If all material held by South Yorkshire police in respect of the Hillsborough disaster which he ordered to be placed in the Library has now been deposited. [53506]

As much of the evidence as possible considered by Lord Justice Stuart-Smith in his Hillsborough scrutiny, including that held by South Yorkshire police, has been placed in the Library. That includes copies of the police statements, both in their original and amended form, and copies of other material considered by Lord Justice Stuart-Smith not already in the public domain.

I thank my right hon. Friend for that reply. I shall write to him in due course about the matter, as I believe that there is documentation that he said should be put in the Library, but which is not yet there. I shall give specific examples when I write to my right hon. Friend.

The arrangements for the retention of those documents by the South Yorkshire police are the standard ones that apply in any police area: it is the responsibility of the police force concerned. A huge number of documents have been held and properly archived by the South Yorkshire police. We are transferring all those documents that are relevant to the Library of the House. I am aware of my hon. Friend's concerns and, once she has sent me details, I shall look into the matter.

We look forward to the Home Secretary finally reaching his conclusions regarding the Hillsborough disaster, having taken into account the new information now coming from survivors and relatives of those who were killed. Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that there are lessons to be learnt regarding crowd control, not only in football stadiums, but for other large events, such as the funeral of the Princess of Wales? What steps is he taking to ensure that the lessons learnt from the Hillsborough disaster are transmitted to other such events?

A great many lessons were drawn from what happened at Hillsborough and, more particularly, from the excellent report of the inquiry conducted by Lord Taylor, later Lord Chief Justice. The police service and many others who have responsibility for crowd control have taken proper cognisance of the lessons to be learnt.

Is my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary aware that a large number of people in Merseyside who lost relatives at Hillsborough would like directly to look at the documentary material? Would he consider making that material available in Liverpool library?

I agree with my right hon. Friend that the information should be made available. I understand, although I am not absolutely certain, that the information is either currently being transferred to, or already held at, the central library in Liverpool. If that is not so, I shall certainly do my best to make arrangements to ensure that it is.

What plans he has to reduce the proportion of early retirements from the police. [53508]

Earlier this year, we published a consultation document on police pension arrangements, which highlighted the need for more efficient management of ill-health retirement. Work is in hand on detailed proposals and we shall support good management practice, with changes to the police pensions regulations where necessary. Any proposals will be published in good time to allow for full consultation with the interested parties.

I am pleased that my hon. Friend is taking the issue seriously because, in Derbyshire constabulary last year, 65 per cent. of officers retiring did so on grounds of ill health. Has he seen the report on the Derbyshire constabulary published this month by Her Majesty's inspectorate? The constabulary is praised for having Investors in People accreditation and a Government charter mark, but attention is drawn to the problem of early retirement on medical and sickness grounds. Is my right hon. Friend aware that the inspectorate has previously expressed concern about underfunding of the Derbyshire police; and can he confirm that the Government will in future give the police adequate resources to enable them to play their part in tackling crime and to limit the stress on police officers?

My hon. Friend is right to draw attention to the problem and to the need to control medical retirements, because the pensions being paid out of police resources mean a reduction in the resources available to that police force. The variations are extremely large: in 1996–97, 16 per cent. of all police retirements in Wiltshire were on medical grounds, whereas the figure in Merseyside was 77 per cent. Merseyside has reduced that figure by 23 per cent. in the intervening period, so it is clear that police forces can manage the problem and increase their own resources by doing so.

Has the Home Secretary received any requests for early retirement on the ground of stress from the police officers involved in arresting Senator Pinochet, as it appears that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office had welcomed the gentleman to Britain through the VIP lounge but officers responsible to the Home Secretary were asked to arrest him?

The answer to the substantive question is no.

Is my hon. Friend aware that, last week, the Greater Manchester police announced substantial reductions in its work force? Would he be prepared to enter into consultation with the force to make sure that my constituents are not affected by reductions in the work of the police?

In recent years, the number of officers available for front-line policing has not kept pace with the number of officers available overall. We are encouraging police forces to use their resources—particularly the men and women who serve them—on the front line in the community rather than in support services. Each report of the inspectorate has demonstrated that there are still savings to be made which can improve the quality of the service to the public.

