§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the rules are governing the employment of responsible officers for the monitoring of curfew orders; and if he will make a statement. [102656]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThree private sector contractors provide the electronic monitoring service in England and Wales. This includes the Home Detention Curfew scheme, the monitoring of curfew orders under the Criminal
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Police force net expenditure, and percentage change in cash terms 1997–98 to 1999–2000 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 £000 (±%) £000 (±%) £000 (±%) Avon and Somerset 152,673 0.4 167,417 9.7 174,424 4.2 Bedfordshire 58,570 3.4 62,317 6.4 64,027 2.7 Cambridgeshire 68,681 5.6 71,230 3.7 75,363 5.8 Cheshire 104,005 10.4 106,523 2.4 111,094 4.3 City of London 57,893 1.0 60,862 5.1 58,719 —3.5 Cleveland 75,426 3.2 82,282 9.1 85,397 3.8 Cumbria 61,709 8.5 63,000 2.1 64,693 2.7 Derbyshire 95,641 5.8 100,894 5.5 107,035 6.1 Devon and Cornwall 155,435 3.4 167,117 7.5 173,649 3.9 Dorset 69,727 2.8 73,497 5.4 77,749 5.8 Durham 75,166 10.5 78,103 3.9 80,712 3.3 Dyfed-Powys 50,952 6.4 52,609 3.3 56,143 6.7 Essex 157,487 4.0 168,889 7.2 171,590 1.6 Gloucestershire 58,633 0.4 63,780 8.8 65,933 3.4 Greater Manchester 353,319 3.6 371,497 5.1 387,256 4.2 Gwent 64,598 11.9 67,919 5.1 71,414 5.1 Hampshire 180,791 4.6 190,920 5.6 196,955 3.2 Hertfordshire 93,011 4.7 97,589 5.2 102,361 4.6 Humberside 106,220 6.5 111,587 5.1 114,306 2.4 Kent 174,211 7.8 178,916 2.7 186,225 4.1 Lancashire 169,275 4.6 178,051 5.2 182,679 2.6 Leicestershire 98,789 6.4 102,707 4.0 106,279 3.5 Lincolnshire 66,184 7.6 68,322 3.2 69,970 2.4 Merseyside 224,327 1.4 245,277 9.3 249,522 1.7 Metropolitan Police 1,676,617 —0.4 1,778,001 6.0 1,840,245 3.5 Norfolk 80,222 6.2 82,339 2.6 86,870 5.5 Northamptonshire 64,605 9.0 67,134 3.9 70,432 4.9 Northumbria 195,092 4.7 205,380 5.3 213,010 3.7 Justice Act 1991, which became available throughout England and Wales on 1 December, and the existing trials of curfew orders under the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997.
Responsible officers are employees of the electronic monitoring contractors. Approval is required from the Home Office prior to the appointment of any member of staff. Such approval is subject to security vetting by the National Information Service and, where appropriate, the Department of Health.
For the purposes of curfew orders, each contractor designates employees who act as responsible officers for those offenders receiving a curfew order. More than one employee can be designated as a responsible officer. Responsible officers are responsible before the courts for the monitoring of those subject to a curfew order, and for attending court to make applications for summons, warrants, revocations and amendments to the order, to report violations, to present evidence for enforcement action and other matters as necessary.