§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much he estimates has been payable under the firearms compensation scheme. [13930]
§ Mr. DenhamThere were 72,000 claims received from 55,000 individuals who handed in 162,198 handguns and 700 tonnes of ammunition under the terms of the firearms compensation scheme.
Compensation payments currently stand at just over £90 million.
§ Vernon CoakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he will take to ensure that lessons can be learned from incidents involving the police use of firearms. [17028]
§ Mr. DenhamUnder section 79 (1) of the Police Act 1996 I have requested the Police Complaints Authority to report to me on the lessons to be learned from recent incidents. The terms of reference of that review will be
To consider the lessons to he learned from investigations supervised by the Police Complaints Authority since January 1998 into incidents in which shootings by police occurred and which resulted in death or injury, with particular regard to:The planning, control and conduct of those operations;The way in which the concerns of the bereaved families were addressed, and how they were kept informed of the progress of the investigation;The training and skill needs of police officers involved in such operations, particularly at command level.The Police Complaints Authority have already begun work on this review, and I have asked them to report within six months. The report will be laid before Parliament and published.
§ Mr. Liddell-GraingerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what statistics he collates on the time for applications for firearms and shotgun licences to be processed, from the time they are submitted to the time they are approved and returned to the applicant by firearms departments of police forces. [13457]
§ Mr. DenhamThe Home Office statistical bulletin on firearm certificates provides information on the overall number of certificates on issue or refused. There is no routine collection of statistics on processing times. The collection of such management information is a matter for individual chief officers of police who are responsible for administering the certification process.
§ Mr. Liddell-GraingerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines he issues on the number of people employed in firearms departments of police forces; and what steps he takes to ensure that these are complied with. [13458]
245W
§ Mr. DenhamNone. It is for individual chief officers of police to determine how particular departments should be staffed.
Under the provision of the Local Government Act 1999 all forces are required to carry out a five year rolling programme of best value reviews of all areas of business. The outcome is examined by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in accordance with their inspection protocols and the results made available through the appropriate police authority.