Does the Minister recognise that in the Metropolitan police force the problem is not only that too many officers are retiring early, but that too many are seeking transfer to other police authorities? Will he consider that problem when he reviews Metropolitan police pay and conditions of service?

That is a complex issue for the Commissioner. Many people come from outside London to serve in the Metropolitan police and many officers later seek to transfer to other forces, so transfers work in both directions. For example, many serving at the highest levels in the Metropolitan police have spent time, perhaps at chief constable level, in another force. That is a management issue which needs to be treated with care.

When he expects the inquiry into financial regulation in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man to report. [53509]

Mr. Andrew Edwards, who conducted the inquiry, delivered his report last week. It is being prepared for printing and will be published, in its entirety, for the House and the other place next month.

I welcome that speedy delivery. Will the Home Secretary also opt for speedy implementation of the Edwards report—by consent, if possible, but if necessary, by imposition—to clean up the financial acts in the Crown dependencies, particularly Jersey and Guernsey? The Edwards report found that regulators are promoting the development of financial services and business is being conducted in maximum secrecy with those involved repelling outside inquiries, as in the case of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International. There is no separation of powers on the islands, so those who benefit from financial services also have influence over the Executive, the legislature and the judicial and regulatory structures. Does the Home Secretary agree that such arrangements are totally unsuitable?

I understand my hon. Friend's strong views. He will appreciate that, as I read the report only late last night, I am not in a position to discuss its individual recommendations, and it would be wrong to do so before the report is presented to the House. Once the report is published in its entirety, there will be every opportunity for its contents to be discussed by Members of Parliament and responsible individuals in the islands.

The Home Secretary is aware of my concern about the way in which the inquiry was launched because he and I have corresponded about that. I am grateful to him for stating that his ministerial colleague in another place will meet me and the hon. Member for Tooting (Mr. Cox) to discuss the fact that, at the time of the inquiry's launch, the legislatures in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man were considerably upset. Will he confirm that the concerns that I have raised with him in writing will be dealt with and that we will never again present the legislatures in overseas territories such as the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man with emergency announcements that completely bypass the normal structures and lead to their holding emergency debates on the possibility of secession?

We endeavour to maintain good relations with the islands, and I pay tribute to my noble and learned friend Lord Williams of Mostyn for the way in which he conducts those relations, day by day and week by week. The constitutional relationship between the islands and the Parliament of the United Kingdom was set out very clearly in the Kilbrandon report in the early 1970s. The action that I took in announcing and establishing the inquiry was fully consistent with the deliberations and conclusions about that relationship set out in Kilbrandon.

How many offenders were given prison sentences of four months or more but less than eight months in the most recent year for which figures are available. [53510]

There were 16,132 during 1997.

I am grateful for that short answer. Will the Minister confirm that, under the home detention curfew scheme, a criminal who received a sentence of six months would spend only six weeks in prison? Is that correct?

Home detention curfews will be introduced on 28 January 1999. All prisoners will have to satisfy a risk assessment that will be carried out by the Prison Service, and we expect that about 50 per cent. of those who are eligible will qualify for the scheme.

Specific to the length of prison sentences, will the Minister tell the House what penalties were imposed by the courts in the five cases of serious social security fraud cited in the Government publication of July 1998 entitled "Beating Fraud is Everyone's Business—Securing the Future"? Will the Minister remind the House of the sums involved and will he reassure the public that, in the context of crime prevention, the punishment meted out by the courts must be worthy of the crime?

Obviously, the courts will determine what sentences to impose in any set of circumstances. As I did not receive notice of his question, it would be invidious for me to comment on the cases to which the hon. Gentleman referred. However, I am sure that all hon. Members agree that prison sentences and other punishments must be available to the courts in the case of social security fraud. In some circumstances, they are quite appropriate punishments.

