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You are here: Publications and Records > Commons Publications > Commons Hansard > Bound Volume Hansard - Written Answers
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16 Jun 2004 : Column 981W—continued

CCTV (Rochdale)

Mrs. Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much public funding has been spent on CCTV security cameras in Rochdale parliamentary constituency since 1997. [178499]

Ms Blears: Since 1997, the Home Office has provided £209,536 to Rochdale council for Close Circuit Television scheme.

Allocation of that funding locally is a matter for Rochdale metropolitan borough and the Greater Manchester police. The information is not held centrally.

Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 June 2004, Official Report, column 188W, on correspondence, when he will reply to the letter to him dated 14 April from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Muhammad Rafique. [178999]

Mr. Blunkett: I wrote again to my right hon. Friend on 15 June 2004.

Crime (Rochdale)

Mrs. Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the percentage change in (a) overall recorded crime, (b) recorded violent crime, (c) burglaries and (d) vehicle thefts has been in Rochdale since 1997. [178490]

Ms Blears: The information requested is not available centrally.

Rochdale is a Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area. Data at CDRP level has only been published from 1999–2000 onwards. Detailed statistics at CDRP level are available for 2002–03 on the new Home Office website: http://www.crimestatistics. org.uk

Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to make it a statutory responsibility for health and fire authorities to be involved in crime and disorder reduction partnerships. [178430]

Ms Blears: Section 97(2) of the Police Reform Act 2002 amended section 5(1) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to extend the range of bodies who are "responsible authorities" within Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships. Police authorities, fire authorities and health authorities in Wales became responsible authorities with effect from 1 April 2003.
 
16 Jun 2004 : Column 982W
 

Following discussions with the Department of Health, Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in England became responsible authorities with effect from 30 April 2004.

PCTs, health authorities in Wales and fire authorities all now have a statutory responsibility to work in partnership with other partners in order to tackle crime and disorder and misuse of drugs issues locally. They are expected to play an important role in the three yearly audit of crime and drugs audit process, currently under way, and the formulation and delivery of the resultant crime and disorder reduction and misuse of drugs strategy covering the period 2005–08.

Departmental Administration Budget

Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made towards the 5 per cent. reduction in real terms in his Department's administration budget by 2008 announced by the Chancellor in the House on 17 March 2004, Official Report, column 331. [176511]

Mr. Blunkett: The real terms reduction of 5 per cent. or more will be a central feature of the public spending settlements for 2006–08 to be announced in detail later this year.

Graffiti Removal Notices

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions Merseyside local authorities have issued a graffiti removal notice to a statutory body since the inception of this power. [178328]

Ms Blears: This power is initially being piloted in 12 local authorities, in order to assess the impact on the businesses affected. Decisions on further rollout will be made in the light of this exercise. The power to issue graffiti removal notices is therefore not yet available to Merseyside authorities.

Identity Cards

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out the processes involved in reading the information stored on the proposed identity card. [171599]

Mr. Browne: The identity cards scheme is still in the early design stage but we are planning for it to be flexible in offering different levels of card checks to suit the particular transactions. For example, retailers wanting to check proof of age might just check the person against the photograph on the card and the date of birth. In comparison, public or private sector organisations might check a person's biometric using a reader and verify this against the National Identity Register before providing a service.

It is too soon to finalise how exactly the more sophisticated types of verification check will be made and the type of technology which will be used. However, as we made clear in the consultation document published on 26 April, verification checks of cards will simply confirm identity and other relevant details. The draft Identity Cards Bill also makes clear that these
 
16 Jun 2004 : Column 983W
 
checks will only be made with the consent of the individual, unless specifically allowed under the draft Bill.

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 24 May 2004, Official Report, column 1419W, on identity cards, if he will list all the categories of person who have not applied for an identity card who, under the proposals in the draft Identity Cards Bill, will be recorded on the National Identity Register. [176452]

Mr. Browne: Under Clause 2(4) of the draft Identity Cards Bill, individuals who have not applied to register, or who are not entitled, may be recorded. There is therefore no definitive list of which individuals will be recorded. Examples of who could be included under Clause 2(4) include failed asylum seekers, illegal immigrants who are removed and third country nationals intending to stay in the country for less than three months but whose passport has been surrendered for bail purposes.

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 24 May 2004, Official Report, column 1419W, on identity cards, what biometric data will be used in the processes being tested. [176453]

Mr. Browne: The United Kingdom Passport Service's biometric enrolment pilot records face, fingerprint and iris biometrics. Not all of these biometrics are recorded from each volunteer.

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 24 May 2004, Official Report, column 1419W, on identity cards, whether failure to produce an identity card as proposed by the draft Identity Cards Bill will provide grounds for arrest in circumstances where a non-arrestable offence is suspected. [176454]

Mr. Browne: The Government have made it clear that it will not be a requirement to carry an identity card or to produce a card to a police officer on demand and, as such, it will not be an offence for a person to fail to produce an identity card to a police constable. The police will not have power to arrest for failure to provide an identity card.

Police powers in England and Wales to identify a person arrested for a recordable offence are contained in section 25 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984. This section states that where a constable has reasonable grounds for suspecting that any offence which is not an arrestable offence has been committed or attempted, or is being committed or attempted, he may arrest the relevant person if it appears to him that the service of a summons is impractical or inappropriate because any of the general arrest conditions is satisfied. The general arrest conditions include where the name or address of the relevant person is unknown to, and cannot be readily ascertained by, the constable, or that the constable has reasonable grounds for doubting whether a name or address furnished by the relevant person is his real name. Similar provisions under different statutes apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
 
16 Jun 2004 : Column 984W
 

These powers will be unaffected by the introduction of an identity card. As at present with existing documents, people will be free to produce an identity card on a voluntary basis (if they have one) to a police officer or to any other official as a means of establishing their identity, but will not be compelled to do so.

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