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Arrests and Charges
Mr. Boateng: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) arrests and (b) charges were made by police forces in England and Wales in each of the past five years. [17119]
Mr. Maclean: Information on the number of arrests is given in the table. Data on the number of persons charged are not collected centrally. However, prosecution data are published in the Command Paper "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales 1995"--table 6A refers. Copies are in the Library.
| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 1,729,121 |
| 1992 | 1,733,081 |
| 1993 | 1,702,101 |
| 1994 | 1,747,804 |
| 1995 | 1,708,851 |
Sexual Violence
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what resources are being provided annually for tackling the causes of sexual violence; and if he will make a statement; [16634]
- (2) if he will make it his policy to implement a national strategy to combat male sexual violence; [16635]
(3) if he will provide financial assistance to the zero tolerance of sexual violence towards women media campaign; and if he will make a statement; [16636]
(4) if he will set up an interdepartmental group on sexual violence against women and children to work in parallel with the interdepartmental group on domestic violence; and if he will make a statement; [16637]
(5) what proposals he has to ensure the long-term funding of a national network of community-based women's centres providing advice and counselling to the victims of rape and incest; and if he will make a statement. [16658]
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Mr. Maclean: Substantial efforts are being devoted to tackling sexual offending in all its forms. The Government's current strategy includes: keeping regularly under review the robust framework of criminal offences which already exists, and moving as necessary to address new problems, for example, stalking; ensuring that the most serious repeat sexual and violent offenders receive life sentences, so that they are not released until it appears safe to do so; reviewing the maximum penalties currently available for sexual offences, with a view to ensuring that these remain adequate for dealing with the most serious instances; strengthening the powers of the police to monitor the movements of sex offenders, and their ability to prevent and detect sex offending; a vigorous crime prevention programme; the development of treatment programmes to help violent offenders, equivalent to the sex offender treatment programmes which have already been running for some time; a study of the reasons for low conviction rates in rape causes.
Because this strategy consists of a range of different activities, often undertaken alongside other duties, by central Government, the criminal justice agencies, the social services, and the voluntary sector, it is not possible to give any meaningful estimate of the total resources devoted to this area.
The remit of the interdepartmental group on domestic violence includes all instances of sexual violence that take place in a domestic setting, and we have no plans for any additional interdepartmental groups.
The Government are also committed to helping the victims of sexual violence. We provide substantial funding--£11.682 million in 1996-97--to the national voluntary organisation Victim Support, which provides practical help and emotional support to all victims of crime and their families.
There are no plans to fund a national support network specifically to help victims of rape and incest. The zero tolerance campaign, which was launched in Edinburgh, is a local rather than a Government project, although it received some initial financial support from Edinburgh safer cities project, which was then funded by the Scottish Office: there are no plans to make further Government funds available. Where the need arises, we initiate our own national campaigns, such as the domestic violence campaign, which was launched in 1994, and publications such as the "Practical Guide to Crime Prevention".
Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the criminal justice compensation scheme tariff system to give greater weight to the long-term emotional trauma suffered by women who are the victims of rape and sexual assault. [16657]
Mr. Maclean:
We have made clear previously our intention to review the tariff of awards after three years.
The present tariff was derived from examination of 20,000 awards made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board. It broadly reflects. Therefore, the level of damages payable under common law damages. The tariff awards for rape and sexual assault accordingly already include a significant element for the long-term trauma suffered by victims. Where, however, the mental injury is serious and permanent, the tariff provides for
25 Feb 1997 : Column: 132
£20,000 to be paid. In addition, if there are consequences for the victim's earning capacity and/or cost of medical care, additional compensation may be considered.
Mr. Thurnham:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 15 January, Official Report, column 267, how many names are contained on each of the lists relating to (a) paedophiles and (b) sex offenders. [17437]
Mr. Maclean:
The National Criminal Intelligence Service paedophile intelligence database contains details of approximately 25,000 known or suspected paedophiles.
Numbers of convicted and alleged paedophiles and sex offenders held on the Phoenix database, the microfiche collection of national criminal records, the consultancy service index and "List 99" cannot be identified separately.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the response from the Association of Chief Police Officers on the question of public disclosure of information on sex offenders. [17797]
Mr. Maclean:
I have today placed a copy of the response in the Library.
Mr. Austin Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the performance of the Lieutenant Governor of Jersey; and what recent representations he has received on his performance. [17529]
Mr. Sackville:
My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister of State has this month received representations from the hon. Member for Great Grimsby. We have full confidence in the Lieutenant Governor of Jersey.
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he gave permission for correspondence with his Department relating to the conduct of Senator Stuart Syzret to be published in full by the Jersey states. [17530]
Mr. Sackville:
My right hon. and learned Friend has no objection to this correspondence being referred to in a report to the states of Jersey.
Mr. Madden:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what factors underlay the decision to transfer Roisin McAliskey from Northern Ireland to Holloway prison; how many applications for bail have been made on her behalf since she has been in Holloway prison; what representations he has received concerning Ms McAliskey being returned to Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [17627]
Mr. Kirkhope:
Roisin McAliskey was arrested in Belfast on the basis of a provisional arrest warrant issued by Bow Street magistrates court on 25 November under section 8 of the Extradition Act 1989. That Act makes no provision for a separate jurisdiction for Northern Ireland.
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The court of committal under section 9 of the Extradition Act can remand a person in custody only to a prison in England or Wales.
Applications for bail on Roisin McAliskey's behalf were made in hearings at Bow Street magistrates court on 4, 13 and 20 December 1996, and on 3 and 16 January 1997.
Several inquiries have been received regarding the possibility of her transfer to prison in Northern Ireland: the powers under which she is detained allow only for her detention in England and Wales.
Mr. Winnick:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will assess the advantages of changing the law to provide that a person may be charged with the same offence if the previous court case in respect of the same offence had not proceeded to the conclusion and a jury's decision; and if he will make a statement. [17404]
Mr. Maclean
[holding answer 24 February 1997]: The law provides that a person cannot be tried for a crime in respect of which he has either been previously convicted or acquitted or could have been convicted on some previous indictment. Its purpose is to provide protection for individuals against repeated prosecutions for the same offence.
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