Does my hon. Friend agree that, although short sentences of fewer than eight months might have a deterrent effect, they have very little rehabilitative or training content and leave many people with no alternative means of earning a living on their release from prison? Does my hon. Friend agree that, in most cases, it would be better to concentrate on electronic tagging or community sentences or on what the Home Affairs Select Committee prefers to call "criminal work orders" when dealing with such offenders? That would release resources wherever possible and ensure that those who are imprisoned for short periods receive the rehabilitation and training that will enable them to take up other careers when they leave prison.

My hon. Friend makes a good point in that part of the purpose of a prison sentence is to equip people with skills so that they can lead an honest life when they complete their sentences. That is very important. As to home detention curfews, which have much exercised the minds of Opposition Members, perhaps they should ask the hon. Members for Surrey Heath (Mr. Hawkins), for Aldershot (Mr. Howarth) and for Woking (Mr. Malins) for their views on the matter. They supported the Home Affairs Select Committee, which backed precisely this scheme, so I am sure that there is unanimity in all corners of the House.

I believe that the answer to the question asked by my hon. Friend the Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Mr. Loughton) is that, in many cases, six months will indeed mean six weeks. Of the 16,000 prisoners that the Minister mentioned, how many were burglars? How can anyone have confidence in the Prime Minister's promise of a blitz on burglars when, under the home curfew detention scheme, burglars may be let out on the streets? Or perhaps the Minister will tell us that burglars will not be included. We would love that; we would prefer that the Government implemented section 3 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997.

It would be tempting to assume that, instead of being on the brink of being out of office for the next 20 years, Conservative Members had been out of office for the past 20 years. I believe that it has escaped the hon. Gentleman's attention that the arrangements that the previous Conservative Government had in place led to a doubling of crime and to fewer than one in 50 crimes resulting in a conviction. We shall listen to what the hon. Gentleman and his friends say when they can point to a more convincing record of their own; I do not believe that they can.

What plans he has to change fire and police service pension arrangements. [53512]

We published consultation documents on the police and fire service pension schemes in March 1998 and will take careful account of the responses that we receive. We shall consult fully on any specific changes that we propose to the pension arrangements for new entrants or to medical retirement procedures.

What consideration has my hon. Friend given to those cases of premature retirement due to sickness or ill health where the person subsequently—sometimes immediately—takes up an alternative form of employment?

That is obviously a matter for concern. In each case, one would have to inquire into the nature of the subsequent employment—for example, whether it required a different level of physical activity from the job of being a serving police or fire officer. Obviously, concerns such as those to which my hon. Friend just alluded form part of the considerations that have taken place, and such concerns will be taken into account when we consider the results of the consultation.

The Minister will be aware that, over the past year, Gloucestershire constabulary has suffered an actual cut in its budget of £1.5 million. That has resulted in the loss of front-line policemen. In no small measure is that due to the increased pension contributions that the Gloucestershire constabulary has had to make, directly as a result of the Government's changes in advance corporation tax relief. What will the Government do to fund those pension contributions fully so that rural areas, in particular, do not suffer a cut in their front-line police and fire services?

First, the settlement that the Gloucestershire police authority received was precisely the one that it would have received, had the Conservative party still been in government.

If he will make a statement on progress in implementing his Department's measures relating to crime and disorder. [53513]

The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 received Royal Assent on 31 July this year. Of the 121 sections in the Act, 87 have now been brought into force, some of those on a pilot basis. Sex offender orders will come into force on 1 December and anti-social behaviour orders will come into force on 1 April next year.

I assure my right hon. Friend that there is considerable enthusiasm for making a fast start in North-West Norfolk. In the distribution of pilots, will proper attention be paid to the needs of rural constituencies such as mine? If the pilots are to tackle hot spots, may I remind my right hon. Friend that King's Lynn, the market town in my constituency, has 30 per cent. more crime than the average metropolitan area, and twice the county average? Is that not just the sort of problem that the pilots should be tackling? May I assure my constituents that their needs are being considered in my right hon. Friend's Department?

I can certainly give that assurance to my hon. Friend. As he knows, I paid an interesting visit to his constituency, looked at some of the problem areas and also spoke to a meeting in King's Lynn on a wet Friday evening, at which 700 good citizens of King's Lynn turned up to hear me—[Interruption.]—and they stayed to the end.

