What assessment he has made of the extent to which magistrates are using the new powers contained in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998; and if he will make a statement. [80949]

The new orders contained in the Act—including the anti-social behaviour orders—have been widely welcomed as of great importance in helping the police and local authorities to reduce crime and disorder. I have kept in close touch with lay and stipendiary magistrates about the provisions of the Act.

We are monitoring the use being made of all the new disposals. The first full set of statistics should become available this summer, but the experience in the pilot areas to date has been encouraging.

Will my right hon. Friend take the opportunity to congratulate Gedling borough council and Nottinghamshire police on their work in implementing the 1998 Act? However, will he ensure that magistrates throughout the country implement with full force the new powers that they are given in the Act, so that we can start to tackle the anti-social behaviour in our communities that people so much want to be tackled? In that light, the anti-social behaviour orders contained within the Act are crucial and need to be implemented with full force.

I pay tribute to the work of Gedling borough council and Nottinghamshire police—and to the leadership shown by my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Mr. Coaker), because I note from the reports that I have received, not least from the visit paid by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, what good work is going on there.

To date, the evidence about the orders that are being piloted is encouraging. It shows, for example, that, in the pilot areas, over 2,000 police reprimands have been issued, as well as over 1,000 final warnings, 350 reparation orders, 213 action plan orders and 41 parenting orders. There is great expectation about the anti-social behaviour orders. They are fully backed by local authorities and the police. We expect some early applications to be made soon and there will be an equal expectation—which I very much hope will be fulfilled—that the courts will recognise the importance placed upon those orders.

May I say, on behalf of the Opposition, that we have all been appalled to hear the news of the murder of Jill Dando? I knew and admired her, and she did a vast amount to combat crime—that is unquestionable. It is an horrific murder and a terrible loss.

I associate myself and the Government with the remarks of the right hon. Gentleman and the Opposition. Jill Dando was known to virtually everyone in this country, if not personally. She was at the height of her powers. She had done a huge amount, personally, in the fight against crime, not least by her role in "Crimewatch UK", which makes her death all the more poignant. I am sure that I speak for the whole House when I say that our deepest sympathy goes to her loved ones, her family and her friends at the time of this terrible, tragic and appalling loss.

What assessment he has made of the evidence submitted to him from Colonel George Styles, ballistics expert, Professor Huw Thomas, consultant surgeon, and Bernard Knight, Home Office pathologist, in the case of WPC Fletcher. [80950]

None. The investigation of crime is a matter for the police.

As my hon. Friend is aware, there has been a thorough review of the evidence in the case by the Metropolitan police. I understand that the review is now reaching a conclusion.

How has that Metropolitan police inquiry dealt with the question of two warnings received by MI5 the night before the shooting, the first warning coming from the interception of telegrams between certain individuals in the Libyan People's Bureau in Tripoli, and the second from MI6, which was certainly passed on to MI5?

As I have made clear, the investigation of this crime is a matter for the police, and in any event my hon. Friend would, with respect, not expect me to comment upon the type of allegation that he has made.

Several reports and television programmes have indicated that the bullet that killed Yvonne Fletcher came from the fourth floor of a nearby building. Although I cannot expect the Home Secretary to comment on that, will he at least say whether the front-page report in The Sunday Times yesterday that new evidence has emerged showing that the bullet came from the embassy is true or untrue? I think that the House is entitled at least to know what is going on and where that report came from.

In a matter such as this, inevitably many competing claims are made. With respect to the hon. Gentleman, I can no more comment on that claim than I can, or was able to, on the claim by my hon. Friend the Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell). These are matters for the police investigation, which, as I said, we hope will reach a conclusion shortly.

What responses he has had to his proposal for containment of people with personality disorders who are considered to be dangerous. [80951]

Let me first acknowledge my hon. Friend's long experience and great expertise in this area. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and I are very grateful for his thoughtful letter of 19 November last and the subsequent discussions, and we are giving his ideas careful consideration. We expect to publish a detailed consultation paper on this issue shortly.

I am grateful for that reply. I urge my colleagues at the Home Office to do all that they can to persuade the various professional bodies to pay very careful attention to the proposal. When we do not provide proper security for the very few people who are considered dangerous, we fail them as well as the public. I know of cases when people asked to be locked up before they killed someone, yet one had no power and no authority to intervene. Perhaps we should look on this as a protection order, because it is protection not only for the public but, ultimately, for some of those people with personality disorders.

