Written Statement of 10 March 2003

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Prison Service Annual Report and Accounts 2001– (Erratum)
  The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Hilary Benn)
  Due to an error, the expenditure figures reported in appendix 2 of the Prison Service annual report and accounts for 2001–02 (HC 957) are incorrect.

  Amended expenditure, cost per place and cost per prisoner figures are given in the table.

  Expenditure 2001–02 £

  Cost Per Place £

  Cost Per Prisoner £

  Acklington

  12,306,951

  15,738

  16,459

  Albany

  9,638,824

  21,612

  21,853

  Altcourse

  30,595,345

  49,695

  37,029

  Ashfield

  12,542,677

  30,817

  33,314

  Ashwell

  7,977,359

  16,465

  20,204

  Askham Grange

  2,802,068

  21,029

  22,431

  Aylesbury

  10,900,371

  26,077

  31,466

  Bedford

  8,449,674

  23,819

  20,414

  Belmarsh

  30,948,620

  38,702

  36,608

  Birmingham

  16,696,491

  23,173

  19,839

  Blakenhurst

  9,672,424

  14,950

  11,540

  Blantyre House

  2,490,332

  20,753

  21,315

  Blundeston

  9,982,610

  24,568

  24,074

  Brinsford

  12,069,795

  25,304

  26,767

  Bristol

  17,134,205

  35,063

  29,872

  Brixton

  19,503,711

  29,960

  25,756

  Brockhill

  5,643,993

  34,000

  36,729

  Buckley Hall

  6,696,946

  19,134

  20,469

  Bullingdon

  15,178,114

  19,648

  17,073

  Bullwood Hall

  5,623,916

  31,244

  33,693

  Camp Hill

  10,096,506

  20,991

  19,231

  Canterbury

  6,268,130

  31,657

  21,955

  Cardiff

  13,370,996

  25,521

  20,800

  Castington

  11,168,010

  24,278

  37,740

  Channings Wood

  11,238,889

  18,921

  19,108

  Chelmsford

  11,573,580

  25,834

  24,770

  Coldingley

  7,909,234

  21,338

  21,754

  Cookham Wood

  3,576,878

  29,807

  24,264

  Dartmoor

  14,631,698

  21,438

  24,369

  Deerbolt

  9,711,053

  20,487

  23,968

  Doncaster

  18,369,239

  23,825

  17,028

  Dorchester

  5,726,272

  33,292

  23,785

  Dover

  6,728,429

  21,292

  33,600

  Downview

  7,158,940

  25,334

  35,572

  Drake Hall

  5,694,213

  18,309

  24,784

  Durham

  22,550,479

  35,290

  32,303

  East Sutton Park

  2,198,632

  23,390

  23,705

  Eastwood Park

  7,352,500

  24,924

  23,403

  Elmley

  15,151,353

  19,858

  16,523

  Erlestoke

  6,191,130

  18,991

  19,398

  Everthorpe

  7,959,428

  18,172

  18,446

  Exeter

  10,282,669

  32,033

  21,467

  Featherstone

  12,549,693

  20,951

  21,337

  Feltham

  24,346,837

  28,915

  37,471

  Ford

  6,271,678

  12,518

  15,260

  Forest Bank

  19,522,324

  24,403

  23,243

  Foston Hall

  5,299,241

  25,611

  27,422

  Frankland

  24,550,210

  37,596

  38,480

  Full Sutton

  23,541,026

  39,040

  39,827

  Garth

  12,879,054

  20,346

  21,016

  2WS

  Expenditure 2001–02 £

  Cost Per Place £

  Cost Per Prisoner £

  Gartree

  8,886,522

  24,280

  31,522

  Glen Parva

  16,615,880

  25,024

  21,642

  Gloucester

  7,417,888

  31,432

  25,869

  Grendon

  11,293,398

  22,177

  25,345

  Guys Marsh

  8,103,303

  16,639

  15,928

  Haslar

  2,847,598

  17,797

  19,526

  Hatfield

  4,116,132

  22,867

  24,428

  Haverigg

  9,638,719

  17,398

  17,955

  Hewell Grange

  3,018,642

  15,681

  18,022

  High Down

  17,266,744

  26,605

  24,374

  Highpoint

  16,860,131

  19,159

  20,056

  Hindley

  13,429,476

  24,935

  30,032

  Hollesley Bay

  12,625,347

  27,269

  37,678

  Holloway

  20,210,798

  39,668

  41,622

  Holme House

  16,789,328

  18,524

  17,891

  Hull

  13,824,391

  23,425

  24,056

  Huntercombe

  9,984,812

  27,736

  30,628

  Kingston

  4,748,471

  24,603

  26,102

  Kirkham

  10,642,725

  18,445

  22,226

  Kirklevington

  2,806,220

  15,335

  16,355

  Lancaster

  5,718,902

  23,829

  25,268

  Lancaster Farms

  11,715,333

  23,620

  23,478

  Latchmere House