Does the Home Secretary believe that further measures will be needed to deal with offenders who are deemed to be extremely violent because of mental illness or personality disorder, but whom psychiatrists diagnose as not likely to respond to treatment? Is he aware that this concern has arisen not simply following the conviction of Michael Stone for those two brutal and horrible murders, but because there has been a tendency in recent years for psychiatrists to diagnose a number of violent people as not likely to respond to treatment?

Yes, I entirely agree with the right hon. Gentleman that there must be changes in law and practice in that area. We are urgently considering the matter with my right hon. and hon. Friends in the Department of Health. Sir Louis Blom-Cooper, who has a distinguished record in this field, said on the radio on Sunday that one of the problems that has arisen is a change in the practice of the psychiatric profession which, 20 years ago, adopted what I would call a common-sense approach to serious and dangerous persistent offenders, but these days goes for a much narrower interpretation of the law. Quite extraordinarily for a medical profession, the psychiatric profession has said that it will take on only patients whom it regards as treatable. If that philosophy applied anywhere else in medicine, no progress would be made in medicine. It is time that the psychiatric profession seriously examined its own practices and tried to modernise them in a way that it has so far failed to do.

On Saturday, I was out visiting constituents and met a group of my more elderly constituents who are having problems with minor vandalism in their area, which leads to them feeling unable to use some of their front rooms and concerned about general safety in their neighbourhood. Will my right hon. Friend comment on the role of community police officers under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 in tackling such community disorder, which is of great concern to people in Welwyn Hatfield?

I have spoken to many community beat officers about their frustrations in dealing with criminal anti-social behaviour such as my hon. Friend describes. One of the reasons that we have created in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 the new injunctive powers for anti-social behaviour orders is to ensure that community beat officers, their commanding officers and superintendents in the operational command units in the police service can seek effective action by the courts to crack down on such behaviour. I believe that, once the order comes into force next April, it will be extremely effective in dealing with such disorder in my hon. Friend's constituency and in every other constituency across the country.

The Home Secretary will know that one of the main provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, which has already come into place, is for local authorities to make child curfew orders. Does the right hon. Gentleman accept that many people find it strange that local child curfews will apply to youngsters under 10 but not to those aged 10 or over, who many of us think are more likely to cause serious trouble on estates and neighbourhoods than the under-10s? Is it a sensible use of police time for the police to have to sort out the under-10s from the over-10s? Will the right hon. Gentleman be as bold as his rhetoric and tell us how many local child curfews he thinks we shall hear about on the internet, in hot spots or anywhere else? Or is the prospect of a wet night in King's Lynn more forbidding?

No. Having done one wet night in King's Lynn, I am game for any number of them.

Does my right hon. Friend agree with me that sector policing in my constituency, and especially in the Lye area, has been a great success, and that has been due in no small part to the partnerships evolving within the community, with the police reaching out to leaders and to young people and disaffected groups within the community, and liaising directly with them?

I accept what my hon. Friend says. There is no doubt that the very good experience of local authorities and of the West Mercia police in my hon. Friend's area shows to other local authorities and police forces, which might not have been in the vanguard, the importance and value of reducing crime and disorder in their areas. This arises from statutory partnerships, which we have established under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

What plans he has to increase the number of televisions available to prisoners. [53514]

We have made arrangements to extend the pilot in-cell television schemes introduced by the previous Administration in the light of the Woolf report. Televisions will be installed in 80 establishments over the next three months as part of the Prison Service's incentives and earned privileges scheme.

I thank the Minister for that answer, although the House and the country will be disturbed to hear it. Does the Minister agree that television in cells should be earned as a privilege as a result of good behaviour and should not be provided as of right? Will the hon. Gentleman tell the House how much the new scheme is costing? Would it be better to use the money not for in-cell television but for out-of-cell activities such as education and training?

I think that the hon. Gentleman does not understand the scheme. The answer to the second part of his question is that the scheme will be broadly self-financing. Prisoners will be expected to pay towards the cost of the televisions.

"What we are saying is that television cells should not be an automatic right but should be something earned by good behaviour."

