How many prisons are overcrowded. [103961]

Measures of overcrowding vary. At the end of November 1999, based on the measure preferred by the Prison Reform Trust, 62 establishments exceeded their uncrowded capacity. However, no prisons exceeded their safe maximum capacity.

Will the Minister confirm whether it is to become official Government policy to use prison hulks to tackle overcrowding? Will the life of HMP Weare be extended beyond the agreed finish date of 2003? Is he actively looking at whether HMS Invincible could be used as a hulk ship, as reported in the weekend's press?

The hon. Gentleman ought not to believe everything that he reads in the press—even in Focus. HMP Weare has proved to be an unalloyed success, and we have made no final decision about its future. We will ensure that the courts have at their disposal all the accommodation necessary to hold prisoners safely and securely. We are determined to hold prisoners in that way, not least because our concern—unlike that of the Liberal Democrats—is not, first and foremost, the number of people in prison, but how best we reduce crime.

What are we doing to empty the prisons of the mentally ill?

My hon. Friend will be aware that we have instituted a programme of reform of prison health care. One of the main strands of that is to improve communication and co-operation between the NHS and the Prison Service, precisely to identify more speedily and readily places in medium secure and high secure units for those who more properly belong there.

The Minister will be aware of the strong feeling in north and mid-Wales that there is no local prison, and that the prisons serving the area are inconvenient, with prisoners not in their own communities. If there is a need for additional prison capacity, will he look at the possibility of an additional prison in north and mid-Wales and of using European funds to help finance it?

I would be delighted to do that. On my visits to Wales—including visits to prisons—I have been made aware of the sentiment in relation to the need for more local provision. I have had some communication on the issue with the Assembly Members concerned and I will bear the right hon. Gentleman's suggestion in mind.

Does not the management of prison capacity have undesirable side-effects, such as the movement of prisoners hundreds of miles away from their friends and relatives? Does it not disrupt education programmes? Will my right hon. Friend look at those difficulties?

We have in mind the need to make sure that we locate prisoners as near as possible to their family centres and that we take steps to ensure that the reintegration and rehabilitation of prisoners is not undermined by capacity issues. My hon. Friend will appreciate the operational imperatives in terms of ensuring that we have a system that is suitably flexible to enable us to hold prisoners in conditions of safety and security. He will be aware that we have reduced overcrowding in our prisons from the high level that we inherited. However, there is no room for complacency and we keep a close eye on the figures.

I welcome the Minister's statement that HMP Weare has been a resounding success, given all that Labour said about the use of a ship when we introduced it. What percentage of prisoners are in cells designed for one prisoner, but being used by two? What percentage of prisoners are in cells designed for two prisoners, but being shared by three? In how many prisons has slopping out returned—on however limited a scale—as a result of bringing back into use old accommodation?

It was my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary who brought HMP Weare into play, and it was he who took steps to solve the problem of prison overcrowding. Before the right hon. Lady casts any strictures in our direction, she should consider her own record in government. In 1996–97, prisons were at 106.2 per cent. capacity; now the figure is 105.6 per cent.—it is lower. There is worse: in 1997–98, the last year for which the Conservatives had stewardship of the Prison Service, the figure was 108.1 per cent. The right hon. Lady is in no position to cast aspersions in our direction. We are on course to meet—

What about answering the question?

The right hon. Gentleman should not get so aerated. If only he would contain himself, we would come to the answer.

The Minister must be hard of hearing. What percentage of the prison population is sharing two to a cell designed for one? I shall ask the questions very slowly so that he can look up the answers. What percentage of the prison population is sharing three to a cell designed for two? In how many prisons has slopping out, which we eliminated completely, returned as a result of bringing old accommodation back into use? Those are three simple questions. If he does not know the answers, let him admit it; but I always knew the answers to such questions when I was in his position.

The right hon. Lady might have known the answers, but she did nothing to tackle the problem. We are tackling it, and I will write to her with the specific answers that she seeks.

