Written Statement of 12 June 2003

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Police Use of Firearms
  The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Bob Ainsworth)
  The statistics for April 2001 to March 2002 show that the number of police operations in which firearms were issued was 13,991. The number of occasions on which firearms were discharged by police was 11.

  Armed response vehicles were deployed on 11,572 occasions and there were 5,776 authorised firearms officers in England and Wales.

  Full details are set out in the tables below:

  Number of Operations in which Firearms were authorised

  1998–99

  1999–2000

  2000–01

  2001–02

  Total

  10,928

  10,915

  11,109

  13,991

  Avon & Somerset

  88

  90

  65

  195

  Bedfordshire

  260

  190

  294

  237

  Cambridgeshire

  43

  75

  71

  114

  Cheshire

  299

  386

  545

  419

  Cleveland

  35

  76

  28

  37

  City of London

  147

  125

  3

  40

  Cumbria

  52

  24

  30

  71

  Derbyshire

  176

  178

  167

  275

  Devon & Cornwall

  61

  65

  151

  101

  Dorset

  69

  79

  174

  184

  Durham

  114

  114

  40

  89

  Essex

  590

  497

  435

  323

  Gloucestershire

  52

  52

  48

  165

  Gtr Manchester

  160

  224

  357

  580

  Hampshire

  129

  103

  114

  198

  Hertfordshire

  75

  73

  86

  112

  Humberside

  317

  193

  158

  297

  Kent

  92

  85

  83

  115

  Lancashire

  616

  267

  242

  232

  Leicestershire

  109

  222

  217

  300

  Lincolnshire

  57

  155

  336

  477

  Merseyside

  484

  489

  825

  1,020

  Metropolitan

  2,742

  2,862

  1,862

  2,447

  Norfolk

  185

  239

  226

  175

  Northamptonshire

  51

  57

  58

  43

  Northumbria

  683

  465

  708

  1,440

  North Yorkshire

  69

  61

  72

  92

  Nottinghamshire

  266

  255

  233

  384

  South Yorkshire

  135

  237

  127

  258

  Staffordshire

  209

  174

  203

  232

  Suffolk

  174

  165

  176

  163

  Surrey

  60

  143

  221

  245

  Sussex

  123

  185

  353

  248

  Thames Valley

  158

  110

  153

  179

  Warwickshire

  291

  194

  233

  130

  West Mercia

  130

  110

  36

  117

  West Midlands

  305

  362

  485

  822

  West Yorkshire

  662

  813

  822

  757

  Wiltshire

  24

  19

  66

  45

  Dyfed Powys

  38

  37

  18

  28

  Gwent

  64

  39

  30

  20

  North Wales

  386

  371

  195

  302

  South Wales

  148

  255

  363

  283

  56WS

  Number of Authorised Firearms Officers (AFOs)

  1998–99

  1999–2000

  2000–01

  2001–02

  Total

  6,308

  6,262

  6,064

  5,776

  Avon & Somerset

  153

  150

  135

  116

  Bedfordshire

  50

  46

  45

  48

  Cambridgeshire

  80

  77

  73

  56

  Cheshire

  70

  75

  74

  81

  Cleveland

  78

  80

  75

  85

  City of London

  55

  73

  74

  73

  Cumbria

  98

  98

  94

  92

  Derbyshire

  87

  77

  81

  80

  Devon & Cornwall

  82

  119

  100

  108

  Dorset

  72

  66

  67

  57

  Durham

  96

  101

  101

  86

  Essex

  235

  228

  195

  180

  Gloucestershire

  79

  77

  72

  71

  Gtr Manchester

  217

  218

  240

  219

  Hampshire

  110

  111

  100

  87

  Hertfordshire

  43

  52

  44

  46

  Humberside

  102

  97

  102

  96

  Kent

  130

  136

  136

  113

  Lancashire

  132

  143

  132

  138

  Leicestershire

  90

  90

  85

  69

  Lincolnshire

  75

  78

  80

  91

  Merseyside

  121

  96

  103

  78

  Metropolitan

  1,951

  1,977

  1,940

  1,805

  Norfolk

  109

  110

  114

  104

  Northamptonshire

  92

  75

  77

  51

  Northumbria

  123

  114

  109

  125

  North Yorkshire

  83

  59

  66

  66

  Nottinghamshire

  120

  116

  137

  136

  South Yorkshire

  90

  100

  98

  92

  Staffordshire

  92

  81

  67

  71

  Suffolk

  101

  98

  90

  90

  Surrey

  69

  71

  72

  62

  Sussex

  156

  131

  118

  120

  Thames Valley

  179

  187

  185

  156

  Warwickshire

  44

  54

  45

  50

  West Mercia

  139

  129

  130

  125

  West Midlands

  92

  93

  83

  111

  West Yorkshire

  128

  110

  117

  116

  Wiltshire

  88

  89

  71

  71

  Dyfed Powys

  67

  65

  61

  77

  Gwent

  64

  68

  66

  57

  North Wales

  97

  92

  67

  83

  South Wales

  169

  155

  143

  138

  Number of Operations involving Armed Response Vehicles (ARVs)