I am grateful again to my hon. Friend. The Government are determined to put in place new arrangements that will both safeguard the public by ensuring that the relatively few individuals who represent an extreme risk can be contained indefinitely, if necessary, and ensure that those individuals have their treatment needs fully met. It is a difficult thing to achieve and obviously such arrangements have not been satisfactorily resolved in the past. However, we are well aware that this is something that needs tackling. Following the review, we will ensure that the necessary arrangements are put in place.

I wonder whether the Minister could share with the House the level of evidence that will be required before such a person could be contained. It is alleged that Jill Dando was stalked by a fan for a substantial period. It is clear that someone should be contained only if he or she has a personality disorder, but if it appears that crimes, including murder, could have been prevented, the House should know of exactly the level of evidence that will be required before the person concerned can be contained.

As my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary said earlier, while we share everything that has been said about what happened to Jill Dando, it would at this early stage be inappropriate to comment on what may or may not have happened and on who may or may not have been involved. We are looking towards the sort of evidence that should come from a multidisciplinary team, including clinical psychologists, so that all the factors relating to the individual and the risks involved can be properly assessed to make sure that the necessary arrangements are in place to ensure that the safety of the public is put very high on the agenda. I think that the hon. Lady will agree that that is the most important contribution that we can make towards this serious problem.

If he will make a statement on progress in establishing local crime and disorder strategies. [809521

The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 required the local authority and police in every area to formulate by 1 April 1999 a strategy for the reduction of crime and disorder over the next three years. Therefore all local crime and disorder reduction partnerships—more than 400 of them in England and Wales—should now have strategies in place and be starting to implement them.

I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. Given the positive and pro-active consultation undertaken by both the police and local councils in developing these strategies, will my hon. Friend encourage local authorities and police to continue to liaise with local communities? For example, in my constituency the police in Fleetwood and local councillors are holding joint surgeries where they are continuing to listen to people's views. They are offering them confidential meetings if they have particular concerns to raise.

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for sharing with the House the experience of her constituency. The evidence is that the partnership there to which she is referring between the police and the public is being replicated throughout the country, and forms the soundest possible basis for the reduction and prevention of crime.

Why, when all the powers given to magistrates to handle crime and disorder are discretionary, are the Government insisting that youth offender referral orders are to be mandatory? Why has consideration in Committee of the youth offender reforms been postponed until the summer? Is it not clear from what we have heard today that the crime and disorder measures are based on only a handful of pilot studies and on only limited uptake by the courts, no matter what the Home Secretary says?

Does not all this make a mockery of the Government's claims that their policies on law and order are making a difference, especially when the only difference that the public can see is that there are fewer police officers?

Uncharacteristically, the hon. Gentleman has got hold of the wrong end of the stick. The reality is that we are pushing forward apace with our welcome reforms of youth justice. Magistrates have benefited from the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and its provisions, in which they are active participants. They are looking forward to the opportunity of making references to the youth offender panels because they know that they represent the best chance of arriving at a concerted focus on the needs of young people before they are sucked into the criminal justice system. That approach is likely to bear dividends later. This is about concerted action to reduce crime and youth offending, something that the Conservative party failed to do when it had the opportunity to act. We are acting and Conservatives are moaning and complaining.

The best way to counter crime in communities is to have partnerships within communities. Will my hon. Friend tell the House the best way forward in encouraging community partnerships to combat crime and disorder? More could be done in my area and there could be greater co-operation with communities if the lead came from his Department.

My officials are certainly ready—as, indeed, are Ministers—to participate in the development of effective local crime prevention and reduction strategies, but we are singularly anxious to achieve recognition of the importance of growing such strategies locally. We are not about being prescriptive and imposing strategies from above, but we are about encouraging good practice and supporting it wherever we find it. We are giving £250 million to support the crime prevention and reduction strategies. Such sums were never available under the previous Conservative Administration.

The whole House would like to hear—perhaps from the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Sir N. Fowler), who speaks for the Conservatives on this issue—whether they are prepared to match that sum of money. We have heard about health and education, but we have heard nothing about their support for methods of reducing the effect of crime on our population.

What contingency plans he is making for the reception of refugees from Kosovo in the United Kingdom. [80954]

Like our European Partners, the Government's priority is to ensure that, as far as possible, Kosovo refugees are cared for within in region so that they can return to their homes as soon as it is safe for them to do so.