  3,052,466

  15,748

  17,842

  Leeds

  23,291,510

  30,015

  18,876

  Leicester

  8,204,348

  37,837

  23,989

  Lewes

  9,985,425

  20,589

  21,672

  Leyhill

  8,585,073

  20,939

  22,592

  Lincoln

  11,655,841

  25,561

  22,666

  Lindholme

  15,386,512

  23,635

  24,941

  Littlehey

  10,376,197

  16,629

  16,653

  Liverpool

  25,565,332

  21,163

  18,957

  Long Lartin

  20,122,537

  33,594

  47,431

  Low Newton

  7,547,572

  30,393

  27,454

  Lowdham Grange

  12,694,649

  25,188

  25,667

  Maidstone

  10,405,357

  18,625

  27,607

  Manchester

  26,037,371

  27,350

  22,245

  Moorland

  15,006,469

  20,279

  19,625

  Morton Hall

  4,821,307

  25,111

  27,265

  Mount

  11,565,509

  16,405

  15,896

  New Hall

  10,405,367

  31,821

  28,731

  North Sea Camp

  3,738,139

  16,763

  19,369

  Northallerton

  5,080,145

  33,385

  26,164

  Norwich

  14,164,851

  25,534

  19,509

  Nottingham

  10,413,672

  23,757

  20,786

  Onley

  13,504,211

  21,100

  24,617

  Parc

  28,811,957

  35,266

  32,237

  Parkhurst

  12,434,863

  25,798

  28,450

  Pentonville

  22,239,323

  24,793

  19,136

  Portland

  11,313,801

  22,097

  23,949

  Preston

  13,192,099

  30,614

  23,816

  Ranby

  12,851,506

  18,012

  17,623

  Reading

  6,761,178

  34,019

  28,700

  Risley

  16,393,281

  19,899

  20,462

  Rochester

  8,790,555

  20,864

  35,686

  Rye Hill

  14,567,327

  24,279

  24,635

  Send

  4,609,307

  20,951

  21,315

  Shepton Mallet

  4,833,094

  25,304

  29,470

  Shrewsbury

  6,518,034

  35,264

  19,762

  Stafford

  10,624,651

  16,945

  17,201

  Standford Hill

  7,308,028

  19,031

  21,106

  Stocken

  9,454,466

  17,004

  16,493

  Stoke Heath

  13,554,911

  22,445

  25,959

  Styal

  10,894,273

  26,442

  25,375

  Sudbury

  7,606,310

  14,712

  15,213

  Swaleside

  13,493,143

  17,953

  17,933

  Swansea

  7,511,933

  30,787

  28,920

  Swinfen Hall

  7,445,594

  23,322

  23,883

  Thorn Cross

  7,359,861

  23,291

  33,671

  Usk

  6,805,526

  27,132

  21,016

  Verne

  9,534,353

  17,272

  16,823

  Wakefield

  19,914,099

  26,695

  35,688

  Wandsworth

  25,450,136

  22,070

  18,735

  Wayland

  9,928,885

  16,014

  15,821

  Wealstun

  10,870,434

  17,200

  17,990

  Weare

  7,340,016

  18,350

  19,478

  Wellingborough

  9,133,034

  17,631

  18,163

  Werrington

  5,058,625

  38,962

  41,778

  3WS

  Expenditure 2001–02 £

  Cost Per Place £

  Cost Per Prisoner £

  Wetherby

  8,594,400

  23,873

  26,438

  Whatton

  4,877,528

  17,736

  18,048

  Whitemoor

  22,611,769

  44,687

  56,837

  Winchester

  11,907,739

  27,125

  20,498

  Wolds

  8,642,518

  24,007

  21,665

  Woodhill

  22,103,665

  32,649

  32,807

  Wormwood Scrubs

  23,256,552

  19,424

  22,778

  Wymott

  14,929,816

  18,455

  18,897

  An erratum to the Prison Service annual report and accounts2001–02 will be placed in the Library.

  Human Trafficking
  The Minister for Citizenship and Immigration (Beverley Hughes)
  I am pleased to announce new measures to support female victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation in the UK.

  The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum (NIA) Act 2002, introduced a new offence that commenced on 10 February 2003 of "trafficking a person for the purpose of controlling him or her in prostitution."

  From today, safe accommodation and a range of services will be provided to support female victims of human trafficking through a non-governmental organisation. A six-month pilot scheme located in London will cater for approximately 25 women, on a rolling basis, who meet the criteria for access to the services, including a willingness to come forward and co-operate with the authorities in the combating of international organised crime that could lead to prosecutions of criminals.

