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Departmental Staff
Mr. Hawkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) special advisers, (b) task force members and (c) review body members his Department employs; what is the total salary and benefits of (a) to (c); and what was the equivalent cost prior to 1 May. [19317]
Mr. Sraw: My Department employs two special advisers and one expert special adviser working part-time on the Task Force on youth justice. We have not employed any review body members. In order to protect the privacy of the individuals concerned, details of salaries cannot be provided. Information on the total paybill for special advisers was, however, provided in the answers which the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster gave to the hon. Members for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) and for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr. Davey) on 25 November 1997, Official Report, columns 472-73.
Policing (Party Conference)
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much special grant will be paid to the Dorset Police Authority towards the cost of the policing of the Conservative Party Conference in Bournemouth in October 1998. [20566]
Mr. Michael:
My right hon. Friend has authorised an additional payment of police grant to Dorset Police Authority of up to £750,000 in 1998-99 as a contribution to the costs of safeguarding national security at the
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Conservative Party conference. A similar sum is being made available to Lancashire Police Authority in respect of next year's Labour Party Conference in Blackpool.
Mr. Malins:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful attempts to smuggle class A or B drugs into prisons were discovered in the most recent year for which figures are available; how many criminal prosecutions followed; and what penalties were imposed. [20963]
Mr. George Howarth:
Information is not collected centrally in this detail. But in the 12 months ending 30 November 1997, a total of 1,211 people visiting prisons were arrested by the police in connection with possible drug-related offences. The Prison Service does not record what action was subsequently taken by the police.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy in respect of the detention of youths aged 15 to 17 years within adult prisons. [20679]
Ms Quin:
The Government's policy is to accommodate offenders under 18 sentenced to Detention in young offender institutions. Exceptionally, they may be accommodated in prison on an individual and temporary basis. Most unsentenced young offenders aged under 18 are held in specialised remand facilities alongside young offender institutions but some are accommodated separately from adults in adult prisons. The Prison Service is currently considering the setting up of establishments for male juveniles only.
The Government are reviewing the juvenile secure estate as part of the comprehensive spending review.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what he expects to reply to the letters of 31 July, 18 September and 12 November from the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam concerning Cherny Ntamntambo. [20707]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
I have written to the hon. Member today.
Mr. Watts:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the report by the Police Complaints Authority on their investigation of the complaints against the Metropolitan Police concerning the murder of Stephen Lawrence. [21031]
Mr. Straw:
I am today laying before Parliament the report submitted to me by the Police Complaints Authority. This has been made under section 97(2) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, which allows the Authority to make a report to the Secretary of State on any matters coming to its notice to which it considers that his attention should be drawn by reason of their gravity or other exceptional circumstances.
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The report sets out the main findings resulting from an investigation carried out by officers from Kent Constabulary, under the supervision of the Police Complaints Authority, into the way in which the Metropolitan Police Service handled the murder of Stephen Lawrence.
The report concludes that the Metropolitan Police Service has committed substantial resources over several years to the investigation of this appalling crime, and that there is no doubt that a considerable amount of hard work has been undertaken. The report also concludes that the police operation undertaken immediately after the assault was well organised and effective and that there was no evidence of racist conduct by police officers. The report concludes, however, that there were significant weaknesses, omissions and lost opportunities during the murder investigation. Those errors were not identified by the internal review carried out by the Metropolitan Police. As a result, subsequent attempts to solve the crime have been hampered.
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner has told me that he broadly accepts the findings of this initial report and now awaits the full report from the Kent investigation. He has told me that the Metropolitan Police have moved forward significantly in the investigation of major crime since 1993 but will address all of the shortcomings identified in the supervision and management of this investigation. They will also consider carefully the lessons to be learned.
This report and its conclusion will now be considered by the Inquiry which I have established under the Chairmanship of Sir William Macpherson of Cluny to inquire into the matters arising from the death of Stephen Lawrence in order particularly to identify the lessons to be learned for the investigation and prosecution of racially motivated crimes. The inquiry intends to begin public hearings in February.
The Police Complaints Authority Report also identifies several issues which are relevant to the handling of serious crimes by the police generally. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Crime Committee of the Association of Chief Police Officers are examining national standards in the investigation of major crime with a view to producing a model for the handling of major inquiries. During 1998, the Inspectorate will also be conducting a thematic inspection of major crime investigation across the Police Service.
The Police Complaints Authority Report also draws attention to the shortcomings in first aid skills possessed by the officers who were first to arrive at the scene of the murder. All chief constables have already been recommended to deal with this issue within their forces, by a report of a thematic inspection on officer safety by Her Majesty's Inspectorate which was published in October.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what representations he has received
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in respect of regional and cultural imbalances in the projects given funding by the Millennium Commission to date; [19169]
(3) what steps he proposes to take to ensure equity between regions in the projects given funding by the Millennium Commission; [19168]
(4) What steps have been taken by the Millennium Commission to work with the Asian community on the ethnic minority bids which have been submitted; [20951]
(5) if he will review the decision to exclude the Akshardham project from further examination for millennium funding; [20956]
(6) which millennium commissioners were present at a meeting on Wednesday 10 December; and what time was allocated to discuss ethnic minority projects; [20953]
(7) in what ways the Millennium Commission publicised the change of criteria to encourage more ethnic minority applications for funding; [20954]
(8) if he will list the individuals and organisations supporting bids by the (a) Belgrave Baheno, (b) Akshardham and (c) the Asha projects for millennium funding; [20948]
(9) when the proposals for the Asha project were (a) received and (b) evaluated by the Millennium Commission; [20960]
(10) how many projects considered for funding millennium commissioners have visited to date; [20956]
(11) if groups on the Millennium Commission reserve list will be able to proceed to detailed assessment if they so wish; [20955]
(12) in how many languages the Millennium Commission issued their application forms for funding; [20886]
(13) how many meetings officials of the Millennium Commission have had with representatives of the projects considered by the Millennium Commission on 10 December; with which projects they were associated; and on what dates; [20961]
(14) what discussions took place between the Millennium Commission and ethnic minority groups prior to the change of criteria to encourage more ethnic minority groups to put forward applications; [20884]
(15) if he will publish the number of people of Asian origin who are employed at the Millennium Commission and the grade at which they are employed; [20950]
(16) if the Swaminarayan Hindu Mission's project Akshardham can proceed to detailed appraisal; [20885]
(17) how much funding was allocated to ethnic minority projects by the Millennium Commission at its meeting on 10 December. [20949]
Mr. Chris Smith:
This is a matter for the Millennium Commission. I shall write to my hon. Friend in my capacity as Chairman of the Commission and place copies of my reply in the Libraries of the House.
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(2) if he will make a sttaement on the progress of Millennium Commission bids from the east midlands; [19167]
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