We have always made it clear that the United Kingdom stands ready to receive some thousands of refugees from the region on criteria agreed with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The priority of the UNHCR is to relieve pressure on the camps in turn, by giving priority to the most vulnerable and those with family links in the United Kingdom.

Under those arrangements, the first arrivals—161 refugees, mainly women and children—came to the United Kingdom yesterday, and are being looked after in the Leeds and Bradford areas.

I am very grateful to the local Members of this House, to all the public authorities and to voluntary organisations in the Leeds and Bradford areas for the great efforts that they have made. I am also extremely grateful to the people of those areas for the welcome they have given the refugees.

In addition, I should like to place on record my special thanks to the Refugee Council, which is taking the lead in establishing a special reception service for all Kosovo refugees arriving in the United Kingdom.

Although our paramount duty must be to win the war and to enable all the Kosovo refugees to return to their rightful homes—I am sure it is appropriate that most of them should wish to stay as near to their former homes as possible and to be sustained in neighbouring states—will the right hon. Gentleman ensure that we make orphans and widows, who have suffered so cruelly, a priority? Will he follow the example laid down at the time of Idi Amin's expulsion of the Indians from Uganda and ensure that the refugees are spread evenly around the country? A lot of London boroughs, such as my own, bear a very substantial burden already.

As I have said, family union is one of the criteria being followed by the UNHCR and, within that, the vulnerability of orphans and widows is an additional criterion which the UNHCR already takes fully into account.

On the hon. Gentleman's second point, the Refugee Council, which is a major voluntary organisation with huge experience in this area, is making arrangements to ensure that those who will be arriving are accommodated in areas that are ready to welcome them and have the facilities to do so. We have already made it clear by example that that does not mean only London.

May I thank my right hon. Friend for his congratulations to the people of Leeds and Bradford, and West Yorkshire as a whole, for their generosity of spirit in accepting the refugees yesterday? Does he agree that it is right and proper that the statutory agencies operate together, as they did yesterday, to accommodate the refugees in a proper manner? It was clear from what the refugees said yesterday that all they want to do is go home.

Let me place on record again my thanks to the local authorities within West Yorkshire, which have done a magnificent job in co-operation with the voluntary organisations. As my hon. Friend said, the agencies are operating extremely well together.

On my hon. Friend's last point, it is true that the refugees want to go back to their homes. That is why it is absolutely right that the major focus of humanitarian relief must be in the region around Kosovo—in Albania and Macedonia—because that meets both the necessary aims of the military action against the Milosevic regime and, more importantly, the wishes of the overwhelming majority of the Kosovo refugees.

Does the Home Secretary agree that our determination to end the terrible treatment that has prevented those people from remaining in their homes is not a reason to be at all slow in responding to the UNHCR's plea for urgent help and relief from the sheer pressure of numbers around the Kosovo border? Does the Home Secretary have in place machinery that is efficient enough to identify the priorities of, for example, those with medical needs? Does he recall that, when the east African Asian crisis happened, a special refugee board was set up to cope with urgent action? The existence of more voluntary organisations now might call for different arrangements. Can the right hon. Gentleman comment on that?

I do not think that there is a case for setting up a special refugee board. As the right hon. Gentleman says, things have changed since the period when ldi Amin was expelling all those east African Asians. The depth of voluntary organisation work in this field is very much greater than it was. I am satisfied that the arrangement that we have put in place, with the Refugee Council in the lead but obviously fully supported by my Department and local authorities, will be resilient.

The right hon. Gentleman asked whether we are responding urgently to pleas from the UNHCR. The answer is yes; the first request that we received from it was last Wednesday 20 April, and we responded positively within one hour.

Can the Home Secretary confirm the terms on which people are being accepted into this country from Kosovo? I have seen it reported that they are being given one year's exceptional leave to remain, which presumably gives them access to benefits. If that is so, and if we are taking people on the basis of having relatives already here, what is being done to deal with the cases of those who are already here? Is it not anomalous to have people already here but with no access to benefits, whereas their relatives who are now being allowed into the country have access to benefits?

My hon. Friend is entirely correct to say that those who arrive here by way of priority from the UNHCR are being issued exceptional leave to remain for one year, which passports them into benefits and entitles them to work. My hon. Friend will understand that those who come here by other means will, because of their method of arrival and, sadly, questions about their identity—it must be said, however unpalatable it is, that a number of people who come from Albania seek to claim that they are Kosovo Albanians but have no well-founded claim under the 1951 convention—have their claims dealt with by a different process, which necessarily takes longer. However, we have a good record in according refugee status or exceptional leave to remain as quickly as possible to those whom we are clear come from Kosovo and have a well-founded fear of persecution.