What assistance his Department is giving to enable police forces to acquire new communications systems. [53515]

The Police Information Technology Organisation, a Home Office non-departmental public body, is managing the public safety radio communications project. This is a major public-private partnership project designed to replace the police service's existing radiocommunications infrastructure with a modern one.

May I congratulate my hon. Friend on her appointment as a Minister and welcome her to her place on the Front Bench? Is she aware that the police radios currently in use in North Yorkshire do not communicate with many parts of the county—not just isolated valleys in the dales and moors, but stores in the centre of York? Does she realise that North Yorkshire police urgently need new radios? Will she either consider extending to North Yorkshire the trial for the public safety radio communications project in Lancashire, or make some other proposal to speed up the purchase of new radios for North Yorkshire?

I thank my hon. Friend for his congratulations. We all recognise the difficulties that North Yorkshire police have with their current radio system, which is why the force is scheduled to be among the first to be provided with the new service.

Are the present communications systems sufficient to enable the Home Office to maintain contact with the Chilean aircraft waiting at RAF Brize Norton?

I am sure that, if it wished to, it could.

Will my hon. Friend assure the House that the police will have the resources necessary to ensure that they have proper communications equipment? Earlier this year, I had cause to write to the Home Secretary about the position in West Yorkshire. Because of the change in the valuation of the band D rating, the West Yorkshire coffers contained £6 million less than had been budgeted for. It is essential that police forces, particularly West Yorkshire, are assured of the resources necessary to purchase equipment to combat crime in the county.

My hon. Friend will be aware that the additional funding available to police in England and Wales in the next three years should be sufficient, given efficiency improvements and the reinvestment of savings, to help meet extra spending pressures that may arise.

What steps his Department is taking (a) to recruit young unemployed people under the new deal and (b) to encourage agencies for which the Department is responsible and suppliers to the Department to do the same. [53517]

The Home Office formally signed up to the new deal programme on 18 September and, with its agencies, is actively seeking to employ new deal participants. We cannot answer for the employment practices of independent suppliers, but we hope that, like other employers, they will participate in the new deal.

The formal new deal commitment is encouraging, as is the advertising of specific vacancies on the Floor of the House. I look forward to the near future when the Department will take on new deal recruits. Does my hon. Friend agree that the opportunity to work can be crucial in helping youngsters to break out of a life of crime? What steps is the Department taking to ensure that such young people have access to the new deal?

I thank my hon. Friend for the first part of his question, and agree entirely with the point that he makes in the second part. The probation service, the Prison Service and others are well linked into the new deal. If young people are to avoid a life of crime, it is important that they have gainful employment, proper training and access to proper education. That is an integral part of our strategy for dealing with young offenders and those who may become young offenders. It is vital that we all accept the importance of that.

Will the Minister do all that he can to encourage young unemployed people not only to go through the new deal, perhaps into the police force—I should be interested in what he has to say about any applications—but to go into the specials? He will know of the tremendous contribution that the specials make towards our police force throughout the country. Will he encourage young unemployed people to offer the spare time that they obviously have, to give back their commitment and contribution to society through the specials? They might also gain some of the training and sense of civic responsibility which would help them to get into full-time employment elsewhere.

I thank the hon. Gentleman for that constructive question. In respect of the police and the fire service, consideration has been given to whether the special constables and retained firefighters could be a route by which the new deal could travel. Discussions are on-going. The hon. Gentleman's point is well made, and I shall consider it further.

What plans he has to make closed circuit television more widely available. [53518]

We shall be funding 175 closed circuit television schemes this financial year. By the end of March, more than 580 schemes will have benefited from the successive rounds of the challenge competitions. We will certainly encourage the lessons from those schemes to be applied to problems elsewhere.

May I welcome the Government's commitment to the extension of CCTV and invite the Minister to visit my constituency to compare two estates: Northfields, which was visited by the Home Secretary last year, where there has been a massive reduction in crime because of CCTV; and Thurnby Lodge, where there is tremendous demand from local people for such services? Does my hon. Friend agree that this is one area of policy that can foster, in a most dramatic way, public and private partnerships?