  We will consider, in light of individual circumstances, whether it would be appropriate to allow such victims who have co-operated to remain here. Where they are to return home, we will assist them to do so, providing them with initial counselling, ensuring that they have suitable accommodation to return to, and providing help to enable them to re-integrate into their own community and find employment.

  We are also publishing a new "best practice toolkit" for the police, immigration officers and others who deal with illegal immigrants and trafficking victims. The toolkit will help them to identify victims and to provide practical advice on how to deal with them appropriately.

  The Sexual Offences Bill, introduced into the House of Lords on 28 January 2003 also proposes new comprehensive offences of trafficking for sexual exploitation to replace the stop-gap offence introduced by the NIA Act 2002 of Trafficking in Prostitution. These new offences tackle the movement of people into, within and out of the UK for the purposes of sexual exploitation, and will carry maximum penalties of 14 years imprisonment. The offence relating to trafficking within the UK applies equally to UK nationals trafficked from place to place in the UK, and to foreign nationals brought here and then moved around from place to place within the UK. This is the first time that the trafficking of UK nationals within the UK has been tackled in legislation.
  4WS
  Internationally, we are committed to addressing the issue of trafficking by our involvement with the EU Framework Decision on combating the trafficking of human beings, and the UN protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking. I believe the trafficking provisions in this Bill meet the requirements of the EU decision, and the UN Protocol and indeed go further in that they criminalise trafficking for a sexual offence per se, whereas the protocol specifies it ought to be criminal only in certain circumstances, for example, where forcer, coercion or abduction are involved.

  They also go further than the provisions in the NIA Act in specifying that it will be a criminal offence to traffic someone for the purposes of submitting them to a sex offence, rather than limiting this to trafficking them for the purposes of exploiting their prostitution. This allows us to offer greater protection against all forms of sexual trafficking, for example, for those who are trafficked in order to be sexually assaulted by others where there is no prostitution taking place.

  In addition the Bill introduces new offences to tackle directly the commercial sexual exploitation of children. The activities that the offences cover include buying the sexual services of a child, causing or encouraging a child into commercial sexual exploitation, facilitating the commercial sexual exploitation of a child, and controlling the activities of a child involved in prostitution. The maximum penalties available for these offences will range from seven years to life imprisonment depending upon the nature of the offence committed and the age of the child victim.

  All these provisions together, will set in place a comprehensive framework of robust legislation and improved support that will enable us both to bear down on perpetrators, often organised criminals, and provide a better response to victims.

HEALTH DEPARTMENT

  National Health Service Charges
  The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Mr. David Lammy)
  We have today laid before the House regulations to increase National Health Service charges in England from 1 April 2003. There will be a cash increase in the prescription charge of 10p from £6.20 to £6.30 for each quantity of a drug or appliance dispensed.

  The cost of prescription pre-payment certificates will rise to £32.90 for a 4 month certificate and £90.40 for an annual certificate. These offer savings for those needing more than five items in four months or 14 in one year.

  Prescription charges are expected to raise some £446 million for the NHS in 2003–2004.

  Charges for elastic stockings and tights, wigs and fabric supports supplied through the Hospital Service will be increased similarly.
  5WS
  The maximum patient charge for a single course of dental treatment begun on or after 1 April 2003 will increase from £366 to £372.

  The prescription charge increase is the same as in the previous four years and is well below the current level of inflation. The other increases are in line with this percentage increase.

  Optical voucher values will increase overall by 2.5 per cent., to help children, people on low income and certain people with complex sight problems with the cost of spectacles or contact lenses.

  A summary of these changes is given in the table.

  Details of the revised charges and optical voucher values have been placed in the Library.

  NHS charges and optical voucher values in Scotland and Wales are a matter for the devolved Administrations. Whilst the institutions in Northern Ireland are dissolved, responsibility rests with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office.
  6WS

  Summary table—new NHS charges from 1 April 2003

  Item

  Charges from 1 April 2002 (£)

  Charges from 1 April 2002 (£)

  Prescription Charge

  6.20

  6.30

  4 months PPC

  32.40

  32.90

  12 months PPC

  89.00

  90.40

  Surgical Bra

  20.90

  21.20

  Spinal/abdominal Support

  31.50

  32.00

  Wig Acrylic

  51.50

  52.30

  Wig Partial Human Hair

  135.90

  138.00

  Wig Full Human Hair

  198.60

  201.70

  Maximum Dental Charge

  366.00

  372.00

CABINET OFFICE

  Civil Servants (Local Elections Guidance)
  The Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Mr. Douglas Alexander)
  I have today placed in the Libraries of the House copies of the guidance that has been issued to civil servants in UK Departments on their role and conduct in the forthcoming election campaigns in Scotland and Wales and the local elections in England.