We take it from that that the Minister does not know the answers to three simple questions.

The right hon. Lady need have no fear about the availability of funds for building the new prisons needed to fulfil the requirements that the courts impose on the system by way of holding prisoners in safe and secure conditions. We have three prisons currently under construction—Forest Bank, Onley II and Marchington—and there are plans for three more at Ashford, Peterborough and Ashworth. Those will all be funded and will fulfil the current requirements for the prison population.

What estimate he has made of the impact on police budgets of the Public Safety Radio Communications Project. [103962]

Some £5 million has been provided from the police grant for the next financial year. Once the service is fully operational, the cost is estimated to be around £150 million per year at today's prices, which will be equivalent to some 2 per cent. of police authority budgets. The cost will be reduced by the £50 million subsidy that I announced last September, and will also be taken into account in the overall level of resources provided for the police service in future years. The new digital radio and data system is of great importance to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of front-line police officers.

While one accepts that the new system will improve the police's communication capacity, does not part of the need for it derive from the fact that the Government have sold off part of the radio spectrum? The Home Secretary mentioned costs of £150 million a year, but the total cost will be some £1.5 billion, of which the Government will produce the generous amount of £50 million from the central budget. When will Surrey have the benefit of the new radio system, and what will be the consequences for Surrey's budget of having to pay for that Government-imposed requirement? Over the next few years, Surrey will move from having the best crime prevention rates in the country and a good funding settlement to having the worst funding settlement—the Home Secretary has offered to meet me to discuss that.

The hon. Gentleman is misinformed about the background to the project. It has arisen not because we have sold off the radio spectrum but because the Government whom he supported agreed, in the mid-1990s, that the spectrum for the police service should change under the terms of an EU directive. A digital radio and data system that will cover the whole country is a vital need for the police service. It will become operational in all police services by 2004, although I cannot give him a precise date for Surrey. The cost will be £150 million a year, which adds up to £1.5 billion over the life of the project. We have already found £50 million from the capital modernisation fund for the immediate costs and, of course, as we agree funding for the police service—including for Surrey—for subsequent years, we will take fully into account the costs of the capital radio project.

In my experience, the only people who will not welcome this investment in proper technological support for the police are the criminals. If we ensure that the police have such support, they will do their job much more effectively. Does my right hon. Friend accept that, in the past 20 years, the pattern of investment in all technology has been patchy and that this Government need to address those areas in which money was not invested in the past to try to bring the police force up to a reasonable standard within a reasonable time?

I entirely accept my hon. Friend's comments. Investment in technology for the police service has been made in the past. Some of that investment has been successful, but some has not, not least because the decisions have been left to individual police services, which has sometimes led to incompatible radio and IT systems. That is why it is essential for the future that, as far as possible, large IT projects such as the police radio project are co-ordinated on a national basis.

It is true that the radio communications project is welcomed by the police and that a contribution will be made to it from central funds. However, can the Home Secretary yet tell us whether he has made a decision about future general funding to pay for the project and for the police recruitment that he plans? He has announced £35 million from the crime-fighting fund for next year; it will cost at least £150 million to recruit 5,000 police officers, let alone to keep them on after that. When will both the Met—whose outgoing Commissioner has warned of the problem—and the rest of the police forces know that they have the money guaranteed to ensure that they have a real-terms increase in funds, not a real-terms cut?

The only period in the past 10 years when there was a real-terms cut in police service funding occurred in, I think, 1995–96, under the previous Administration. We have set out firm spending plans for the year 2000–01. Additionally, for that year, we have allocated this extra £35 million as the first slice to pay for the 5,000 additional officers. The money for the following years will be announced as part of the spending review 2000, which will be announced later this year.

Will not 80 per cent. of the £1.4 billion that this important radio project costs be paid by police authorities, through the common police services budget? That decision has already been taken, but the costs come on top of the shortfall of £1.2 billion in police funding over the next three years predicted by the police service forecasting group, working on behalf of the police authorities. I think that the right hon. Gentleman will receive the group's findings any day now. They show that the police service cannot afford to meet the radio project costs without further cuts in the number of police officers.