  1998–99

  1999–2000

  2000–01

  2001–02

  Total

  7,791

  8,276

  8,179

  11,574

  Avon & Somerset

  83

  78

  56

  173

  Bedfordshire

  240

  172

  253

  172

  Cambridgeshire

  27

  54

  36

  43

  Cheshire

  247

  330

  441

  523

  Cleveland

  29

  25

  16

  13

  City of London

  32

  24

  30

  39

  Cumbria

  38

  21

  27

  53

  Derbyshire

  153

  167

  152

  253

  Devon & Cornwall

  43

  52

  121

  76

  Dorset

  66

  69

  155

  182

  Durham

  84

  67

  31

  57

  Essex

  285

  244

  206

  165

  Gloucestershire

  49

  44

  39

  140

  Gtr Manchester

  43

  173

  302

  528

  Hampshire

  114

  90

  84

  116

  Hertfordshire

  26

  44

  65

  81

  Humberside

  277

  181

  136

  273

  Kent

  74

  58

  64

  89

  Lancashire

  596

  250

  177

  192

  Leicestershire

  109

  144

  195

  292

  Lincolnshire

  42

  141

  324

  470

  Merseyside

  396

  466

  75

  974

  Metropolitan

  1,573

  1,812

  1,380

  1,667

  Norfolk

  167

  210

  192

  157

  Northamptonshire

  32

  21

  35

  25

  Northumbria

  503

  397

  655

  1349

  North Yorkshire

  30

  40

  54

  60

  Nottinghamshire

  246

  232

  207

  333

  South Yorkshire

  115

  214

  103

  221

  Staffordshire

  185

  131

  136

  208

  57WS

  Number of Operations involving Armed Response Vehicles (ARVs)

  1998–99

  1999–2000

  2000–01

  2001–02

  Suffolk

  104

  101

  103

  116

  Surrey

  46

  110

  192

  225

  Sussex

  0*

  172

  245

  189

  Thames Valley

  139

  108

  108

  174

  Warwickshire

  220

  158

  194

  104

  West Mercia

  99

  98

  26

  100

  West Midlands

  129

  138

  243

  563

  West Yorkshire

  630

  787

  785

  609

  Wiltshire

  17

  15

  48

  43

  Dyfed Powys

  30

  37

  18

  28

  Gwent

  39

  27

  17

  16

  North Wales

  298

  354

  155

  265

  South Wales

  136

  220

  298

  218

  * these forces have changed the counting method for incidents to which ARVs are deployed.

DEFENCE

  Missile Defence
  The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Geoffrey Hoon)
  In a written statement on 5 February 2003,Official Report, columns 11–12WS. I informed the House that the Government had agreed to a US request to upgrade the early warning radar at RAF Fylingdales as part of the US missile defence programme. Since then, we have been engaged in negotiating agreements with the US intended further to develop bilateral cooperation on aspects of the US missile defence programme. The United States Secretary of Defense and I have today signed a Framework Memorandum of Understanding on missile defence that facilitates bilateral information exchanges on missile defence matters, establishes a top-level management structure to oversee cooperative work, and prepares the way for fair opportunities to be given to UK industry to participate in the US programme. It also contains general provisions for security, personnel and other administrative matters. Further MOUs are being negotiated covering the detailed arrangements for the upgrade of the Fylingdales radar, and setting up specific UK/US technical cooperative programmes. The details of these bilateral arrangements are confidential between the respective Governments at this stage.

  None of these agreements commits the UK Government to the acquisition or deployment of a missile defence system. But the Framework MOU is an important step forward that will enable us to improve our understanding of the capabilities of the US system, in order to inform any future decisions on missile defence for the UK or for Europe as a whole.

  British Forces Post Office Agency
  The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr. Adam Ingram)
  The Chief Executive of the British Forces Post Office Agency has been set the following Key Targets for 2003–04:

  KEY TARGET 1:
  To meet 95 per cent. of the Customers' requirements as negotiated and agreed in Customer Supplier Agreements for the Transit of Defence Postal Service (DPS) traffic from BFPO to the Theatre of Operations (TOO), Front Line Commands (FLCs) or on board ship.
  58WS
  KEY TARGET 2:
  To meet 95 per cent. of the Customers' requirements as negotiated and agreed in Customer Supplier Agreements for the Transit of Defence Mail Service (DMS) traffic from BFPO to customers of Defence Mail Centres (DMCs).