Is the Home Secretary aware that we entirely endorse the action to give help and relief to the 160 refugees who arrived from Kosovo yesterday? We also support the general policy that the overall aim must be that the people of Kosovo can return to their homes. One factual question arises from what has just been asked. Ministers, including the Prime Minister, have been saying that this country has already taken 10,000 refugees from Kosovo. Does that figure include people whose applications are still being considered? If so, how many of those 10,000 are applicants whose cases are currently under consideration?

I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for his general endorsement of our policy. The 10,000 people who have identified themselves as Kosovan include applications that are in the pipeline. I shall write to the right hon. Gentleman as quickly as possible with a breakdown of the figures.

Will the Home Secretary outline what help he will offer to local authorities, which will take a substantial number of refugees in the near future, for social services, education and housing assistance? We all support and welcome asylum seekers arriving in this country, but does he realise that it is extremely difficult for inner-urban local authorities to fund existing services, and with an increased burden on them they will need immediate help from central Government? They cannot wait until the end of the financial year and include such assistance in next year's round of bids to central Government.

As I said in response to the original question from the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood (Mr. Wilkinson), the Refugee Council and the Home Office are being sensitive about the areas in which they are arranging for refugees who are coming in by plane to be received. They are certainly sensitive to the additional pressure faced especially by some inner-London boroughs. Discussions are in hand with local authorities, and I have no reason to believe that they need be hindered by any financial considerations in the co-operation that they wish to offer.

If he will make a statement on the role of the voluntary sector in the implementation of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. [80957]

Voluntary organisations have a huge amount to contribute to crime prevention and reduction and the safer resettlement of offenders. The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 provides a framework for a wide range of voluntary bodies to be invited to participate in the work of the crime and disorder reduction partnerships. I am glad to say that many voluntary organisations have taken up that opportunity and are working closely with the statutory sector to reduce the levels of crime, not least in the vital role that they have to play in implementing the youth justice measures in the 1998 Act.

Will my hon. Friend congratulate the voluntary sector in Castle Point on its crime prevention work in the overall strategy for crime reduction in the constituency? In particular, will he send a message to bodies that represent the old, the very young, the vulnerable and the disabled, which promote the interests of those who most fear crime, encouraging them in the vital role that they play in the crime reduction strategy?

I am happy to do that. My message to the organisations working with the elderly and the vulnerable is to thank them for all that they are doing, and to tell them that their views and their concerns will be taken up in the audits that underpin the crime prevention and reduction partnerships, and will be carried forward in the strategies. They have a vital role to play in ensuring that the elderly and the vulnerable, who are most likely to be the victims of crime, are properly protected. Partnerships between the voluntary sector, the statutory sector and the police are most likely to reduce and prevent crime, and we are determined that they will have all the support that they need to achieve that end.

Will the Minister also pay tribute to the work of voluntary organisations such as the scouts and the guides in helping to keep young people away from involvement in crime? Will he give consideration to the importance of not reducing the resources available to the scouts and the guides through the £.10 levy on the vetting of people to be leaders of scouts or guides organisations?

Scouts and guides, and indeed the whole array of the uniformed youth service, play an important role in diverting young people from crime. They set an example in recommending a life of discipline and duty that others would do well to emulate.

As the hon. Gentleman will know, we are engaged in discussions with the sector— my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary had a meeting with representatives only the other day—e that the necessary measures that we have introduced to bear down on the abuse of trust, and the welcome steps that we have taken to provide guides and scouts with access to the best possible information to prevent the service from being misused by those who would abuse children, are implemented in a way that does not place undue burdens on scouts and guides, or on any other part of the voluntary sector.

However, we are obliged—I make no bones about this—to implement a policy of the last Government as well. We must recognise that there is a cost to be met for those searches, and that we would not do the voluntary sector any good by exempting it from meeting a proportion of that cost.

May I praise the work of tenants and residents associations, and also place on record my thanks not only to the residents of part of my constituency who have put up with hell for the past 12 months, but to K division of the Greater Manchester police for sorting out the problem?

Does my hon. Friend agree that "training" is the word that we should consider seriously? Is it not important to train everyone, from the police down, in aspects of the Act that can affect ordinary lives on the streets, so that everyone is aware of their individual powers?

