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Answered by Ian Levitt

When Taser was first introduced in West Yorkshire it was used by specially trained firearms officers. I attended one of the early awareness and training sessions and I allowed myself to be 'Tasered' so I know for a fact that Taser is an effective tool which has no lasting effects. It is only used after a full assessment of a situation, after appropriate warning has been given and in line with strict training and procedure.It is just one of a range of options available to a police officer whose first option is always to try and resolve confrontational situations through dialogue.
Taser is now carried by front-line patrol officers because they are not a firearm or lethal weapon. It is a proven, effective piece of equipment which is used to successfully resolve situations where individuals are intent on harming themselves or others, and helps us to protect members of the public. The effects, though painful are temporary.
Under the terms of use of the pilot, every use of taser is referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission and is subject to review by a senior officer within the force to ensure that it is used appropriately and in accordance with training.

Answered by Steve McCabe

Hi Kerry,
I'm quite happy to talk about my expenses and have already given them all to the Evening Mail's John Walker. In 2004/5 I claimed too much in mortgage interest relief (2300 pounds)  I paid the money back a few months later, as soon as the fees office discovered it. This wasn't too hard for them as I submitted my mortgage interest certificate along with the claim. Not the action one would normally associate with an attempt to commit fraud but this hasn't stopped a local Conservative councillor trying to brand me as some kind of crook. Incidentally in the same year, I was the lowest claiming MP in the entire country.
Obviously, many of us have not paid enough attention to our expenses claims. Had I realised that they would be the subject of such scrutiny I'd have taken a week off work to ensure that I had everything perfect. The reality is that I often found myself rushing to fill them in after midnight on the day before the deadline.
There are a number of problems with parliamentary expenses and allowances. Firstly I believe there should be an allowance for staying away from home. My home is in Birmingham, my partner and I share the costs at our home like most other couples and i don't claim a penny expenses for my Birmingham home. I'm happy to be reimbursed in any way for the costs of having to stay away from home. I don't agree with David Cameron's solution that it should be soley an accommodation budget as I think this would turn the clock back to an era when only rich people could become MP's. It can be no accident that Mr. Cameron has claimed the maximum allowance - virtually double what I have claimed in most years but he has claimed it as mortgage interest on a very big mortgage.
I also think that issues like staff wages, office accommodation, heating and light should be paid directly by the House of Commons. Instead, I am expected to manage this like a small business while the newspapers describe it as an allowance as if its money that goes into my pocket.
I want a simple set of rules. A decent salary determined by an external body which is entirely free of parliamentary influence. I want the minimum expenses necessary to do my job so that I am not out of pocket as an MP and i want the fees office to check all fees before any payments are made and to query anything that doesn't seem to make sense  rather than pay expenses which frankly look ludicrous and leave us all gasping at stories about duck ponds, gardening and tennis courts.
You may be interested to know that I have not taken any pay rise this year either as an MP or as a Government whip.
Finally, I have already voted for a set of interim measures to restrict the amount of mortgage interest that can be claimed and to restrict the number of items which can be claimed as expenses. I've also voted for a register so that all MP's have to disclose any second jobs they may have and how much they earn from that activity. I will be more than happy to accept whatever recommendations are made by the independent Kelly Committee on salaries and allowances for parliament. Hope this answers your question,
Best Wishes,
Steve McCabe

Answered by Ian Levitt

I fully support the work of the Street Angels and have done since I arrived as divisional commander. They are volunteers who give their time freely and they are doing a magnificent job. We are committed to working with them and provide training and on-going support. The Street Angels help to support people in the town centre and since we have worked together in this way town centre violent crime has significantly reduced  Other areas in the Country have now followed the lead of Calderdale.

Answered by James Purnell

We know that juggling work with bringing up children can be hard and we also know that for many people going back to work is a daunting prospect and not something that is taken lightly.

That's why we want to give parents some extra help to get into work once their youngest child reaches seven. We also want to offer more support and advice, so parents can build up their skills and confidence to prepare for and find a job.

This means once their children reach five, our advisers will offer lone parents a "skills health check", to identify where they may need specific training and education to ease their eventual path in work.

But it’s more than just this. Clearly we also need to change the culture around work in our country, in both private and public sectors. We can do quite a lot through legislation, but that can't solve the whole problem. It's also going to be down to companies and employees and what they can do.

So, probably the biggest thing we've done in this area is to introduce the right to request flexible working. There was a lot of scepticism about this at first. Some said employers would just say no - but it turned out that 90% of employers agree all the requests that are made.

This right only applied to younger children initially. But it's worked so well that we've extended it to people caring for relatives and we're now going to also include parents with children up to 16.

Ultimately, however we need to make sure people have jobs to go to, as you rightly point out. That’s why we’ve embarked on something called Local Employment Partnerships, where over 2,000 employers have agreed with us to look to give jobs to people from disadvantaged groups, and in return we offer help such as pre-employment training or work placements, so people can prove themselves and try out the job in question.

Answered by Ian Levitt

Calderdale is one of eight divisions which make up West Yorkshire Police. There are around 370 police officers in Calderdale.  They are supported by 52 police community support officers, 20 volunteer special constables and 87 full and part-time police support staff (civilians).
All of them have roles designed to meet the demands of the public across the whole of Calderdale. For example, the response teams provide 24/7 emergency response, while the four neighbourhood policing teams in Calderdale deal with quality of life issues that affect our local communities. The number of officers on the beat at any one time is reflected by demand.
We also have both a proactive and reactive CID, Integrated Officer Management team, Suspect Management Unit who deal with prisoners from emergency response teams, a Vulnerable Victims Unit and a Contact Management Unit which links in with the Neighbourhood Policing Teams to ensure members of the publics concerns are dealt with accordingly.

Answered by David Hill

Both are important. We must obviously make sure that we have enough social workers and carers. Formal recognition as a city would create lots of opportunities for the area and help us to attract the investment that will maintain jobs and prosperity.

Answered by Ian Trenholm

Answered by James Purnell

Our proposals are specifically designed to enshrine a something for something culture – where you have to put in if you want to get something out. Our plan to get rid of IB and IS means that while there will be greater support there will also be greater responsibility. People wont be able to simply sign on and collect benefits – there will be conditions they have to meet including attending training and skills programmes as well as job search for those on unemployment benefit.

Answered by David Hill

At the end of last year we participated in the Sunday Times Best Companies Workforce Survey. We've just received initial results and they do not show any significant problem of staff morale. What we actually face, as an organisation, is a time of challenge that will require us all to find new ways of doing things - so I see it as an interesting and stimulating time to work in local government.

So far, despite reductions in some funding streams we have not had to make any significant cuts in services. Indeed, by achieving efficiency savings of over £10m for 2010/11 we have been able to invest nearly £6m in new or expanded services.

Answered by James Purnell

Let's be clear, drugs ruin people’s lives and we should do all we can to get people who are hooked on drugs to kick their habit. Our plan is to make identification of problem drug use a part of the new claim process for benefits. For those claiming the main unemployment benefit, JSA, we will strengthen guidance for advisers to help them to identify claimants who may be dependent on heroin or crack cocaine. Those identified will then be required to see a drug treatment provider. We also propose to share information between Jobcentre Plus and the police, probation services and prisons.