§ Mr. TrickettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly to the locations as possible, the effects of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997 on(a) Hemsworth constituency and (b) Wakefield district. [153003]
§ 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 1999–2000, is available in the Library. The next report will be published shortly. 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 in524W 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 (a) Hemsworth constituency and (b) Wakefield district constituency or the immediate locality:
Reducing Burglary Initiative:
West Yorkshire police in partnership with Wakefield Metropolitan district council, were awarded around £12,000 under Round Two of the Reducing Burglary Initiative for a scheme covering City Estate, Wakefield.
Targeted Policing Initiative:
West Yorkshire police were awarded £488,000 under the Targeted Policing Initiative to roll-out across the force the lessons they have learned from a project run in Killingbeck (Leeds) on tackling domestic violence, and to apply those lessons to other forms of hate crime including racist and homophobic incidents. The project involves a graded response that includes working with both victims and offenders.
Closed Circuit Television (CCTV):
Wakefield District Community Safety Partnership were awarded £274,000 for the Castleford CCTV Initiative under Round One of the Crime Reduction Programme's CCTV Initiative. The project covers Castleford town centre, and aims to combat vehicle crime, shoplifting and criminal damage.
Wakefield District Community Safety Partnership have submitted two bids, to a total capital of £542,000 under the second round of the CCTV Initiative. Both bids are currently under consideration.
More generally, all of the policies of the Home Office will impact on the residents of (a) Hemsworth constituency and (b) Wakefield district 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 66,195 by the end of December 2000;good 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)