My hon. Friend failed to mention that it was raining when my right hon. Friend visited that estate. We have to be careful in relation to cause and effect: was it the CCTV or the visit of my right hon. Friend that led to the reduction in crime? To come to my hon. Friend's serious point, I should of course be happy to consider the comparison with him. It is important that, where success has been gained, it is learned from in other areas. The police, the local authority and the private sector in the area should look at opportunities to transfer the lessons learned in one place by considering financing schemes in the other estate.

On his way to Leicester, East, will the Minister please call in at Market Harborough, where he will find that, thanks to the Conservative Government, a good CCTV scheme is in action which has already directly caused a reduction in crime in that town? On his way from Market Harborough to Leicester, East, will he call in on the borough of Oadby and Wigston, which is run by the Liberal Democrats? Despite my encouragements—and, no doubt, encouragements from his right hon. and hon. Friends—the inane Liberal Democrat council refuses to apply to the Home Office for funding for CCTV, which is greatly needed. Will he make a point, even if he does not come to Market Harborough or to Leicester, of going to Oadby and Wigston and shaking that council?

If we allow these questions to go on much longer, I shall be making a tour of the whole country.

If he will make a statement on the Home Office and Metropolitan police's policy towards the Gordon Warren case. [53519]

This case is essentially a personnel issue for the Metropolitan police. As police authority, we have approved the ex-gratia payment of £85,000 which is on offer to Mr. Warren. I believe that this figure represents a fair settlement to Mr. Warren. We all agree that he was unfairly treated and unlawfully retired from the Metropolitan police.

I thank the Minister for that response. Attempts began in 1982 to get Mr. Warren retired from the police force on mental health grounds because he refused to go to a blue movies party that was organised during staff time. Those attempts continued for five years. Attempts were also made to get him to retire on ill-health grounds, on the basis of an ailment that he did not suffer.

A question, please.

Does the Minister agree that £85,000 for 16 years of suffering at the hands of the Metropolitan police—to cover his legal costs, and the loss of his salary and pension rights—is a derisory sum? Does she also agree that she needs to act now to ensure that this matter is resolved to the satisfaction of Mr. Warren without further prevarication or procrastination?

I agree with the hon. Gentleman that this case has taken a long time. I believe that the settlement of £85,000 is fair and reasonable. If that is finally agreed, there will be an independent assessment of the sum once the other elements of the settlement package are agreed.

By how much in real terms police spending will increase in each of the next three years. [53520]

The outcome of the comprehensive spending review for the Home Office provides for a real-terms year-on-year increase in police funding of £3 million in 1999–2000, £23 million in 2000–01 and £107 million in 2001–02. In actual terms, that represents a total of £1.24 billion over the three-year period.

I thank the Minister for his reply. What guarantees can the Minister offer outer-London boroughs that they will get their fair share of any increases?

The whole point of the needs-based system, which was introduced by the previous Government, is to ensure that the allocation to police forces is based on need rather than on whim, on what has gone before or on any other criteria. Some outer-London areas will be affected by boundary changes. I met the representative of the outer-London police committee last week to discuss the issues. We shall make every effort to be fair to every part of the police service, and to take account of the effect of the changes on individual forces, particularly the three that will be affected by the boundary changes.

Does the Minister agree that, although the increased funding is greatly welcomed across the country, serious issues of inefficiency in the police force still have to be tackled to ensure that we have the best use of existing and new resources? What action will he take to ensure that we see such greater efficiency?

My hon. Friend is right. I agree with the remarks of the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, who said that there is an enormous variation in the performance of police forces, and that it is extraordinarily difficult to hold anyone publicly accountable. Senior police officers and police authorities now recognise this problem. We shall do all that we can to encourage the most efficient use of the resources available to the police service.

Does the Minister agree that, under the last Conservative Government, the strength of the police service increased by 15,000, and spending in real terms went up by 70 per cent? Does he expect there to be more police or less police at the end of his period of office?

I must correct the right hon. Gentleman in both fact and grammar. If there were any reduction, there would be fewer, not less, police. His political inexactitude is as great. Between 1992 and 1997, the number of police officers went down, despite the fact that the Government whom he supported promised an increase of 2,000. They failed to deliver what they promised.