That was a rather ropy question.

"most difficult time about five years ago."

If he will make a statement on the most recent crime figures for Kent. [103963]

The latest figures, covering the 12 months to September 1999, will be published tomorrow. I hope that they will show continued strong performance in reducing crime in Kent.

I am grateful for that answer, and especially for the Government's recognition of Kent's status as the gateway to Europe, which places an additional burden of crime on the local police. However, is my hon. Friend aware that some senior policemen in Kent believe that the criminal networks set up to bootleg alcohol and tobacco are now involved in smuggling illegal immigrants, pornography and drugs into the country? One senior officer has likened that trade to the evolution of organised crime in the United States in the early days of prohibition.

I am aware of the issues raised by my hon. Friend, and I have discussed them with senior police officers in Kent. In fact, the other day I discussed those very matters—organised crime, smuggling and trafficking in people—with the Minister of State, Home Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Mrs. Roche). We also discussed how those crimes impacted on the people of Kent.

I share the Minister's hope that tomorrow's figures will show a further reduction in crime in Kent. Since 1994, crime in the county has reduced by 16 per cent. However, has the Minister had an opportunity to study last week's letter to the Home Secretary from the chairman of the Kent police authority? In it, she points out that the Home Secretary's decision on the funding of the radio project referred to in the previous question means that Kent police will face additional revenue costs of £3 million a year, and additional capital costs of more than £4 million a year. She says that that will have a damaging effect on future budgets for the Kent police, and on police manpower numbers.

I have indeed seen the letter to which the right hon. and learned Gentleman refers. Given his experience, he will know that I have received similar letters from chairs of police authorities throughout the country and have discussed with delegations the requirement for all police authorities at all times to secure future funding for their forces. I assure the right hon. and learned Gentleman that we shall continue to keep these matters under close review. The basis of that review will be the outcomes of the policing that is taking place in every force throughout the country—how well their policing has impacted on recorded levels of crimes. In that context, I am confident that Kent will continue to show an improvement, because of its outstanding police force and the outstanding leadership that that police force has.

How much the Government are investing in CCTV systems in the current financial year. [103964]

The Government are investing £153 million over three years in the closed circuit television initiative. I am pleased to announce today a further 181 awards to a value of £34 million under the first round of the initiative, bringing the total funding allocated during the current financial year to just under £40 million for 217 schemes. Details of the approved schemes are available on the Home Office website. A further 137 schemes, with a potential value of £25 million, require further information or reassurance before approval can be given.

I am grateful to the Minister for his reply. May I also thank him for his support for the borough of Ealing's application? Two bids have been approved to install more cameras in my constituency. How effective is CCTV in the reduction of crime under the Government's programme? In what categories of crime has such reduction taken place, and which areas have benefited most?

I was delighted that the approvals that I mentioned earlier—including schemes from Southall town centre, Springbridge road and Acton town centre— bring investment in CCTV in my hon. Friend's constituency to a total value of £644,000. There is no doubt that CCTV reduces crime, especially in areas such as secure car parks, where individual reductions of up to 80 per cent. have been achieved, and on housing estates, where CCTV can make a material difference to security. There is no doubt that it has an impact; we are investing far more than ever before, and I am delighted that the programme is being established strongly throughout the country.

I hope that your cold gets better, Madam Speaker.

I cannot immediately tell the hon. Gentleman why the application was turned down. However, two programmes were agreed today in the constituency of the right hon. Member for Maidstone and The Weald (Miss Widdecombe), so we cannot be accused of refusing the application on party-political grounds.

Thank you very much.

I am glad to collect credits from wherever they come.

What support and funding are available to community groups for (a) fighting crime and (b) working to improve the quality of life in their areas. [103965]

The Government are committed to promoting and developing community involvement and self-help as part of their overall aim of improving the quality of life in all communities. In support of that, the Government allocate funds to umbrella bodies that provide expert advice, support and training to local community groups to help strengthen the community sector infrastructure and fight crime. A number of projects are already being run by the crime and disorder reduction partnerships, including the reducing burglary initiative, targeted policing and closed circuit television.

