Tony WrightTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Cannock Chase constituency, the effects on Cannock Chase of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [158067]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe 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 2000–2001", is available in the Library.
Information on recorded crime and policing is also published. "Recorded Crime England and Wales, 12 months to September 2000" and "Police Service Strength England and Wales, 30 September 2000" can be found in the Library. The recorded crime statistics include information on recorded crime by Basic Command Unit and Crime and Disorder partnerships.
The impact of Home Office policies and actions is not normally examined by constituency and the statistics which the Department collects, such as recorded crime, cannot be matched in the way requested although set out are examples relating to the Cannock Chase constituency or the immediate locality:
Reducing Burglary Initiative (RBI)
Under round one of the RBI Staffordshire Police were awarded £529,000 for a project to deal with prolific offenders in Staffordshire.
133WClosed Circuit Television (CCTV)
Cannock district council received approximately £488,000 for two schemes submitted under round one of the CCTV initiative. The Benion Road Estate scheme was awarded £322,000 for a 13 camera system covering a housing estate that suffers from incidents of burglary, violence against the person and anti-social behaviour. Hednesford Town Centre Car Parks was awarded £165,000 for a scheme covering the main shopping street, four car parks, the bus station and Hednesford railway station.
Cannock Chase council have two schemes to a capital value of £211,000 shortlisted for further consideration under round two of the CCTV initiative.
Youth Offending
The Youth Justice Board are contributing approximately £55,000 to a Bail Supervision Scheme being run in Staffordshire which covers the Cannock Chase area. The main objectives of this scheme are: to identify and target prior to court those young people who are at risk of being remanded to custody or secure accommodation; to present programmes to the court at first and subsequent appearances, for alternative options to secure remand for young people.
More generally, all of the policies of the Home Office will impact on the residents of Cannock Chase to a greater or lesser extent. For example:
376 Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships have been established;racial harassment and racially motivated crimes have been made criminal offences by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998;the asylum backlog has been cut from 103,495 at the end of January 2000 to 49,690 by the end of February 2001; andgood progress is being made in reducing the incidence of fire deaths in England and Wales. They have dropped from 605 in 1997 to 534 in 1999.Information on the Home Office and its policies is also published on its website www.homeoffice.gov.uk.