I wholeheartedly endorse what my hon. Friend has said. Training in the benefits that the Act can bring is essential not simply for the police but for magistrates—and, indeed, to increase local authorities' awareness of the powers now available to them.

Tenants and residents associations have long asked for the powers that we have given the police, local authorities and magistrates in the Act. I know that they welcome what we have done, and we are determined that the Act be used. The anti-social behaviour order in particular holds out the possibility of relief from behaviour that plagues all too many of our estates and communities. At long last, something is being done—by this new Labour Government.

What representations he has received about opening times for police stations in Sussex. [80958]

My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary regularly receives representations from hon. Members, members of the public and others on a wide variety of issues relating to the police, including the opening times of police stations. I am not aware of any specific representations on the issue.

Will the Minister join me in condemning the tragic killing of PC Jeffrey Tooley, a young officer based in the traffic division at Shoreham in my constituency? While carrying out his duties late on Saturday night, he was hit by a van—apparently deliberately—which then failed to stop. The officer died in hospital yesterday. Will the Minister extend her condolences both to his family and to colleagues to whom I spoke this morning?

Will the Minister tell me how I can convince my constituents that the Government are serious about tackling crime in communities in my part of West Sussex? During the last two years, evening and weekend opening hours have been eliminated in all the police stations in my constituency; no police emergency service response vehicles are now based at any of those police stations; and overall Sussex police numbers have been reduced by 161.

I am sure that all hon. Members throughout the House will wish to send their condolences to the family of PC Jeffrey Tooley. His death shows us again the dangers involved in being a police officer, and the extent to which police officers deserve our support.

There is always public concern about operational decisions to reduce the opening times of certain police stations. It must be said that all the developments that the hon. Gentleman said had taken place during the past two years took place under a funding regime implemented by the last Government; but the police must clearly make an operational decision on whether their resources are best used to keep police stations open during the evenings so that people can pop in, now that so many people use the telephone and can communicate with the police in other ways. We must allow them to make those operational decisions in their own areas.

If he will instruct immigration officials to ensure that asylum seekers who appear to have been tortured are not dispersed to areas without agencies specialising in the support of torture victims. [80960]

Wherever possible, the immigration service shall endeavour to respond positively to individuals' circumstances by arranging a suitable dispersal location, particularly in the case of torture victims.

I am grateful to the Minister for his reply, which he mentioned in private correspondence. Although many of us see the sense in dispersing asylum seekers across the country so that there is not a huge burden on a particular area, it would cause enormous distress to all of us if the situation of torture victims or apparent torture victims were aggravated by a lack of support in this country. Will my hon. Friend therefore reinforce his statement by saying that he hopes that immigration officials will give particular weight to that consideration?

We shall indeed ensure that we are very considerate of those who have been victims of torture. I have had discussions with the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture—which, until now, has been based predominantly in the London area—and said that we have to begin to create infrastructures outside London, so that victims who are already in other locations, and those who might go there in future, are able to obtain full and proper treatment. We are determined to do all that we can to achieve that.

Does the Minister agree that it would be better if Home Office officials spent their time developing proper care packages for victims of torture—as they have done recently in Leeds with their excellent work for the Kosovans—rather than wasting it setting up the ludicrous and unworkable voucher support system for asylum seekers? Will he not now heed the call of The Big Issue and other organisations to amend the relevant part of the Immigration and Asylum Bill, so that those who are fleeing persecution and torture are not thrown into social exclusion when they arrive in the United Kingdom?

Unfortunately, I read a copy of The Big Issue, which misquoted me at length, and was particularly disappointed at the way in which it ran that story. It is important that all hon. Members face up to the reality of abuse of the asylum system. Although we have to create an asylum system that delivers for people who are victims of torture and who are genuine refugees, our system should also deter those who deliberately set out to abuse and undermine it. We have to restore integrity to the asylum system, and the Government are committed to doing that.

May I bring the Minister back to the issue of victims of torture? He will be aware from the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture that many of the experts whom it draws upon to help victims of torture are based in particular areas, especially London. Although sharing burdens in the matter is important, does not the Minister agree that, in both current and future arrangements, we should do all that we possibly can to get help to the victims of torture who need it, to help them to come to terms with their experiences? They have already been through terrible experiences; should not our arrangements be designed to help them as much as we possibly can?