I welcome that reply, and my hon. Friend's clear commitment to making our communities safer. What does my hon. Friend have to say in praise of the Eastfield residents association? That part of my constituency was dubbed a war zone in the House two years ago, but the association has worked well to combat crime. In addition, how would he reply when the association says that local people can do only so much and that they would like some Government support?

My hon. Friend has told me about the work of that residents scheme, and I am happy to commend it. Active communities and tenants and residents associations make a massive difference in reducing crime in many communities. The thrust of our crime reduction partnerships under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 is to link with initiatives such as those taken in my hon. Friend's constituency and to bring resources to bear where they can make the greatest difference. In many crime reduction partnerships, community involvement makes a material difference in delivering results.

Will the Minister consider the work done in the city of Cambridge by the charity Wintercomfort? Will he consider in particular the case of my constituent, John Brock, the director of the charity, who, just before Christmas, was sentenced to four years in prison for drugs-related offences, the details of which I shall not bore the House with? That has had serious consequences for many community programmes that try to help the homeless and people at the bottom of our society to overcome their problems, including drug abuse. Will the Minister see whether there is anything he can do?

The hon. Gentleman knows that I cannot comment on the specifics of the case to which he refers, as that is a matter for the courts. I am, however, prepared to consider his substantive point about the impact of the court case on the charity involved and the means required for support, and I will listen to representations from the hon. Gentleman or from people from his constituency on how the strength of charity and community work can be maintained at a time of significant disruption.

I welcome all that my hon. Friend has said, but will he have a word with our mutual right hon. Friend, the Minister of State, Home Office, who, on a visit to Telford, saw the work of The Wrekin community safety partnership, which was set up in 1993 when there were not many such partnerships? The partnership has shown great strength in identifying local problems and solutions. Will my hon. Friend ensure that the best practice to be found among the partnerships is made widely available? We can all learn from each other.

I take that point. My right hon. Friend the Minister of State is sitting next to me and tells me that the scheme in The Wrekin is excellent. My hon. Friend the Member for Telford (Mr. Grocott) made the profound point that we must be much more effective in spreading knowledge of best practice in community schemes. We have set in motion a process that will make us far more effective in that area than we have been hitherto.

What discussions he has had with the Cabinet Office regarding the regulatory impact assessment for the Representation of the People Bill. [103966]

The regulatory impact assessment was available when the Bill was published on 18 November, and it expressed the Government's collective view.

The impact assessment is a very thin document. How did the costs to business—estimated by the Confederation of British Industry at hundreds of millions of pounds—entirely escape those who made the assessment?

The regulatory impact assessment assesses impact on the economy. The CBI's estimate is more concerned with the impact on particular businesses. When businesses seek alternative sources of information, they may find that the whole economy will benefit. The Bill's provisions were agreed by Conservative representatives on the electoral procedures working party, and resulted from the data protection directive, to which the Conservative party signed up.

If the seven batches of amendments that I tabled to the Representation of the People Bill had been accepted, there would have been cost compliance provisions and, presumably, some knock-on effect as regards the assessment. I do not know whether any assessment was made of how much I would have cost the nation—or the economy—if those measures had been developed. Is it not better to spend money—as the Bill does—on electoral registration so as to ensure that it is fully achieved, rather than on measures that would destroy it? That was what the Opposition did when they were in government and introduced the poll tax.

My hon. Friend is right. I am sure that Conservative Members' constituents will be bewildered by the fact that some of them appear to oppose provisions in the Bill that would make it easier for people to vote. Why are they so frightened that people should be able to vote?

