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Benefits (Police Officers)
Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received about the number of police officers in receipt of (a) income support and (b) other benefits. [24930]
Mr. Maclean: The Police Federation and my hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge (Sir M. Shersby), in his capacity as parliamentary adviser to the Police Federation, have made representations about those few police officers receiving such benefits.
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Neighbourhood Watch Schemes
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many neighbourhood watch schemes there are in operation in (a) each county in Wales, (b) Wales and (c) England; and if he will make a statement. [25012]
Mr. Maclean: Information on the number of neighbourhood watch schemes is collected by police force area, not county. At 31 March 1995, the figures were as follows:
| Area | Number |
|---|---|
| Dyfed-Powys | 1,455 |
| Gwent | 363 |
| North Wales | 3,381 |
| South Wales | 1,911 |
| Total | 7,110 |
The number of schemes in Wales rose by some 23 per cent. between December 1993 and March 1995. I am delighted that the people of Wales are embracing neighbourhood watch so enthusiastically. It has a very important part to play in the fight against crime.
(b) Neighbourhood Watch schemes in England: 135,892.
Paedophiles
Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he proposes to include the vetting of known paedophiles in his proposed White Paper on employment vetting; and when he expects to publish the White Paper. [24933]
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Mr. Maclean: The White Paper, which will be published within the next few months, will set out proposals for new arrangements for the disclosure of criminal record information. In particular, it will propose new arrangements for checks on those seeking positions which will give them access to children. We also intend to publish shortly a consultation document which will canvass the full range of measures which could improve public protection against sex offenders, including additional supervision of offenders following their release from custody.
Prisoner Admissions
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young people were received into Prison Service establishments as (a) untried and (b) convicted unsentenced during 1994 by age and institution; and what factors led to the omission of this information from Prison Statistics England and Wales 1994. [25198]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. George Howarth, dated 17 April 1996:
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(6) Total receptions cannot be calculated by adding together receptions in each category because there is double-counting (see paragraph 10 of Introduction). However double-counting has been allowed for in the figures of receptions of prisoners under remand where the figures for "all remand" record once only a person received as an untried prisoner who is subsequently received also as a convicted unsentenced prisoner.
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The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking how many young people were received into Prison Service establishments as (a) untried and (b) convicted unsentenced during 1994 by age and institution; and what factors led to the omission of this information from "Prison Statistics, England and Wales 1994".
The available information was published in table 3.10 of the 1994 edition of "Prison statistics, England and Wales" as usual. A copy of the table is attached for information. Information by individual Prison Service establishment is not published in "Prison statistics, England and Wales".
Age on sentence
Sex and type of custody All young offenders 15 16 17 18 19 20
All males and females on remand(6) 19,459 635 1,103 3,978 4,808 4,513 4,422
All males and females under sentence 18,224 747 1,277 2,096 3,879 5,023 5,202
All males on remand(6) 18,712 635 1,100 3,828 4,604 4,319 4,226
Untried 16,140 613 1,042 3,419 3,964 3,611 3,491
Convicted unsentenced 10,513 331 626 2,182 2,582 2,462 2,330
All males under sentence 17,570 715 1,218 2,038 3,749 4,855 4,995
Detention in a young offender institution 14,058 675 1,103 1,846 3,188 3,656 3,590
Custody for life 20 -- -- -- 2 9 9
In default of payment of a fine 3,123 -- -- -- 542 1,188 1,393
Section 53(1) C and YP Act 1933 12 -- 2 5 4 -- 1
Section 53(2) C and YP Act 1933 357 40 113 187 13 2 2
All females on remand(6) 747 -- 3 150 204 194 196
Untried 586 -- 2 126 150 160 148
Convicted unsentenced 368 -- 1 65 115 87 100
All females under sentence 654 32 59 58 130 168 207
Detention in a young offender institution 492 28 51 54 99 118 142
Custody for life -- -- -- -- -- -- --
In default of payment of a fine 145 -- -- -- 31 50 64
Section 53(1) C and YP Act 1933 1 -- -- -- -- -- 1
Section 53(2) C and YP Act 1933 16 4 8 4 -- -- --
Private Finance Initiative
Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the revenue spending estimated by his Department in connection with the private finance initiative for (a) 1995-96, (b) 1996-97 and (c) 1997-98. [24883]
Mr. Howard: Estimates of payments under private finance initiative contracts are as follows:
1995-96: £0.6 million
1996-97: £6.0 million
1997-98: £60.65 million
Stalking
Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from (a) the Association of Chief Police Officers, (b) the Director of Public Prosecutions, (c) the Police Federation, (d) the Suzy Lamplugh trust, and (e) others about the need to introduce a criminal offence of stalking. [24935]
Mr. Maclean: We have received no representations on this subject from the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Director of Public Prosecutions or the Police Federation. The Suzy Lamplugh trust has made no direct representations to the Home Office, but its concerns in this area are well known to us.
In the past year, we have received representations on this issue from:
the National Anti-Stalking and Harassment Campaign (NASH);
individual police officers who have investigated cases of stalking;
The Mail on Sunday, The Portsmouth News and Yorkshire Television;
hon. Friends and hon. Members and noble Lords in another place; and
49 members of the public, including victims of stalking.
Buggery
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of non-consensual buggery of men were reported in the United Kingdom in (a) 1985 and (b) 1995; and if he will make a statement. [24601]
Mr. Maclean: Following the introduction of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, the offence of non-consensual buggery became male rape and statistics for the number of offences recorded in England
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and Wales in 1995 were published in table 6 of "Home Office Statistical Bulletin 3/96". Prior to the introduction of the Act, recorded offences of non-consensual buggery were contained within the overall offence of buggery and were not separately identifiable. Figures for total recorded offences of buggery in 1985 are published in table 2.16 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 1994". Copies of both the above publications are available in the Library. Figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the Secretary of State in each Department respectively.
Custodial Sentences
Mr. Corbett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of prisoners remanded on criminal charges currently receive a custodial sentence following conviction. [24826]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
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