§ Mr. Gordon MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on the Blackpool, South constituency of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [142226]
§ Mr. StrawThe Home Office is working to build a safe, just and tolerant society in which the rights and responsibilities of individuals, families and communities are properly balanced, and the protection and security of the public are maintained. Detailed information on the impact of Home Office policies across the full range of responsibilities is set out in Home Office annual reports. A copy of the most recent report, "Home Office Annual Report 1999–2000", is available in the Library.
The impact of Home Office policies and actions is not normally examined by constituency and the statistics which the Department collects cannot be matched in the way requested. However, the following are examples relating to Blackpool, South constituency or the immediate locality:
Crime data for all recorded offences are collected centrally at police force area level. Blackpool, South forms part of the Western Division of the Lancashire Constabulary, who have provided the following information on the overall number of recorded crimes in this Division:
- Year ending 31 March 1997: 20,143
- Year ending 31 March 2000: 18,599.
These figures are not, however, directly comparable as there was a change in counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, which laid more emphasis on measurement of one crime per victim, and also expanded the coverage of offences.
A number of projects have been funded in Blackpool under the Crime Reduction Programme:
Two projects under the Reducing Burglary Initiative worth a total of £91,200.One project under the Targeted Policing Initiative worth £103,000 to tackle vehicle crime and general disorder.The Youth Justice Board funded a Splash Programme on the Mereside estate in the 2000 school summer holidays and Blackpool have been invited to run a Splash scheme in Easter and summer 2001 school holidays. The Youth Justice Board has also been working with Blackpool to establish a Youth Inclusion project.More generally, all of the policies of the Home Office will impact on the residents of Blackpool, South to a greater or lesser extent. For example:
319W376 Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships and 154 Youth Offending Teams have been established;the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 ensures greater protection for victims in rape trials;Ministers have taken proper responsibility for the Prison Service;racial harassment and racially motivated crimes have been made criminal offences by he Crime and Disorder Act 1998;the backlog of asylum applications has been cut from 103,495 in January this year to 74,380 as at October 2000;1good progress is being made in reducing the incidence of fire related deaths in the home.