What amount and proportion of police funding was spent on pensions in (a) 1990 and (b) the most recent year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [103967]

What measures he is taking in respect of the funding of police pensions. [103972]

Net pensions expenditure in 1989–90 amounted to £285 million, or 6.9 per cent. of total spend. For 1998–99, expenditure was £889 million or 12.6 per cent. of total expenditure. We have increased the proportion of overall funding to be distributed for police pensions to 13.2 per cent. in 1998–99, and to 14.5 per cent. in 1999–2000, in recognition of increasing pension costs.

I am grateful to the Secretary of State for that answer; it shows that the proportion of money spent on police pensions has almost doubled during that period. Does he recall the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Southwark, North and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) just before Christmas, which said that, this year, four police forces are seeing a reduction in real-terms spending? However, if we take out pensions spending, 14 police forces will see a reduction in real-terms spending. What does the right hon. Gentleman intend to do about that? How will he get more policemen back on the beat?

The answer to the last part of the hon. Gentleman's question is that, as he knows, we have found additional new money—£35 million—for the next financial year, and more thereafter, to pay for the 5,000 police recruits over and above the number that will otherwise be recruited. The arrangements whereby the police pension costs form part of each police authority's budget are of long standing; they have some merits in ensuring that police forces concern themselves with, for example, the number of unnecessary medical retirements that they permit. However, I accept that those rising costs throughout the country are of great concern to the police service—as they are to me. That is why we are examining the longer-term future of the pension scheme.

May I begin by thanking Ministers, on behalf of the people of Penge, for the closed circuit television system? However, although it might reduce the amount of crime on the streets of Penge, I suspect that the residents will feel equally concerned about police numbers, and will be even more concerned when they realise what a large proportion of the Metropolitan police budget goes on pensions. I have listened with great care to the exchange between the Secretary of State and the hon. Member for Newbury (Mr. Rendel). Will the Home Secretary reassure me further that, when that fact is taken with the expenditure on radios to which reference has already been made, the people of Penge, and of Beckenham and the whole of London, will not see a reduction in front-line policing over time because of the costs of radio and pensions?

It is my fervent hope that the circumstances that the hon. Lady desires come about. I also point out to her that, during the whole period between 1992 and March 1998, when the budgets had been set by the Conservative Administration whom she supported, the Metropolitan police lost 2,060 officers. I worked hard to try to stabilise the number of Metropolitan police officers, and, in the year that ended in March 1999, the reduction was not 2,000, but just 21.

Is it not an impossible situation when the proportion of police funding for pensions continues to increase? Although I welcome the fact that the Home Secretary has admitted that he will undertake a fundamental review of the matter, I urge him to adopt, at the earliest practical date, a fully funded pension scheme for the police service, and to introduce it gradually so that it will not disadvantage serving officers or reduce their pension expectations, but will, in the longer term, provide security for them and their families.

I have already said that, obviously, the changes to the police pension scheme will not disadvantage existing serving officers. We are closely examining the idea of a fully funded scheme, which in principle would be a more satisfactory alternative. The problem that we are up against, to which we have found no solution, although we hope that one may be forthcoming, is that the initial costs—the funding costs— of a fully funded scheme are very substantial and that money would have to be found from somewhere.

If he will make a statement about the future of the Tote. [103968]

We announced last May that the Tote was to be sold. Since then we have been considering, with the help of independent advisers, how and on what terms the sale should proceed, and we intend to announce our conclusions shortly.

I thank my hon. Friend for that reply. Does he agree that our 59 race courses are a great national asset and that, as an alternative to selling the Tote to the highest bidder, there are great merits in the proposals being jointly advanced by the Tote and the racing industry to set up a racing trust to buy and run the Tote, so maintaining the vital source of income to racing from the Tote and ensuring that in future it is run on a wholly commercial basis for the benefit of the sport as a whole?

I certainly agree that our racing industry is a national asset. We are considering the merits of several proposals. The sale options under consideration include a sale to a racing trust, a sale to racing in another way, a sale on the open market and a flotation on the stock exchange. We intend to sell the Tote as a single business, in line with the May announcement.