Let me correct the Minister on the facts. Does he deny that, over the period of the last Conservative Government, police numbers went up by 15,000? Is it not a fact that the Police Federation, the Police Superintendents Association and chief constables all see the inevitable result of his policies as smaller police forces? How can the Prime Minister boast of zero tolerance policing at the same time as police numbers are falling?

It is all right to get artificially angry, but the right hon. Gentleman should look at the remarks of Lord Baker, a former Home Secretary, who said:

"There was impatience, if not anger, that although we"—

"had spent 87 per cent. more in real terms, and had increased police numbers by 27,000, there had still been a substantial rise in crime. 'Where is the value for money' asked my colleagues?"

What criteria are used to determine the employment of a police officer as a dog handler. [53521]

It is the responsibility of each chief officer of police to determine the criteria for the selection of police dog handlers.

How did that Home Office manual help WPC Thomas, who desperately wanted to become a dog handler but could not lift an 80 lb weight above her head, as was required, and could do only nine of the 23 press-ups that were required? Surely such tests are ludicrous: they tell us nothing about a woman's capability to control a dog.

My hon. Friend is right. The case of WPC Michelle Thomas ensured that the Metropolitan police accepted that the test did not conform to best practice, and it was withdrawn as soon as concern was expressed. We are clear about the fact that there should be no artificial barriers, and that each job should involve standards that are equal for men and women.

Would the hon. Lady like to tell the House about her attitude, and her Department's attitude, to the implementation of those guidelines by Essex police? Will she admit that the conduct of Essex police—the brutality with which they conduct their exercises—-has lowered the esteem in which the police are held in general, as well as prompting disgust and a general loss of confidence in the Essex force?

The right hon. Gentleman is clearly referring to a case on which the Home Office cannot possibly comment in any detail until the court action is over. Obviously, we would never condone cruelty to dogs, and, once the court case is finished, we will work with the police to make any necessary changes in training standards.

What percentage of police officers currently retire aged (a) under 55, (b) 55 to 60 and (c) 60 to 65 years. [53523]

The most recent study examined police officers who left forces in the United Kingdom in 1991, through ordinary retirement, medical retirement or resignation. According to that study, 86.1 per cent. of officers who retired in 1991 were under 55; 13.5 per cent. were between 55 and 60; and 0.4 per cent. were between 61 and 65. Those figures include both ordinary and medical retirements.

We all sympathise with anyone who has to retire early for health reasons, but does my hon. Friend agree that there is far too much early retirement in British society, among teachers, local government officers and, certainly, the police? We are losing people with experience and valuable skills. In the current consultation exercise, will my hon. Friend specifically state that he would like the proportion of early retirements to be reduced?

My hon. Friend has made some good points. In the case of early and ill-health retirement, the burden falls on the finances available for policing generally, because this is not a funded scheme.

Does the Minister agree that no police officer, of whatever age, who is under criminal investigation should be allowed to retire from the force on grounds of ill health and still claim a full pension?

The hon. Gentleman is right. In the past, it has sometimes been too easy to make such a back door available. We must be careful to look at the precise circumstances of any individual application, but, in general, the management of such issues, and the way in which complaints and disciplinary matters are dealt with, needs to be much speedier and more concentrated.

How many asylum seekers are currently detained under immigration laws. [53524]

As at 30 September 1998, the most recent date for which information is available, a total of 760 persons who had sought asylum at any time were recorded as being detained solely under Immigration Act 1988 powers. No one is detained merely because he or she is an asylum seeker. Many of the detainees are asylum seekers who have been through the process and have been refused; they are being held for removal. No one recognised as a refugee under the United Nations convention is detained.

Does the Minister agree that that is a very large figure—much larger than that of most European countries for people in detention under immigration law? Will he take a serious look at the conditions under which many people are held, the state of depression that many of them are suffering and the lack of adequate medical facilities that many of them experience while in detention? Does he not think that this is an expensive and ineffective way in which to assist people, many of whom are deeply traumatised by the experience of seeking asylum in the first place?

