue and Customs, became part of the UK Border Agency.
The number of ships searched in UK ports, by these teams in the last three years, is as follows:
| Financial year | Number of ships searched |
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