We certainly have to be sure that our asylum system is able sensitively to address the particular and very sensitive issues of victims of torture. We are committed to operating such a system. We are therefore committed not only to dealing with victims of torture who are already in the United Kingdom but to capacity building, so that we start to create the types of mechanisms that will ensure that victims of torture are properly dealt with when they come to the United Kingdom. I am not convinced that we have in place sufficient capacity to deliver for victims of torture. We still have much work to do, and I hope to work with the medical foundation and other organisations to improve our capacity to help the victims.

What action he is taking to support the work of Victim Support. [80963]

At least a Labour Member is here to ask a question—we have lost Questions 12 and 13. As my hon. Friend will know, we are making a very substantial increase in Victim Support's annual grant. This year's grant will be £17.3 million, and, by 2001–02, it will be £19 million, an increase of 50 per cent. over last year's figure. Most of the extra money will be used to establish a new and much-needed witness support service in magistrates courts.

I congratulate my hon. Friend on providing a much-needed, substantial increase in funding for Victim Support. Will he join me in congratulating the staff and the volunteers of Victim Support in Trafford and in Wythenshawe, who do so much to help my constituents? Will he ensure that as much help as possible goes to Victim Support groups in our poorest communities, which so often feel the worst impact of crime?

Of course I join my hon. Friend in congratulating Victim Support groups in the Greater Manchester area, particularly those that he mentioned. He is quite right to say that the victims of crime are most often to be found in the poorest areas. It is a myth that crime strikes only in areas where people are wealthy. We make every effort to ensure that Victim Support groups in areas of great desperation and high crime are properly funded and resourced. My hon. Friend was quite right to say that it should be a priority.

If he will make a statement on progress in establishing local crime and disorder strategies. [80964]

I refer my hon. Friend to my response to my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble). I would add that consultation with local communities about the crime and disorder strategies has led to the empowerment of entire communities in the fight against crime. It is about partnership and making a concerted effort to tackle local crime and disorder problems, and it is working.

I thank my hon. Friend for that response. Does he agree that the real strengths of crime and disorder strategies are simplicity and partnership, and that had the Tories spent rather more time concentrating on partnership instead of demonising local government during their 18 years in power, our communities might be far safer?

My hon. Friend makes his point in his usual forceful and trenchant way. I agree with him and congratulate him, his local authority and, importantly, the health authority in Harrow which is working alongside the voluntary and statutory sectors, recognising the importance of partnership in preventing and reducing crime. The role of the health authority is particularly important and it has been helped enormously by the efforts of my hon. Friend.

Notwithstanding the characteristically sycophantic gloss put on public policy by the hon. Member for Harrow, East (Mr. McNulty), how does the Minister expect local police forces to implement crime and disorder strategies to the maximum effect, given that their funding will increase by only 0.1, 0.3 and 1.4 per cent. respectively over the next three years?

The hon. Gentleman, who is an assiduous attender in the House and contributor to our discussions, will no doubt soon earn himself, by his abject sycophancy, a place on the Opposition Front Bench. We look forward to that day. In the meantime, we shall continue to spend an extra £1.24 billion on the police, money that the Opposition never had in their Budget and are now not willing to match.

What assessment he has made of the likely increase in the use of CCTV to combat crime. [80966]

We announced on 16 March that £170 million would be made available over the next three years to support the deployment of closed circuit television to combat crime and disorder. Guidance for crime and disorder reduction partnerships on how to apply for funding under the initiative will be issued soon.

I am sure that that reply will be received extremely well by my constituents. At present, three very successful CCTV schemes operate in my constituency. One covers Barnsley town centre, and another Doncaster town centre. The third covers Grimethorpe, the former mining community that has been badly affected by drugs-related crime over the past three years. However, whenever a CCTV scheme is begun, the problem arises of crime being displaced from the area that it covers to neighbouring areas that are not so covered. Does my hon. Friend have any hard evidence about that displacement?

The evidence that we have is that displacement is not an issue. It is interesting to note that CCTV seems to be capable of reducing crime in a particular area without displacing it to surrounding areas. That is one reason why the initiative taken in this matter by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer is so very welcome. However, CCTV has to be part of a whole package. There is no substitute for police-public partnerships or vigilance on the part of the public but, in conjunction with them, CCTV can—and does—make a real contribution.

