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Ethnic Monitoring: Fixed Penalty Notices
Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Fixed penalty notices for disorder, otherwise known as "on-the-spot" fines, are subject to ethnic monitoring. Police officers are required to record ethnicity on the penalty notice and the statistical returns provided to the Home Office require ethnicity to be identified.
Penal Policy
Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether their plan to cap the use of imprisonment is compatible with their remarks about a "liberal consensus" in penal policy. [HL3983]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Government have no plans to cap the use of imprisonment by the courts. It is for the courts to decide when custody is the appropriate sentence. The Government have, however, consistently made clear their belief that prison should be reserved for the most serious, dangerous and seriously persistent offenders. We will ensure that there are sufficient prison places for that group. New sentencing provisions in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 will enable dangerous violent and sexual criminals to be kept in prison until they can be managed in the community, indefinitely if necessary.
For other offenders, we wish to see a reduction in the use of short ineffective sentences for lower-level offenders, where tough community penalties would be more effective in preventing reoffending and ensuring offenders pay back to the community.
Police: Telephone Response Times
Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have plans to reduce the time taken by police stations to respond to telephone calls. [HL3985]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We are committed to improving the quality of service the police provide to the public when they are in contact with them.
Call handling is a particularly important aspect of this service. A member of the public should be able to expect the same high quality service whenever they are in contact with the police, which is responsive to their needs, irrespective of where they live.
We are working with partners, including the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), to introduce minimum standards for service to the public, including the answering of telephone calls. We
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will also ensure that people are clear about the best way to contact the police.
Spitting
Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Spitting is a criminal offence under certain local acts, such as railway by-laws, but it is not criminalised under any legisation that has national application.
Refugees: Gateway Protection Programme
The Earl of Sandwich asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they expect to resettle the first 500 United Nations-approved refugees under the United Kingdom Gateway Protection Programme; whether this programme has been delayed owing to administrative problems or cost; and whether it will be given priority. [HL3992]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The first refugees to be resettled in Britain under the Gateway Protection Programme arrived from Africa in March 2004. So far a total of 69 have arrived and settled in Sheffield. Further groups will be received and located in a number of towns and cities in the course of the coming months, but it is not yet possible to give the precise numbers involved. Earlier delays to the programme arose as a result of administrative problems both in Britain and in Africa; these have now been settled for the most part. The Government remain committed to the Gateway Programme.
Sound Insulation: Government Properties
Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether in appropriate circumstances they will provide better sound insulation to properties under their control to diminish the anti-social effect of loud music. [HL4006]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal : The Home Office does not make any special provision for insulating properties under its control to diminish the anti-social effect of loud music. The department is not aware that there is a problem with loud music emanating from its properties.
Kenya
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
7 Sept 2004 : Column WA133- corruption involving United Kingdom-based companies operating in Kenya; whether the arrangements are satisfactory; and, in particular, whether the Government of Kenya have asked for the Government's assistance in pursuing their investigation of an agreement to provide Kenya with a new passport system, involving a Liverpool-based company, Saagar Associates. [HL3885]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean) : We are responding to requests for information from the competent Kenyan authorities. The British Government have standard arrangements for dealing expeditiously with such requests. The Kenyan Government have asked us not to divulge further details in order to avoid prejudicing ongoing investigations.
Ethiopia and Eritrea
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will propose any further initiative, either bilaterally or through the European Union, to assist the African Union to promote a lasting peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea. [HL3945]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean : We will continue to press Ethiopia to accept the Boundary Commission decision, which is final and binding, and press Eritrea to participate in the comprehensive political dialogue proposed by the Secretary General's Special Envoy. We are also ready to support African Union efforts to promote a lasting peace.
Afghanistan
The Earl of Sandwich asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made with the disarmament of local or provisional militia in Afghanistan; and to what extent they are being absorbed into the national army to make up for slow recruitment and defections. [HL3728]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: According to the latest figures we have from the United Nations (UN), by mid-July some 10,000 militia officers and soldiers had passed through the UN-led programme of demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration. Around 2 per cent chose to enlist in the Afghan national army (ANA) or police force as their reintegration option. A further 10 per cent will assist with de-mining. The overwhelming majority of demobilised personnel have elected to enter civilian society through vocational training, small business training or agriculture. The ANA has now expanded to four battalions consisting of around 12,000 personnel in total. ANA units regularly operate effectively alongside coalition forces on arms collection and counter-insurgency missions throughout Afghanistan.
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Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the costs of the additional provincial reconstruction teams agreed to be established in Afghanistan at the NATO summit in Istanbul on 28–29 June are to be borne collectively by NATO member states, or by the states providing the teams. [HL3947]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: It is standard NATO practice for member states to fund their own deployments. Each provincial reconstruction team (PRT) run under the International Security Assistance Force is headed by a lead nation that funds its own national contingent and the infrastructure needed to support the PRT. Other troop contingents or civilian representatives from partner nations are funded by the country that provides them.
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the expansion of the NATO presence in Afghanistan will reduce the power of local warlords and tackle the drugs trade. [HL3948]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: NATO's agreed plan for expansion of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is based on phased expansion of the network of provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs) across Afghanistan. One of the aims of the PRTs is to support the Afghan central government in extending their authority in the regions. The communiqué from NATO's summit in Istanbul on 28 June states that NATO will provide appropriate support, within ISAF's mandate, to the Afghan authorities in taking resolute action against the production and trafficking of narcotics.
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