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7 Apr 2010 : Column 1390W—continued
Croydon
Mr. Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Croydon Central constituency, the effects on that constituency of his Department's policies since 2005. [325590]
Mr. Alan Campbell: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.
Departmental Energy
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) voltage optimisers and (b) equivalent technologies are used within buildings occupied by his Department. [324974]
Mr. Woolas: The Home Office has adjusted the transformers in its headquarters in 2 Marsham street to tap down the voltage levels thereby reducing energy consumption. The Border Agency building Vulcan house in Sheffield has highly efficient inductive lighting and inductive motor loads so voltage optimisation would be of little or no value.
The Home Office, working with the Carbon Trust, has also identified several potential sites to install voltage optimisation technology on the Home Office estate
(including its Executive agencies). Work on fitting voltage optimisation technology in a UKBA building in Hayes has commenced.
Departmental Telephone Services
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 12 November 2009, Official Report, columns 937-8W, on departmental telephone services, whether contracts were let for the provision of services relating to the helplines run by its agencies. [324118]
Mr. Woolas: With reference to the answer of 12 November 2009, Official Report, columns 937-8W, on departmental telephone services, the answer as to whether executive agencies of the Home Department let contracts for the provision of services relating to the helplines is as follows:
(a) following procurement competition the operation of the Identity and Passport Service's helplines are contracted to Teleperformance;
(b) the Criminal Records Bureau's helplines are operated as part of the services provided under its contract with Capita Business Services Ltd/ for disclosure processing; and
(c) the United Kingdom Border Agency has not let contracts for the provision of services relating to helplines.
Departmental Translation Services
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on translation services by his Department in (a) Ribble Valley, (b) Lancashire and (c) England in each of the last five years. [324419]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 25 March 2010]: Translation services specific to Ribble Valley, Lancashire and England can be extracted only at disproportionate cost from the overall Home Office expenditure data provided in the background to the question.
Domestic Violence: Shropshire
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to reduce the level of domestic violence in North Shropshire. [325420]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The National Domestic Violence Delivery Plan sets out the Government's framework to support victims and manage perpetrators. Key initiatives identified in this Plan are being taken forward in North Shropshire to reduce the incidents of domestic violence, these include;
A Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) which covers the whole of Shropshire and focuses on high risk victims;
an Independent domestic violence adviser to support the cases
identified at the MARAC, providing protection and support and helping to reduce repeat incidents of domestic violence;
a specialist domestic violence court located in Shrewsbury;
and a dedicated domestic violence forum which also provides practical support to victims such as mobile phones and home safety packs.
Drugs: Crime
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Ion Track drug detection devices are possessed by each police force in England and Wales. [321257]
Alan Johnson: The Home Office allocates funding to the police authority and it is for the chief constables and police authorities to determine their spending on different types of policing activity. It is therefore not possible to provide the data in the format requested.
There are two main manufacturers of devices using the ion mobility spectrometry technology to detect either drugs or explosive traces. One of these was known as Ion Track prior to 2003.
According to the Department's records, in excess of 150 devices using the ion mobility spectrometry technology have been supplied to police authorities in England and Wales since 2003. Some are used for drugs detection and others for explosive detection.
Drugs: Shropshire
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated street value is of drugs seized by police in North Shropshire in each year since 1997. [325419]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The information requested is not held centrally.
Illegal Immigrants
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants have been found (a) in total and (b) at each of the main ports of entry to the United Kingdom in each year since 1997. [317764]
Alan Johnson: It is Government policy to publish border force management information at a regional level, as location specific information could provide value to those seeking to circumvent our controls.
The following table provides the number of illegal entrants detected by border force officers in the south and north regions between 2003 and 2009. These figures do not include the number of illegal immigrant's encountered in-country, and do not include those encountered at the juxtaposed borders in France and Belgium.
| Region | |||
| South | North | Total | |
Prisons: Organised Crime
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what information police forces have on the extent of organised crime within prisons; [325662]
(2) how many police investigations are under way into organised crime within Prison Service establishments in England and Wales. [325665]
Mr. Alan Campbell: This information is not collected centrally. Some organised criminals may seek to continue their activities following prosecution, conviction, and imprisonment and the National Offender Management Service is working closely with the law enforcement agencies in order to identify such activities and to take appropriate action to prevent them.
