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Forensic Science Service
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff were employed by the Forensic Science Service in each financial year since 2005-06. [2283]
James Brokenshire: The information requested is shown in the following table:
Forensic Science Service-staffing figures Average number of full-time equivalent staff employed Note:
Based on figures reported in the annual report and accounts, annualised for the first two years due to differing accounting periods.
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) voluntary and (b) involuntary redundancies there were from the Forensic Science Service in 2009-10. [2284]
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James Brokenshire: There were no voluntary redundancies and 34 compulsory redundancies.
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staffed locations of the Forensic Science Service there were in each financial year since 2005-06. [2285]
James Brokenshire: The information requested is shown in the following table:
Forensic Science Service Ltd-number of staffed locations Number of staffed locations
Gary McKinnon
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the request from the US Administration for the extradition of Gary McKinnon. [1443]
Nick Herbert: The UK's policy and practice is to give maximum assistance to all of its extradition partners in accordance with domestic law and international obligations. It expects no less in return. In Mr McKinnon's case, proceedings under the Extradition Act 2003 are now at an end, but the Government have agreed to look afresh at whether new evidence demonstrates that extradition would breach Mr McKinnon's human rights. To that end, we are considering further representations which Mr McKinnon's solicitors submitted to us on 8 June.
More generally, the Government have undertaken to review the 2003 Act and the UK-USA Extradition treaty.
Immobilisation of Vehicles
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to introduce a code of practice for wheelclampers. [2376]
Lynne Featherstone: The Government included in their Coalition Agreement, published on 12 May, a commitment to tackle rogue private sector wheel clampers. An announcement on how we will do this will be made in due course.
Members: Security
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has had discussions with the Association of Chief Police Officers on advice to hon. Members on security measures at constituency offices; and if she will make a statement. [340]
Nick Herbert: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has had discussions with representatives of ACPO and the police service on a range of issues. In the course of these, my right hon. Friend has been briefed on the action which the police are taking in the light of the incident involving the hon. Member for East Ham at his Newham constituency office on 14 May 2010. The briefing my right hon. Friend received included details on the liaison that has taken place between the police and the parliamentary authorities to ensure that hon. Members are given appropriate advice and support on security measures at constituency offices.
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Passports: Lost Property
Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated cost of Hampshire Constabulary running the airfield at HMS Daedalus in Lee-on-the-Solent is for 2010-11, identifying separately the cost of employment of the Air Support Unit officers and staff and associated expenses. [2204]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 14 June 2010]: The information requested is not held centrally. The costs of running the airfield at HMS Daedalus in Lee-on-the-Solent and the cost of employing Air Support Unit officers and staff are matters for the chief constable of Hampshire.
Police: Ports
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget for the UK Port Police in (a) the UK and (b) the Port of Dover (i) was in each year from 2007-08 to 2009-10 and (ii) is estimated to be in 2010-11. [2286]
Nick Herbert: The information is as follows:
(a) Nine UK sea ports maintain their own independent port police force entirely funded by the individual port. However, responsibility for policing the UK's sea and air ports lies primarily with the geographic police force in whose territory a port lies. There are around 1,400 special branch officers working at the UK's major air and sea ports. There are also around 1,600 uniformed police patrolling UK ports, who are responsible for protective security and general policing. These officers can be supported on general policing by further officers from the local force. All these officers are drawn from the police force within whose territory the port sits: there is not a specific ports policing budget.
(b) The port of Dover police is independent police force and its budget is a matter for the Dover Harbour Board.
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for the future of the Port Police. [2287]
Nick Herbert: None-this is a matter for the nine ports involved. Nevertheless, on the important matter of border policing in general the coalition agreement sets out a commitment to create a dedicated border police force, as part of a refocused Serious Organised Crime Agency, to enhance national security, improve immigration controls and crack down on the trafficking of people, weapons and drugs. It will also tackle the smuggling and illegal trade on wildlife.
Police: Rural Areas
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to improve policing in rural areas. [2407]
Nick Herbert: The Government are committed to ensuring that all communities, including those in rural areas, receive a high quality policing service that meets local priorities. Effective neighbourhood policing by police officers and police community support officers (PCSOs) provides an important policing presence in
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rural, as well as urban areas. The programme set out by the Coalition explains our approach to improving policing, including:the introduction of directly elected individuals, giving the public a greater voice to ensure their priorities are reflected;
regular beat meetings where residents can hold the police to account;
the publication of crime maps showing the public what is happening in their streets, villages and towns; and
cutting through the bureaucracy that hinders the police, and introducing better technology, so that the police can spend more time out in their communities.
We will also work to enable our citizens to play a more active part in keeping their own neighbourhoods safe, for example through the Neighbourhood and Farm Watch schemes that are in place in many rural areas.