The £170 million that the Minister has just announced will be welcome in many communities, but it is in stark contrast to the paltry £1 million that has been spent since the Government came into office. In my constituency, the people of Chippenham have had to fund their so far rather limited CCTV installation themselves. In the new funding proposals, will the Minister undertake to examine closely Chippenham's desire to expand CCTV coverage in the town centre?

The point is that, under the previous Government's budget for CCTV, £1 million was made available: under this Government, the sum is £170 million. The hon. Gentleman would do better to ask the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Sir N. Fowler) whether he is prepared to do battle with the hon. Member for Stratford-on-Avon (Mr. Maples) and other colleagues to match that figure. If Conservative Members cannot say that they will match it, they would do best to button their lips on the matter.

The use of CCTV has been a huge success in Chorley. Its introduction has been most welcome, but CCTV needs to be extended into the parishes, which may be smaller but are just as important. That would help with the fight against crime in the rural parts of my constituency.

I have visited my hon. Friend's constituency, and well remember the CCTV scheme there. I urge my hon. Friend to put in a bid on the parishes' behalf. The Government have made £170 million available, but it is now possible for bids to be reopened, and I am sure that my hon. Friend will put his bid in.

If he will review the procedure for selecting candidates to serve their prison sentences in open prisons: and if he will make a statement. [80967]

I hope that the hon. Gentleman will agree that, quite properly, the principal criterion for the allocation of prisoners to open conditions is that they are assessed as posing a low security risk. The Prison Service reviewed categorisation procedures for male prisoners last year, and is piloting a revised formula. Most importantly, it has also developed a systematic risk assessment for determining the suitability of women prisoners for open conditions.

I thank the Minister for that response, but Ford open prison is in my constituency and I can tell him that the system is not working terribly well, as was shown by the escape of a prisoner who had a serious criminal record and who had also escaped from his previous prison. An ex-governor told me that the governor's job was much like that of the headmistress of a boarding school for girls who has to solicit inmates by telephoning around junior schools.

There is no central system governing the allocation of prisoners from closed prisons to open prisons. Some closed prisons are pioneering their own open units, while some open prisons are inadequately filled. Does the Minister accept that the system that he described is not working as intended?

As I said, that is being considered, but Ford's occupancy rate is 73 per cent. of operational capacity. Were we to go in the direction that the hon. Gentleman suggests, we would, presumably, have to send people there on a much lower standard of risk assessment than at present. We must strike the right balance so that those who go to open prisons are those considered to be the lowest possible risks. To have 100 per cent. occupancy at Ford and elsewhere, which seems to be what the hon. Gentleman would like, would mean relaxing entry qualifications, for which I am sure the hon. Gentleman would not argue.

What criteria he uses for setting targets for police (a) manpower and (b) ethnic recruitment. [80969]

We do not set targets for overall police numbers. It is for chief constables to determine the number of officers in their forces. Targets have, however, been set for the recruitment, retention and progression of ethnic minority officers. Forces have been set individual targets with the aim that the proportion of ethnic minority officers in each force should match that of the local ethnic minority population. Once those targets have been achieved, forces will be expected to set a continuing target of recruitment in line with the make-up of the local population.

Is the Minister aware that a growing number of my constituents feel that the Government are soft on crime, and soft on the causes of crime? How can the Home Secretary set targets for recruitment of ethnic officers in each police force without setting targets for the overall number? Can the Minister explain why the chief constable of Essex told me when I met him that, contrary to what the Home Secretary told me at the last Home Office Question Time, there has been a 1.7 per cent. cut in the force's overall funding? In addition, the Home Secretary's 10-year target means that no extra policemen will be recruited in Essex for at least three years.

The hon. Gentleman's perception of his constituents' views has not improved since he left Basildon. Far from our cutting police expenditure in Essex, total spending in the current financial year will be £171.5 million, which is 3.2 per cent. more than would have been provided last year by the budget set by the Conservative party. That is progress under new Labour. We are tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime, and that is much appreciated in Essex, as the hon. Gentleman knows to his cost.

Is my hon. Friend aware that Northamptonshire police have welcomed target setting and have been successful in recruiting black and ethnic minority officers of high profile and high quality? However, the force has raised the need for targets among support staff, including, for example, crossing patrols—lollipop ladies. Not only are such posts often the first point of contact for the public with the police, but black and ethnic minority people must have as much access as white people to the high-quality support jobs that exist.

Northamptonshire, police are to be congratulated on their efforts, and they have much to teach us all about achieving success in recruitment without diminishing in any way the quality of applicants. My hon. Friend and Northamptonshire police make an important point about the role of support staff, and we shall take it on board as we develop future policy.