Her Majesty's chief inspector of prisons has done a number of reports on detention. Following the publication of the White Paper in July, the Government said that they would introduce an element of judicial oversight to detention decisions in the form of an automatic bail hearing within a week of initial detention, followed by a second hearing for those not granted bail at the first. Detainees will also be given written reasons for their detention.

On that White Paper, will the Minister guarantee that, in relation to the 30,000 applicants being considered under the special schemes that were announced by the Home Secretary, only genuine political refugees will be granted permission to stay in this country?

The previous Government left tens of thousands of asylum seekers in a backlog for six or more years, many of them on benefit, without the Home Office taking a decision on whether they were refugees. The Tory record was shameful. We are now clearly trying to tidy up the mess that we inherited from the Tories. The Government are opposed to any amnesty—it would be a reward for law breakers. Instead, we have set up two units to consider exceptional leave to remain for the 10,000 in the backlog from before 1993, whose cases have been denied justice through delay, and the 20,000 cases between 1993 and 1995. None of them has ever had his or her asylum case rejected. There is no amnesty. We will process those cases quickly and then consider the post-1995 asylum cases. Instead of scoring mere party political points, perhaps the right hon. Gentleman would apologise for his Government's shameful failure to deal with those issues.

Is it not important that asylum seekers who have suffered degrading treatment and torture should receive priority—people such as those who suffered terrible tortures day after day in Chile under Pinochet? Is it not interesting that, today and on previous days, Tory politicians have shown far more sympathy for Pinochet than for his many victims? Does that not say a lot about the modern Tory party?

The modern Tory party is a matter of great concern to many members of the modern Tory party, never mind hon. Members. I suspect that Conservative Members have all sorts of views on all sorts of issues, including Mr. Pinochet.

What plans he has to provide additional resources to the Metropolitan police. [53526]

No final decisions have been taken about the allocation of funding to the Metropolitan police or other forces for 1999–2000. We expect to announce provisional allocations towards the end of this year.

Will the Minister acknowledge that there are extreme recruitment difficulties in the Metropolitan police, in large part because, on current salaries, young police officers simply cannot afford to pay the cost of housing? Will she explain what response she has given to the approaches of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to deal specifically with that problem?

That particular problem is always under consideration and will be examined very carefully when we consider the settlement for the coming year.

Following the very welcome proposal and initiative to align the Metropolitan police boundaries with those of the Greater London Authority, what formula does the Minister expect to use to govern the transfer of resources from the Metropolitan police to the constabularies—including Surrey's—that will be affected? Will the formula be made public after it is determined by the Government?

That matter, too, is being considered very carefully. The boundary changes will lead to some redistribution of resources, and the matter is being examined carefully and discussed with all the affected police forces. Allocation of police grant will be based on a formula reflecting the relative policing needs of different areas.

What action he is taking to prevent child prostitution and to assist those young people already drawn into prostitution. [53528]

In the past, child prostitution has often been tolerated or ignored. This Government are making it clear that child prostitution must be dealt with as a vicious and sordid part of the abuse of children, which is a continuing national disgrace. New guidance to be issued by the Department of Health and the Home Office will stress the need to use the full weight of the criminal law against those who abuse children and the pimps who profit from that abuse.

I thank my hon. Friend for his reply. Many people think it incredible that so many children and young people have been allowed to live on the streets of so many of our cities and will welcome his assurance that the Government will deal with that situation. Will he assure the House that the full weight of the criminal law will be speedily and fully brought to bear on those who are exploiting children and young people for sex and for money, so that they are not only deterred but convicted?

I take my hon. Friend's point very much to heart. We very much want to make it more possible for children, and other vulnerable witnesses, to give their best evidence in court, to secure the prosecutions that she mentioned. For far too long, it has been possible for people to turn their eyes from that type of abuse at home and abroad. Earlier this month, we hosted a conference of European and Asian countries, at which I was able to announce the Government's intention to follow the recommendations of the Stockholm conference by formulating a national plan to combat child abuse. Several of the building blocks of that plan are now in place.