| Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
Police Authorities in North-West England: Budgets
Lord Chan asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will provide a breakdown of the budget set aside in the current financial year for the five police forces in north-west England (Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cumbria) broken down into: staff costs, non staff-costs, headquarters staff costs, neighbourhood policing costs, and car fleet expenditure costs.[HL2541]
Lord Rooker: The table below shows the budgets set by police authorities in the North West for 2001–02.
| £ million | Cheshire | Merseyside | GMP | Lancashire | Cumbria |
| Expenditure | |||||
| Police salaries | 69.658 | 145.082 | 231.526 | 113.645 | 36.953 |
| Other staff | 19.146 | 37.405 | 61.892 | 30.845 | 13.129 |
| Other employee expenses | 1.222 | 3.316 | 0.993 | 1.327 | 0.698 |
| Transport | 3.222 | 3.913 | 7.007 | 4.916 | 1.594 |
| Other costs | 33.670 | 88.051 | 137.332 | 60.228 | 23.085 |
| Total | 126.918 | 277.767 | 438.750 | 210.961 | 75.459 |
| Income | |||||
| Crime Fighting Fund Grant | 1.890 | 4.205 | 3.316 | 2.950 | 0.927 |
| Other grants | 0.351 | 2.726 | 5.514 | 0.608 | 2.142 |
| Other income | 2.879 | 4.426 | 19.088 | 11.218 | 1.690 |
| Total | 5.120 | 11.357 | 27.918 | 11.826 | 4.759 |
| Net expenditure | 121.798 | 266.410 | 410.832 | 199.135 | 70.700 |
| Contributions to (from) reserves | — | (1.346) | 0.300 | — | (0.100) |
| Net budget | 121.798 | 265.064 | 411.132 | 199.135 | 70.600 |
Source:
CIPFA: Police Statistics—Estimates 2001–02.
Setting the budget and allocating resources for a police authority area is a matter for the authority and the chief officer.
The Earl of Northesk asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Rooker: Closed circuit television (CCTV) must be used fairly, lawfully and with due respect for personal privacy. The Data Protection Act 1998 provides a statutory framework for the regulation of public space CCTV schemes.
The scheme at Southend on Sea, run by Southend on Sea Borough Council, involves biometrics in the form of facial recognition software and automatic number-plate reading equipment. The council is aware of its obligations under the Data Protection Act and
Human Rights Act and accordingly operates its scheme under a code of practice based on that produced by the Information Commissioner. In addition, strict confidentiality is enforced and any copy of any data is subject to strict control with an associated audit trail.
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Rooker: The police are responsible for the investigation of criminal offences including incitement to racial hatred under Part III of the Public Order Act 1986. The police and the Security Service attach a high priority to monitoring and countering any possible activities in the country by extremists. Any credible
Of the list of names mentioned, Abdulla el Faisal was arrested by police and charged on 20 February 2002 with soliciting to murder. It would not be appropriate for me to comment any further on individual cases.
Lord Janner of Braunstone asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Rooker: Information held centrally does not distinguish between front and rear seat belt offences. Overall for seat belt offences in England and Wales in 2000 there were 155,300 fixed penalty notices issued; 5,700 proceedings at magistrates' courts; and 6,200 written warnings given.
The Earl of Shrewsbury asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Rooker: I am advised by the Metropolitan Police that details of guns seized as a result of the Operation Trident are not held separately from those of guns recovered in other operations, and that the information is not therefore readily available, without disproportionate cost.
The Earl of Shrewsbury asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there are no human rights implications or civil liberties issues attendant to the use of facial biometrics software in conjunction with closed circuit television, which is currently being trialled by Essex police. [HL2745]
Why no criminal proceedings for incitement to racial hatred have been brought against Abu Hamza, Abdulla el Faisal, Omar Bakri Mohammed and Abu Qatada, arising out of their alleged distribution of inflammatory anti-Semitic material. [HL2749]
What percentage of fixed penalty notices, prosecutions and written warnings issued in England and Wales in 2000 for not wearing seat belts related to (a) the driver's seat; (b) the front passenger seat; and (c) back seats respectively. [HL2753]
What were the calibre, class or type, makes and model of the five shotguns seized by the Metropolitan Police during Operation Trident. [HL2786]
In the light of the announcements by the chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority, the Lord Harris of Haringey, and Mr Lee Jasper, adviser to the Mayor of London, that 78 and 130 illegal firearms were seized by the Metropolitan Police in connection with Operation Trident, on what grounds did the Lord Rooker state on 8 January (WA 100) that 62 complete firearms had been seized in connection with this operation; and whether they will state the correct figure. [HL2788]
27 Feb 2002 : Column WA246
Lord Rooker: The figure of 62 complete firearms was provided by the Metropolitan Police to the Home Office in response to the noble Earl's earlier Question. It appears that this figure was given under the impression that the Question referred only to guns seized during the year 2001; and excluded some guns which only came to notice when the end-year figures were fully collated, giving a revised total of 78. I understand that the figure of 130 guns seized in connection with the operation since its inception should be taken as authoritative.
Neighbourhood and Street Warden Schemes
Lord Corbett of Castle Vale asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will place in the Library of the House details of existing warden and similar community schemes in operation in England and Wales.[HL2789]
Lord Rooker: I have today placed a list in the Library of the House showing the neighbourhood and street warden schemes in England and Wales that are funded by Her Majesty's Government. The list shows the number of wardens, the areas they operate in and their lead agency.
Security Service: Release of Historical Records
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will release to the public the MI5 records relating to Nazi war crimes and the intelligence gleaned in the interrogation of Nazi war criminals, and in particular those records given to the Office of Strategic Services during and after the Second World War, and recently released into the public domain in the United States under the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act 1998.[HL2843]
Lord Rooker: The Security Service is systematically reviewing and if appropriate releasing historical records to the Public Record Office in accordance with the criteria agreed with them and endorsed by the Advisory Council.
The Security Service has reviewed and released all archived files covering the First World War. In November 2001 the service released its fourth tranche of files on the period of the Second World War. The service is currently reviewing any remaining files from the Second World War and its inter-war records in preparation for further releases. It will then move on to the period after the Second World War. The timing of this depends on the resources that the service is able to devote to the process.
Asylum Applicants: Dependants
Baroness Cox asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many dependants joined applicants for asylum after an initial decision on their case in each of the years 1995 to 2001, and are therefore not included in the published total of asylum seekers. [HL2846]
Lord Rooker: I regret that the information requested is unavailable and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Administrative records for applicants for asylum do not necessarily record how many dependants join applicants following initial decisions for a number of reasons. Some applicants leave the United Kingdom following the initial decision and are subsequently joined by dependants outside the United Kingdom, who would not be included in the pubished total. Some dependants may apply for asylum as principal applicants and therefore not be identifiable as dependants of existing or former applicants, but would be included in the published total. Some dependants may apply to enter the United Kingdom for temporary purposes (for example, as a visitor) or apply for settlement within the United Kingdom wihout either identifying that they wish to join a former or current asylum applicant or applying for asylum. These dependants would not be included in the published total of asylum seekers.
Information on asylum applications and initial decisions is published quarterly on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigrationl/html.
Next Section
Back to Table of Contents
Lords Hansard Home Page