As the Minister knows, we support more recruitment from ethnic minorities. However, as my hon. Friend the Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) said, there have already been reductions in the strength of police forces throughout the country. Will the Minister admit what chief constables, the Police Federation and police authorities say—that further cuts in the service are inevitable over the next two or three years on current policy? Are not such cuts against the public interest?

On the contrary, we are supporting chief constables in their operational capacity to determine the level of police manpower that serves the needs of the local community. The power to set levels and numbers of police was a power that the previous Conservative Government reduced and removed from the Government of the day. We have a duty to do what we are doing, which is to support chief constables by a settlement that brings an additional £1.24 billion to the policing of our country. That is something that chief constables welcome. We are giving them the power to do the job—power that they never received under the previous Conservative Government.

What he is doing to enhance the recruitment, retention and promotion of black and Asian police officers in the Metropolitan police force. [80971]

My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary held a conference on the recruitment, retention and progression of black and Asian police officers, at which he announced the targets that he would be setting for individual police forces throughout England and Wales, including the Metropolitan police.

The conference was attended by the majority of senior police officers and police authority chairs, and by members of the National Black Police Association. It looked at recruitment, retention and promotion and attempted to identify barriers within existing procedures that could adversely impact on ethnic minority officers. As a result of the conference, the Home Office will be developing a national strategy to help achieve those targets, which will be issued to all police forces in England and Wales, including the Metropolitan police, and to members of the National Black Police Association.

I thank my hon. Friend for that reply. Does she agree that the Government and metropolitan police forces throughout the country face a mammoth task in persuading black and Asian men and women that the police force offers them a genuinely rewarding career?

I agree with my hon. Friend. It will be a massive task, but the police—in particular the Metropolitan police, who already have their own programme of work to tackle the recruitment, retention and progression of ethnic minority officers—must know that they have the support of the whole community in undertaking it. We will do what we can to help them, as will the community, and we are pleased at the initial response from within the ethnic minority communities, which are showing that they want to respond. We hope that we will see progress shortly.

Does the Minister feel that the recruitment of settled ethnic minority candidates to the police force will be enhanced by the fact that their immigration status will be checked by their prospective employers under section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996—a measure which the hon. Lady was pledged to repeal when in opposition and which the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux and the Commission for Racial Equality have made clear has increased the amount of discrimination in employment practice?

The hon. Gentleman makes a ridiculous point and when he reads what he has said in Hansard, he will realise that. We must all unite to ensure that all people in ethnic minority communities are encouraged and persuaded to join the police force so that it is representative of society as a whole.

What recent representations he has received about changes to the voting system for election to the House of Commons. [80972]

We have received a number of representations, both for and against changing the voting system for elections to the House of Commons.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that I do not have much enthusiasm for any change in the voting system for elections to the House? Is it not a fact that, in the recent referendum in Italy, those who bothered to vote—the majority of the electorate did not—voted overwhelmingly to bring back a system similar to the one that we use in Britain?

The turnout in the Italian referendum was 49.6 per cent. and of those—just under 50 per cent.—90 per cent. voted in favour of a change towards the first-pastthe-post system—which is a consideration to be borne in mind.

Is the Home Secretary aware that Italy is not alone in this? Israel is also considering moving to a first-past-the-post system because proportional representation leads to weak and ineffective government.

I am aware of some concerns in Israel about the system there. I have also noted that even the most evangelical supporters of proportional representation in this country have not gone as far as to recommend the Israeli system.

What progress police forces are making in reducing waste and inefficiency. [80973]

Improving police efficiency and effectiveness are key Government priorities. It is vital that the public get the best possible value from the money spent on policing. Our comprehensive spending review set the police a target of 2 per cent. year-on-year efficiency gains. We expect those targets to be met and the resources so released to help improve delivery of national and local front-line policing priorities.

I know that the police are mainly responsible for operational matters, but will the Minister talk to the West Midlands police, because there is concern in the Styvechle area about the Fletchamstead highway police station, whose hours are being reduced? I am sure that he knows that there have been several recent incidents in that area.

I thank my hon. Friend for drawing that to my attention. I have every confidence in the capacity of the chief constable to meet the operational needs of the local community. He is doing a good job. We are grateful to my hon. Friend for his support for the local police. We will continue to support him and the police in Coventry in doing their job of reducing and preventing crime.