That answer was not satisfactory. The Tote was set up by the racing industry. It does not belong to the state. It has never taken a state subsidy, and it should be returned to the racing industry. Does the Minister agree?

The Tote will go to the proper and appropriate purchasers or people who provide the state with some funding in return for it. It is right that the interests of racing, of those who work for the Tote and of the taxpayer should all be considered when taking a final decision. We shall announce that decision very shortly.

What assessment he has made of the contribution of CCTV to the prevention and detection of crimes; and if he will make a statement. [103969]

Police operational experience and a number of research studies reveal that CCTV has considerable crime reduction and detection success, particularly when used as part of a wider strategy.

I thank my hon. Friend for that an answer. May I pass on the thanks of Greenwich council and Eltham police for the scheme that is being funded by the CCTV initiative? May I ask him to join me in congratulating Eltham police, who, by using a temporary scheme over Christmas, managed to arrest 10 individuals with the help of evidence that was gathered by camera, in a period when they would usually expect to arrest four or five individuals? Does he agree that this is vital step forward for the police, in that it will enable them to deploy resources more efficiently?

I am grateful for that information and I am happy to join my hon. Friend in congratulating the police in Eltham on the success of their initiative over Christmas. There are many examples of areas where such initiatives have worked very well, but I strongly agree with my hon. Friend that the evidential basis of some of the material that is collected needs—and is being given— very careful examination and assessment.

Is the Minister aware of a recent local crime prevention survey carried out in mid-Suffolk that shows that 90 per cent. of local residents in Stowmarket believe that the introduction of a CCTV scheme in that town centre would enhance local safety? Is he further aware that Mid Suffolk district council in my constituency is considering making a bid this year for the second round of challenge funding? In light of that, can the Minister assure me today that, on receipt of a bid, he will bear in mind the fact that Stowmarket is the only market town of its size in Suffolk without a CCTV scheme, and seriously consider giving Stowmarket the share of funding that it deserves under the challenge funding scheme?

I can give the hon. Gentleman that assurance. However, it might have been more in character with his usual graciousness had he acknowledged that the scheme in Bury St. Edmunds that we have announced today has been given to his constituency and is a step forward. It might also have been gracious for a former special adviser to a Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer to acknowledge that in this one year the Government have given more to CCTV schemes than was given in the whole of the last five years of the Conservative Government.

I congratulate my hon. Friend on the Government's contribution to the introduction of CCTV throughout the community. However, may I press him for more portable CCTVs in communities? My own constituency is asking for such facilities, which would do a tremendous amount to reduce crime in Outwood and Stanley. Will my hon. Friend tell us what provision for portable CCTV is made in the allocation to which he has referred?

I very much agree with my hon. Friend's points—indeed, a number of the schemes agreed and announced today are portable CCTV schemes. We are currently drawing up the guidelines for the next round in which I hope we shall announce results more regularly— every three months or whatever—than on a year-by-year basis. In the guidelines, we intend to give priority not only to portable CCTV schemes such as those that have been mentioned, but to schemes that focus on rural areas and on parades in out-of-town estates, which have not always been at the top of priority lists. I hope that previous experience will inform the future programme, which remains very substantial over the next two or three years.

Given the undoubted effectiveness of closed circuit television in preventing and reducing crime in this country, why do police force figures show that, in the first six months of the current financial year, recorded crime rose nationally by no less than 5 per cent? Why is that happening?

As I said earlier, the hon. Gentleman will have to wait for the figures tomorrow to see exactly what is happening on recorded crime throughout the country. However, there is no doubt that CCTV can have a major impact in reducing crime in the ways that I described to my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing, Southall (Mr. Khabra). It might be in keeping to acknowledge that the Government are trying to use this important weapon to reduce crime in a way that most Members on both sides of the House would acknowledge is beneficial.

What steps he is taking to regulate the activities of private wheel-clamping companies. [103970]

We have issued a White Paper on the private security industry and propose in it to establish a private security industry authority. This would require wheel clampers to be licensed, and establish a mechanism whereby wheel-clamping firms could be subject to statutory regulations or codes of practice. We are currently considering the responses to the White Paper and will then proceed accordingly.