Sweet Concepts
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2010, Official Report, column 156W, on Central Office of Information: marketing, what promotional products were purchased from Sweet Concepts Ltd. on behalf of (a) the Police Information Technology Organisation and (b) the Home Office; and at what cost in each case. [324407]
Mr. Hanson: The promotional products purchased from Sweet Concepts Ltd on behalf of (a) the Police Information Technology Organisation and (b) the Home Office, and the cost in each case are as follows:
War Crimes
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there are plans to establish a specialist war crimes unit in the Metropolitan police. [325660]
Mr. Hanson: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer of 6 April 2010, Official Report, columns 1287-288W.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Colombia: Human Rights
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will request that the Colombian authorities provide an explanation for the variation in the figures provided by different Colombian state organisations on the number of bodies in the mass grave recently discovered in La Macarena; and if he will discuss that matter with (a) his counterparts and (b) human rights organisations. [325562]
Chris Bryant: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 25 March 2010, Official Report, column 425W to the hon. Member for East Dunbartonshire (Jo Swinson) and can inform him that since then our ambassador has written a follow up letter to Carlos Franco, Director of the Presidential Human Rights Programme, requesting an update into the investigation and asking for an explanation of the difference between the Procurador General's findings and those of the Human Rights Programme.
(a) Our embassy in Bogota and our representation at the EU in Brussels have constant contact with other EU member states on Human Rights issues in Colombia.
(b) As stated in my answer of 25 March I met human rights activist Carolina Hoyos on 16 March where we discussed the mass graves in La Macarena. We work closely with non-governmental organisations and human rights defenders in Colombia.
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the British embassy in Bogota has informed him of any steps taken by the Colombian authorities to ensure that physical evidence located at the mass grave recently discovered in La Macarena is protected pending an investigation by the government of Colombia or the International Criminal Court; and if he will make a statement. [325574]
Chris Bryant: We received assurances in Carlos Franco's letter of 16 February that the Colombian Government has instructed the police to adopt special security measures around the site of the mass grave.
We trust that the Colombian Government will conduct a thorough investigation.
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will request information from the Colombian authorities on the number of bodies recently found in a mass grave in La Macarena which are subject to an individual investigation; and if he will discuss that matter with his EU counterparts. [325575]
Chris Bryant: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 25 March 2010, Official Report, column 425W to the hon. Member for East Dunbartonshire (Jo Swinson) and can inform him that since then our ambassador has written a follow up letter to Carlos Franco, Director of the Presidential Human Rights Programme, requesting an update into the investigation and asking for an explanation of the difference between the Procurador General's findings and those of the Human Rights Programme.
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government will (a) help facilitate and (b) participate in a human rights fact-finding mission to the recently discovered mass grave in La Macarena. [325576]
Chris Bryant: Our embassy in Bogota is currently looking at logistical arrangements for a possible fact finding visit to the site.
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take immediate steps to cease all co-operation with the Colombian Army until (a) the Colombian authorities have provided him with a satisfactory explanation for the alleged presence of approximately 2,000 unidentified bodies in a mass grave in La Macarena and (b) a thorough investigation has been carried out; and if he will discuss that matter with his EU counterparts. [325577]
Chris Bryant: No, but we will continue to raise these matters directly with the Colombian Government.
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the status of the legal investigation into the presence of a mass grave in La Macarena; and whether he has received reports of a forensic search of those graves being conducted on behalf of any international organisation. [325578]
Chris Bryant: We are awaiting responses from the Director of the Presidential Human Rights Programme and the Office of the Procurator General. Given the complex nature of DNA and forensic investigations we do not expect further updates for a number of weeks.
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make an assessment of the merits of offering the government of Colombia assistance for a forensic investigation of the mass grave recently found in La Macarena. [325579]
Chris Bryant: No request has been received from the Colombian Government for assistance on the investigation but we would consider the merits of any such request, including financial viability.
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will (a) obtain and (b) place in the Library a copy of the report of the Colombian Procurator General's office on the 2,000 bodies allegedly found in the recently discovered mass grave in La Macarena; and if he will discuss the matter with (i) his EU counterparts and (ii) human rights organisations. [325580]
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