  KEY TARGET 3:
  To meet 97.5 per cent. of the Customers' requirements as negotiated and agreed in Customer Supplier Agreements for the Transit of Defence Courier Service (DCS) traffic from BFPO to the customers/TOO.

  KEY TARGET 4:
  To achieve an overall 3 per cent. increase in efficiency.

  Defence Storage and Distribution Agency
  The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr. Adam Ingram)
  The Chief Executive of the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency has been set the following Key Targets for 2003–04:

  KEY TARGET 1:
  To meet the Customers' requirements as negotiated and agreed in Customer Supplier Agreements. (CSAs)

  KEY TARGET 1a:
  For explosive materiel: to supply 95 per cent. of available maintained munitions within demand timescales.

  KEY TARGET 1b:
  95 per cent. of all issues of non-explosive materiel to consumers to meet that element of the Supply Chain Pipeline Time (SCPT) for which DSDA has a responsibility.

  Within the 95 per cent. target, for non-explosive materiel, the following subsidiary targets have been set in CSAs:
  99 per cent. of issues to meet specified SCPT at Standard Priority Codes 01, 02 and 05;
  98 per cent. of issues to meet specified SCPT at Standard Priority Code 06;
  97 per cent. of issues to meet specified SCPT at Standard Priority Codes 03 and 07;
  95 per cent. of issues to meet specified SCPT at Standard Priority Codes 04 and 08.

  KEY TARGET 1C:
  98 per cent. of all receipts that conform to the specifications laid down in the contract and/or materiel regulations to be processed within time limits agreed with each individual customer.

  KEY TARGET 2:
  To achieve an average 5 per cent. reduction in the unit cost of output.

  KEY TARGET 3:
  The value of inventory written off as a result of DSDA's actions to be less than the levels agreed within each Customer Supplier Agreement.

  KEY TARGET 3a:
  The value of explosive materiel written off as a result of DSDA's action to be less than the value of materiel written off during financial year 2002–03.

  KEY TARGET 3b:
  The value of non-explosive materiel written off as a result of DSDA's action to be less than levels agreed within each specific Customer Supplier Agreement.

  Defence Transport and Movements Agency
  The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr. Adam Ingram)
  The Chief Executive of the Defence Transport and Movements Agency has been set the following Key Targets for 2003–04:

  KEY TARGET 1:
  To meet the Customers' requirements as negotiated and agreed in CSAs to deliver:

  (a) 97 per cent. or more of Agency transactions and services provided under call-off contracts to be within agreed Time, Quantity, Quality and Cost (TQQC) criteria.

  (b) At least 92 per cent. of transactions against each contract to be within agreed TQQC criteria.

  KEY TARGET 2:
  To reduce the average unit cost of output by 2 per cent. in real terms.

  KEY TARGET 3:
  To achieve at least a "satisfactory" rating in the provision of operational transport and movements support.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Telecommunications Council
  The Minister for E-Commerce and Competitiveness (Mr. Stephen Timms)
  The Deputy UK Permanent Representative to the European Union, Anne Lambert, attended the Council on 5 June on my behalf.

  The Council approved a General Agreement on the structure and tasks of a Regulation establishing a new European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA). The Government supports this initiative but abstained from supporting the General Agreement on the grounds that the legal base proposed—Article 95—is inappropriate for this body.
  60WS
  Council Conclusions on the World Summit on the Information Society, being held in Geneva in December, were agreed without substantial debate.

  Gender Equality
  The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Ms Patricia Hewitt)
  I am pleased to announce today the publication of the report, Delivering on Gender Equality: Supporting the PSA Objective on Gender Equality 2003–06, which sets out cross-government action to tackle gender inequality and includes a set of targets which will be the basis of measuring my Department's PSA objective on gender equality.

  I have arranged for copies of the response document to be placed in the Library of the House.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Industrial Research and Technology Unit
  The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Ian Pearson)
  The Industrial Research and Technology Unit's 2001–02 Annual Report and Accounts were deposited in the Libraries of both Houses today.

  Local Enterprise Development Unit
  The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Ian Pearson)
  The Local Enterprise Development Unit's 2001–02 Annual Report and Accounts were deposited in the Libraries of both Houses today.

  Industrial Development Board
  The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Ian Pearson)
  The Industrial Development Board's 2001–02 Annual Report and Accounts were deposited in the Libraries of both Houses today.