As I am sure my right hon. Friend will be aware, his answer will delight thousands of motorists who have been the victims of the notorious clamp-and-deliver tactics of unscrupulous cowboy companies. Will he assure me, however, that he will consult not only the wheel-clamping industry, but motoring organisations, the police and local authorities to ensure that any regulation is strong enough to make sure that motorists are no longer subject to the tactics adopted by the modern highway robbers posing as parking enforcers?

My hon. Friend has been a redoubtable campaigner against the highway robbers and cowboys in the industry. I can certainly give her the assurance that she seeks.

I acknowledge that no one in their right mind would attempt to clamp the hon. Member for Doncaster, Central (Ms Winterton), who has been an indefatigable campaigner on this subject. However, will the Minister confirm that, as part of the proposals that the Government intend to introduce, they will speed up the review announced in November by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions of the procedure whereby the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is able to release the personal details of motorists?

We are working closely with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions on all these issues. The hon. Gentleman can be assured that that co-operation will continue.

May I tell my right hon. Friend that cowboy clampers are still demanding money with menaces in many parts of central Birmingham? In some instances, they are trying to seize jewellery and other valuables from those who are caught in dark areas where people park. I urge my right hon. Friend to make the best possible speed in introducing regulations to encourage the proper firms that exercise their responsibilities sensitively, and to clamp down on and put out of business those who act in a hard way and frighten the living daylights out of people.

My hon. Friend speaks with considerable authority and knowledge on this subject. We are considering a range of options, including criminal sanctions.

What plans he has to co-ordinate responsibility for the improvement of fire safety. [103974]

The Government continue to give priority to community fire safety, and there have been recent welcome reductions both in the number of fires and in deaths from fire. We expect shortly to set up a new fire safety advisory board to help maintain the impetus for improvements in fire safety.

I thank my hon. Friend for that reply. I am sure that he is aware that there are some 60 complex pieces of legislation governing fire safety. Does he agree that a single fire safety Bill would help further the reductions in fires and deaths from fires and, most important, would further assist fire authorities in shifting the emphasis from cure to prevention?

I agree with that. We remain committed to introducing a fire safety Bill as soon as parliamentary time allows. One of the aims of that Bill will be to rationalise fire safety legislation, replacing fire safety provisions in various Acts and introducing a general duty of care, to be enforced as far as possible by fire authorities.

Will my hon. Friend monitor closely some of the aspects of fire reports that are of continuing interest for passengers? Will he, for example, continue to discuss with Eurotunnel the conditions that exist for the safe carriage of passengers, given that there are continuing worries about suggestions that official fire forces might be replaced by people who are employed directly by the authority?

I will certainly ensure that the Home Office keeps fully informed of the situation regarding the channel tunnel. We want to ensure that all passengers can travel in that tunnel and that all freight can be carried in it in as safe an environment as possible.

What measures he is taking to ensure that witnesses in magistrates courts are adequately protected. [103975]

The victim support scheme will be extending its activities to the magistrates courts. That will be of considerable assistance to witnesses who are victims appearing in magistrates courts. To enable the scheme to do this, we have increased incrementally by 50 per cent. to £19 million the grant made available to it, so that it can establish witness support services in all such courts by April 2002.

I thank my right hon. Friend for that reply. As I am sure he is aware, there is a very real and considerable problem of intimidation, not only of those who are victims as well as witnesses, but of witnesses, and not just in magistrates courts but in Crown courts. There are many and constant examples in my constituency. In a serious murder trial, for example, witnesses were literally in fear for their lives. The police do not have the resources to protect every witness, so in areas of my constituency there is a climate of fear: people dare not give evidence or give written statements for fear of reprisals. Will my right hon. Friend please undertake to review witness support and, in particular, protection?

