Written question asked by David Davis (Conservative) on Wednesday, 14 July 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 20 July 2004. It was answered by Hazel Blears (Labour) on Tuesday, 20 July 2004 on behalf of the Home Office.

Home Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the amount of police time allocated to supervising witness protection schemes. - Including fact that this information is not currently available.

Answer: David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the amount of police time allocated to supervising witness protection schemes. [184958] Ms Blears: This information is not currently available. The Home Office, in conjunction with the Scottish Executive, the Northern Ireland Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers, has appointed an independent consultant to carry out an assessment of witness protection arrangements nationally. The assessment is covering all cases where witness protection is afforded by UK law enforcement agencies including the police. It will provide us with valuable information about the numbers and circumstances in which witness protection is provided and the amount of police time allocated to it. The assessment commenced on 2 January; it was announced in the White Paper `One Step Ahead--a 21st century strategy to defeat organised crime' which I published on 29 March. The assessment is due to be completed over the summer, and a final report will be available in the autumn.

Secondary information