§ Mr. MacleanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what(a) reviews, (b) task forces and (c) advisory groups have been established by his Department since 1 May 1997; what costs they have incurred to date; and what reports they have published. [71509]
§ Mr. StrawA list of the reviews, task forces and advisory groups established by my Department since 1 May 1997 are listed in the table. Terms of reference have been given where a report date cannot be specified.
385W386W387W
Review Actual report date Anticipated report date Comments Strategic review of national police training October 1998 Interdepartmental review of police pensions Reported by way of a consultation paper on 31 March 1998 Review of prison nursing services Subsumed into the review of long-term future of prison health care Review of prison service drug strategy Subsumed into the review of long-term future of prison health care Future of prison service review of long term health care Report completed in September 1998 Announcement expected in March 1999 Review of prison investigation strategy New procedure expected to be implemented by Summer 1999 Review of sex offences Outcome expected to be announced in December 1999 Working party on electoral procedures Due to report in Summer 1999 Review of local civil protection in England and Wales 21 July 1998 Review on the interdepartmental working group on preventing unsuitable people from working with children 25 January 1999 Review on the control of unscrupulous immigration advisers Draft clauses for statutory regulatory scheme contained on the Immigration and Nationality Bill introduced on 9 February 1999 Review on the control of unscrupulous immigration advisers Draft clauses for statutory regulatory scheme contained in the Immigration and Nationality Bill introduced on 9 February 1999 Review of immigration and asylum appeals Consultation paper issued on 13 July 1998. Draft clauses for new system of immigration and asylum appeals contained in the Immigration and Asylum Bill introduced on 9 February 1999 Review to consider permanent UK-wide counter terrorism legislation 17 December 1998 Review of measures to deal with protection of communities from known sex offenders who pose a continuing risk Measures announced in the Crime and Disorder Act on 31 July 1998 Review of anti-social behaviour Measures announced in the Crime and Disorder Act on 31 July 1998 Review on measures on community safety Measures announced in the Crime and Disorder Act on 31 July 1998 Prisons—Probation Review Consultation paper published in August 1998 Outcome expected to be announced shortly
Review Actual report date Anticipated report date Comments Review of welfare services to the courts Consultation paper published on 29 July 1998 Outcome expected to be announced shortly Lord Chancellor's Department, Home Office and the Department of Health Review on the United Kingdom's position under various International Human Rights Instruments Originally expected to complete in 1998. Outcome now expected to be announced shortly Foreign and Commonwealth and Home Office Review of the Prison Service's Quantum Project Outcome expected to be announced shortly The Prime Minister's task force on the active community Initially announced by the Prime Minister on 26 March 1998 and subsequently. The subject of a speech he made on 21 January 1999 in which he announced the establishment of a working group under the Chairmanship of Lord Warner. The question of a separate task force remains under review Task force on youth justice Measures announced in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 To encourage and develop active citizenship and social responsibility amongst young people. Established in June 1997 and wound up in July 1998 Ministerial task force on relations between Government and the voluntary, volunteering and community sectors To oversee, monitor the implementation of the compact between the Government and the voluntary sectors Advisory Groups Advisory board on restricted patients To provide the Home Secretary with advice to assist with decisions about those patients subject to special restrictions set out in Section 41 of the Mental Health Act 1983 whose potential risk to the public safety is considered to be particularly difficult to assess Advisory panel for the Youth Facilitator Programme To advise, promote and contribute to training networks and support facilitators via the programme advisers Older Volunteers Initiative Group To provide advice, support and ideas on how to support and encourage volunteering by older people provide Race Relations Forum To advise the Home Secretary on issues affecting ethnic minority communities Immigration and Nationality Directorate Complaints Audit Committee To satisfy itself as to the effectiveness of the procedures for investigating complaints and to draw the Immigration and Nationality Department's attention to any weaknesses, and to report to the Secretary of State I have also established a number of Non-Departmental Public Bodies to which I have not referred, but which provide regular advice and information to my Department. Details of these can be found in "Public Bodies 1998". 388W Details of costs incurred are generally subsumed within the Departmental running budget and are not held centrally. This could, therefore, be obtained only at disproportionate cost.