The police rightly give considerable priority to witness support and protection. We support them in that with the resources necessary to that end. More than that, it was this Government, as my hon. Friend knows, who introduced the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 precisely in order to address the problem that he has identified, which manifests itself in magistrates courts, including in cases of domestic violence and neighbour disputes. It is very important to ensure, as we have, that magistrates courts have a battery of protection that they can extend to witnesses. Without such support, we shall be unable effectively to reduce crime in the way that we are determined to do.

The right hon. Gentleman clearly and rightly takes this matter very seriously. Does he agree that witness intimidation hinders the good order and administration of honourable justice not only in murder cases, to which the hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Dr. Turner) drew the House's attention, but in lesser cases? Does the Minister also agree that the only way in which we can prevent that is by ensuring more people on the ground, better planning and layout of magistrates courts and the provision of areas where people can be protected while waiting to give evidence?

The hon. Gentleman makes a valid point. The security of magistrates courts, in relation to the protection of both victims and witnesses, can be enhanced enormously by proper layout and design—indeed, the number of escapes can be reduced by effective layout and design in cell and dock areas. We are liaising very closely with the Lord Chancellor's Department on existing and new build in order to ensure that we take such matters into account, to protect witnesses and victims and reduce the number of escapes in transit.

As the chair of the all-party voice group, I know how welcome the new witness protection measures are to people with learning disabilities who have been victims of abuse. One issue about which they are particularly concerned is training of the judges and magistrates who decide on cases involving victims who have learning disabilities. Can the Minister tell us of any progress on judicial training?

I can certainly assure my hon. Friend that we take judicial training very seriously. We work closely with the Judicial Studies Board, which, as she will appreciate, is an independent body. I assure her that the board, the Home Office and—important in this context— the Department of Health are well aware of the importance of ensuring that special needs are taken into account. That applies to learning disabilities. We have found that those who work for some of the charities engaged in work involving learning disabilities are very often the best people to provide such training. We are actively exploring that avenue in order to ensure that the judiciary gets the benefit of hearing from those who have to work at first hand with such problems.

Does the Minister appreciate that the problem of petty intimidation of witnesses applies equally in rural areas such as the one I represent? I have seen several cases recently in small villages of people being afraid to come forward with the evidence that the police need. Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that that fear is exacerbated by the lack of visible police presence, reduction in patrols and the inability successfully to mount prosecutions? Will he assure me that every effort will be made to give communities the support that they need to provide the evidence that the police require to put criminals away?

Both rural and urban areas suffer from this problem. My fellow Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, South (Mr. Clarke) and I work closely on issues of sparsity and criminal justice. The hon. Gentleman's point will certainly be borne in mind.

If he will make a statement on the latest crime figures for Lancashire. [103976]

The latest figures, covering the 12 months to September 1999, will be published tomorrow. However, I can tell the House that, for the period to March 1999, there was a 10 per cent. reduction in recorded crime in Lancashire.

I thank my right hon. Friend, who is a neighbour of mine, for that answer. Is not such news good for Lancashire, and does it not show that the Government's policies are working: the police, local authorities and communities are working to ensure that the mindless minority are not allowed to destroy the lives of the law-abiding majority?

The record of Lancashire police is exemplary. It shows the good sense of the Government's policies in providing full backing to the police and local authorities. I am delighted to note that in a financial settlement that was below the average for the current financial year, Burnley and Padiham are to get 14 more front-line police officers in the next financial year.

The chief constable of Lancashire is to be congratulated on the use of her resources to achieve such an excellent reduction in crime. Does the Home Secretary agree that the fact that the chief constable has now had to make application to the crime-fighting fund for more police officers is a clear indication that her existing police budget is not the source of additional manpower for her fight against crime?

I am delighted that the chief constable of Lancashire is making application to the crime-fighting fund for additional officers. I am also pleased to place on record what Chief Constable Pauline Clare said when the settlement for next year was announced on 26 October:

"An increase of 4 per cent. is more than we expected and should be sufficient to match anticipated increases in pay and inflation. It should also help us to maintain police officer numbers."