Rape
Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department plans to take to increase conviction rates in cases of rape. [2218]
James Brokenshire: We need to increase the number of successful rape prosecutions and send more rapists to jail. The current conviction rate in cases of rape proceeded against in court stands at 38%.
As we have made clear, the victim in rape cases remains our priority and we welcome many of the improvements introduced by the police and the Crown Prosecution Service in recent years, intended to improve both victim care and the number of cases reaching court. These include specially trained officers and prosecutors, dedicated rape units within police force areas and investment in Sexual Assault Referral Centres for the improved collection of forensic evidence and provision of immediate crisis and medial care to victims.
It is important, however, that victims have access to longer term support and we have therefore committed to providing sustainable support for rape crisis centres.
Over the coming months, we shall work with partners to consider what more needs to be done to ensure that perpetrators of rape are brought to justice.
UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of whether the reservation made by the previous Government to the UN Convention on the Right of
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Persons with Disabilities on disabled people's rights to liberty of movement is compatible with the object and purpose of the Convention; and when her Department plans to conduct a review of the reservation. [1601]Damian Green: This Administration has made no separate assessment on this specific issue.
The Home Office is currently reviewing the continuing need for the reservation, and will shortly invite interested parties to contribute to this.
Wigan
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what public expenditure projects within (a) Wigan constituency and (b) the Metropolitan borough of Wigan her Department had secured Treasury approval between 1 January 2010 and the date of her appointment as Secretary of State. [1692]
Nick Herbert: The Government are re-assessing spending approvals granted between 1 January 2010 and the general election to ensure that they offer good value for money and are consistent with the Government's priorities. Further announcements will be made in due course.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Apprentices
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how many people in (a) Wigan constituency, (b) the North West region and (c) England are undertaking an apprenticeship; [1645]
(2) how many people in (a) Wigan constituency, (b) the North West region and (c) England are undertaking an advanced apprenticeship; [1646]
(3) how many people in (a) Wigan constituency, (b) the North West region and (c) England are undertaking a higher apprenticeship. [1647]
Mr Hayes: Table 1 shows the number of Apprenticeship (Level 2), Advanced Apprenticeship (Level 3) and Higher Level Apprenticeship (Level 4) programme starts in Wigan parliamentary constituency, the north-west Government office region and England for 2008/09, the latest year for which complete data are available.
Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts by level and geography, 2008-09. Apprenticeships (Level 2) Advanced Apprenticeships (Level 3) Higher level Apprenticeships (Level 4) Total Notes:
1. Figures for Wigan parliamentary constituency are rounded to the nearest 10. All other figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
2. Figures are based upon home postcode of the learner.
3. '-' Indicates a base value of less than five for parliamentary constituency and less than 50 for Government office region.
4. The England figure contains a small amount of counts where the postcode of the learner is outside England and also learners where the postcode is not known.
Source:
Individualised Learner Record
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Information on the number of Apprenticeship starts by parliamentary constituency, local authority, Government office region and for England is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 24 March, and revised on 22 April:
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/sfrmar10
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on the level of demand for apprenticeships in (a) engineering and (b) manufacturing. [2189]
Mr Hayes [holding answer 14 June 2010]: Ministers and officials have received a number of representations about apprenticeships including those in engineering and manufacturing. The Government are committed to increasing the number of apprenticeships, in particular advanced apprenticeships, to meet the needs of employers in an advanced modern economy. We know also that the demand from young people and adults for good quality employer-owned apprenticeships is high. The Government's decision to redeploy £150 million of Train to Gain funds for 2010-11, creating an additional 50,000 adult places, demonstrates our commitment to high-quality skills. Apprenticeships are founded on partnerships so it is important that employers, including those in manufacturing and engineering, take up these new opportunities and offer apprenticeship places to secure a new generation of highly skilled employees and we will be encouraging them to do so.
Building Colleges for the Future Programme
Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria will be applied to decide on provision of additional capital funding for further education colleges. [2666]
Mr Hayes: The Chancellor of the Exchequer on the 24 May announced that £50 million of Train to Gain funding would be reallocated to support a range of capital infrastructure projects prioritising those colleges who have not previously benefitted significantly from previous further education capital investment.
The funding is to be spent in 2010-11 and will result in genuine benefits to colleges and learners. The Skills Funding Agency has already begun work on a robust process to ensure value for money and, most importantly, the best outcomes for learners. As part of this process the Agency has consulted the sector through the Association of Colleges' Capital Reference Group to ensure that the views of the sector inform this process.
The Skills Funding Agency will be inviting colleges to apply shortly with a view to successful projects starting on site as soon as is practicable.
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2010-06-25
House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 15 Jun 2010 (pt 0011)
