| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
HOME DEPARTMENT
Criminal Anti-social Behaviour
15. Mr. Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to deal with criminal anti-social behaviour in neighbourhoods. [15791]
Mr. Michael: Anti-social behaviour which harasses or intimidates neighbours, or disturbs a community in general, is unacceptable and the Government intend to tackle it directly. The Crime and Disorder Bill will contain provisions to enable the police or a local authority to apply for a court order prohibiting an individual from behaving in this way. Breach of the Order will be a criminal offence.
Juveniles
16. Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to reduce the number of juveniles held within the prison system.[15793]
Ms Quin: Our aim is a faster, more efficient youth justice system with a clear emphasis on early and effective intervention to prevent young people offending. We will be bringing forward legislation to strengthen the scope for dealing effectively with young people in the community.
We will shortly announce new custodial sentencing arrangements for young people. We are also reviewing the whole range of secure accommodation for remanded and sentenced young people.
Our aim is to find ways of making better and more effective use of the accommodation and to ensure positive and constructive regimes which safeguard young people's welfare and tackle offending behaviour.
17. Mr. Gordon Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he has given to improving the system whereby the Parole Board takes fully into account representations from victims or their families. [15794]
Ms. Quin:
The Parole Board considers any representations submitted to it from or on behalf of victims when considering the conditions to be contained in the licence of an offender to be released from custody to supervision by the Probation Service. Under the Victims Charter and the Probation Service National Standards, probation services are required to make contact with victims of violent or sexual offences, or the victims of any offence for which the offender was sentenced to
24 Nov 1997 : Column: 432
four years or more, to enable them to express any concerns they want to be taken into account when the Parole Board is considering the conditions to be attached to release licences.
18. Helen Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Government's plans to provide greater support for victims of crime. [15795]
Mr. Straw:
I refer to the oral answer the Minister of State, Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Gateshead, East and Washington (Ms Quin) West gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Reading West (Mr Salter) earlier today.
19. Ms Kelly:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to tackle delays in the criminal justice system. [15796]
Mr. Michael:
The Government are committed to tackling delay throughout the criminal justice system especially in the youth justice system and have pledged to halve the time taken to deal with persistent young offenders. The Crime and Disorder Bill will contain the necessary measures and, will make provision for statutory time limits which will be tougher for young offenders than for adults, and tougher still for persistent young offenders.
20. Mr. Malins:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next plans to meet representatives of prison officers to discuss prison matters. [15797]
Ms Quin:
I visited Prison Officer Association staff at their headquarters in London on 24 July and have had several other formal meetings with their representatives, which will continue, although no precise date has been arranged for the next meeting.
21. Sir Sydney Chapman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on Metropolitan police recruitment. [15799]
Mr. Michael:
I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that he has recruited 811 officers this financial year. He plans four further intakes, bringing the total for 1997-98 to 1,210.
22. Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement concerning the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. [15800]
24 Nov 1997 : Column: 433
Mr. Michael:
The Great Britain criminal injuries compensation scheme is one of the most generous in the world. In 1996-97 it paid out over £210 million to some 47,000 victims of crime. We are currently looking at expenditure on victims of crime, including expenditure on the scheme, as part of the Government's comprehensive spending review initiated earlier this year. We shall consider whether any changes should be made to the scheme in the light of the findings that emerge from the review.
23. Mr. Jenkins:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he makes of the needs of the police force when allocating resources within his departmental budget. [15801]
Mr. Michael:
The Government's overall aim is to ensure that the police have adequate resources to play their key part in cutting and preventing crime. In assessing the spending needs of the police we take into account, amongst other considerations, the budget pressures identified by the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Police Authorities.
24. Dr. Gibson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to make bribery of hon. Members an offence. [15802]
Mr. Michael:
The Government are committed to tackling all forms of corruption, including bribery of hon. Members. My right hon. Friend expects to make a statement on the reform of the law in this area early next year, taking account of the results of the consultation exercise which he launched in June and of proposals which the Law Commission are preparing. He will also take account of any further recommendations which the Committee on Standards in Public Life might make and of the views of the Joint Committee on Parliamentary Privilege.
25. Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the electoral arrangements proposed for the next European elections. [15803]
Mr. George Howarth:
The European Parliamentary Elections Bill, which is to have its Second Reading tomorrow, provides for elections to the European Parliament to be conducted using a proportionally-based regional list system.
26. Mr. Baldry:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of projects under evaluation by his Department relating to restorative justice. [15804]
Mr. Michael:
Restorative justice is one way of fulfilling this Government's intention to confront offenders--especially young offenders--with the consequences of their actions.
24 Nov 1997 : Column: 434
27. Mr. Timms:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued to police forces on methods of restraint, with particular reference to positional asphyxia. [15806]
Mr. Michael:
The Association of Chief Police Officers has issued detailed guidance to all police self-defence trainers on this subject. This deals with the circumstances in which positional asphyxia is most likely to occur, risk factors, and how to recognise the symptoms and give first aid. The recent HMIC report of Officer Safety also made particular reference to the need for Police officers to have training in first aid and the care of individuals who have been restrained.
28. Mr. Edwards:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he will take to ensure that support and guidance is given to parents of young offenders. [15807]
Mr. Michael:
Reform of the youth justice system is one of the Government's key priorities. As part of our radical shift in priorities we will introduce a new Parenting Order which encourages parents to accept their responsibilities for the behaviour of their children. There will be an element which allows the courts to direct that parents exercise control over their children and an element which allows the court to impose a requirement on parents to attend training and guidance sessions. We intend to include proposals for the Parenting Order and the establishment of Youth Offender Teams in the forthcoming Crime and Disorder Bill.
29. Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to ensure integration and co-operation between the Prison Service and the probation service. [15808]
Ms Quin:
As my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced in July, I am leading the work of a review into the efficiency and effectiveness of the ways in which the two services work together. There is no predetermined outcome to the review. We shall be considering options for improving their performance next year with a view to consulting widely about the future of both services in due course.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |