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Blood Donors
Mr. Swayne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much money was spent by his Department in 1998 to encourage people to give blood. [79391]
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Mr. Jon Owen Jones:
In addition to the Department of Health's expenditure which benefits both England and Wales, in the 1998-99 financial year the Welsh Office spent just under £6,000 to encourage more blood donors.
Following the transfer of functions, this issue will be a matter for the National Assembly.
Mr. Swayne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much money his Department will spend in the current financial year on advertisements intended to encourage people to return to the nursing profession. [79389]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones:
The Welsh Office has spent £12,000 in the current financial year on its nurse recruitment campaign. As a result of a survey of individual Trusts' needs, advertisements will be placed in local newspapers in the new financial year to attract registered nurses back to the NHS in Wales. These additional costs are as yet unknown.
Following the transfer of functions, this issue will be a matter for the National Assembly.
Spree Offenders
Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of youth crime is committed by spree offenders; and if he will estimate the proportion of such offenders who do not fall under the Government's definition of persistent young offenders. [78776]
Mr. Boateng: It is not possible to provide the information requested, as there is no generally recognised definition of a spree offender. While information is not collected separately on spree offenders, many of the fast-track schemes across the country include spree offenders as well as the Government's definition of persistent young offenders. Some of those regarded as spree offenders will fall within the category of persistent young offenders in any event.
Rape Crisis Networks
Jackie Ballard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what resources the Government intends to devote to refuge and rape crisis networks for (a) 1999 to 2000 and (b) future years. [78872]
Mr. Boateng: The main national umbrella organisations for local refuge projects are the Women's Aid Federation of England and its sister organisations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In 1999 to 2000, Women's Aid (England) is to receive a total of £229,795. The Department of Health will contribute £107,500 core funding, £29,205 for an awareness-raising project and £49,000 for a national telephone helpline service. The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions will contribute £44,000 under the Special Grants Programme to develop training opportunities, resources and facilities.
Core funding to Welsh Women's Aid is provided by the Welsh Office. Figures for 1999 to 2000 have not yet been finalised.
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The Scottish Office has committed £226,000 to Scottish Women's Aid for 1999 to 2000. From 1 July 1999, this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.
In Northern Ireland in 1999 to 2000, the Department of Health and Social Services will fund Northern Ireland Women's Aid for core administration work and project funding, to a value of £170,000. The Northern Ireland Office has set aside £30,000 to fund the Women's Aid helpline.
The majority of Government funding for refuges themselves is indirect and, therefore, cannot be quantified. It includes the funding of registered social landlords through the Housing Corporation, some funding through local authorities and the Single Regeneration Budget, and some funding of revenue costs through the payment of housing benefit to residents.
The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, the Department of Health and the Women's Unit have commissioned a package of research into the accommodation and support services available in England to those experiencing domestic violence. This information will be used to assist local authorities in making decisions about what further provision they need to make in their localities.
In Northern Ireland, the Department of the Environment intends to commit £1.8 million capital funding and £1.4 million revenue funding in 1999 to 2000 to women's refuges. In 2000 to 2001, these figures will be £0.6 million capital and £1.4 million revenue, and in 2001 to 2002 they will be £1.7 million capital and £1.4 million revenue.
Rape crisis centres currently receive public funds through, for example, local authorities, rather than central Government funding. The Government's consultation paper "Supporting people", published in December 1998, contains proposals for an improved funding framework for support services of this kind. The consultation period ended on 5 February and the responses are now being analysed. We cannot yet give precise commitments, but we have guaranteed that the total budget in 1999 to 2000 for the new "Supporting people" scheme will be at least the same as what was spent in 1998 to 1999 in the various budgets that the scheme will replace.
In Northern Ireland in 1999 to 2000, the Department of Health and Social Services will provide £31,000 core funding for the Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Centre and £54,000 core funding to Nexus, a voluntary organisation providing a counselling service for adult victims of rape and sexual abuse.
Mr. David Atkinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department contributed to the cost of policing the Conservative Party Conference in Bournemouth in 1998; how much it plans to contribute for the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth in 1999; and if he will make a statement. [79015]
Mr. Boateng:
The Dorset Police Authority received a special grant of £750,000 as a contribution to the additional costs the force incurred in policing the Conservative Party Conference at Bournemouth in October 1998. The total additional costs incurred were £829,000.
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The Dorset Police Authority will receive special grant of up to £1.6 million for the additional costs of policing this year's Labour Party Conference at Bournemouth. This is against total costs estimated by the force to be £1.7 million.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders have been (a) assessed for a drug treatment and testing order and (b) made subject to such an order in the pilot areas for drug treatment and testing order; and how many of those made subject to an order have subsequently breached the order. [79204]
Mr. George Howarth:
As at 26 March 1999:
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many 10 to 17-year-olds were convicted of offences involving (a) supply and (b) possession of illegal drugs; and how many of such offences involved Class A drugs in the last five years for which figures are available. [79209]
Mr. Boateng:
Information taken from the Home Office Court Appearance Databases is given in the table.
(a) 130 offenders had been referred for assessment for a drug treatment and testing order in the three pilot areas; and
(b) 38 offenders had been sentenced to a drug treatment and testing order by courts in the pilot areas. Of those orders, seven had been the subject of breach proceedings which, in six cases had resulted in the order being revoked.
| Offence | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug | ||||||
| Total(8) | 73 | 108 | 119 | 125 | 148 | |
| of which, class A: | ||||||
| Number | 44 | 47 | 38 | 37 | 49 | |
| Per cent. | 60 | 44 | 32 | 30 | 33 | |
| Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply | ||||||
| Total(8) | 89 | 109 | 150 | 194 | 197 | |
| of which, class A: | ||||||
| Number | 30 | 30 | 43 | 62 | 58 | |
| Per cent. | 34 | 28 | 29 | 32 | >29 | |
| Having possession of a controlled drug | ||||||
| Total(8) | 553 | 828 | 992 | 1,191 | 1,454 | |
| of which, class A: | ||||||
| Number | 64 | 105 | 126 | 134 | 164 | |
| Per cent. | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 11 | |
(7) Based on principal offence
(8) Total [ = 100 per. cent]
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what proportion of offences were committed by persistent young offenders in the last five years for which figures are available; [79206]
- (2) how many offences were committed by persistent young offenders in the last five years for which figures are available. [79207]
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Mr. Boateng: It is not possible to determine the proportion and number of offences committed by persistent young offenders. It is, however, possible to estimate the proportion of convictions for standard list offences that are accounted for by those aged 10 to 17 with three or more previous court appearances for such offences.
| Percentage of those convicted aged 10-17 | Percentage of all convictions | |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 22 | 3 |
| 1997 old basis(11) | 22 | 3 |
| 1996 | 20 | 2 |
| 1996 old basis(11) | 20 | 3 |
| 1995 | 21 | 3 |
| 1994 | 21 | 3 |
| 1993 | 25 | 3 |
(9) Counting one conviction per court appearance
(10) Standard list offences consist of all indictable offences and some of the more serious summary offences
(11) Excluding standard list offences added to the list on 1 January 1996
The Government's definition of a persistent young offender is: a young person aged 10-17 who has been sentenced by any criminal court in the United Kingdom on three or more separate occasions for one or more recordable offence, and within three years of the last sentencing occasion is subsequently arrested or has information against him for a further recordable offence.In this context, "recordable" means the class of offences that must be recorded on the Police National Computer. This class of offences is generally broader than the "standard list". This means that the percentages quoted above relate to a category of persistent young offenders that is more restrictive than the Government definition. It should also be noted that it is not possible to determine the percentage of convictions and cautions accounted for by this group.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences were committed by 10 to 17-years-old offenders (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of all offences in the last five years for which figures are available. [79208]
Mr. Boateng:
It is not possible to present a full picture of the offences committed by young people aged 10 to 17 because much crime is not reported and not all reported crime is cleared up. The best indicator we have of youth crime is the number of young people known to have been involved in offending, that is, who have been cautioned by the police for, or convicted by the courts of, a crime.
The available information, as given in the table, is taken from the Home Office Cautions and Court Proceedings Databases.
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| All offenders (12) | Offenders aged 10-17 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| (=100%) | Number | Percentage | |
| 1993 | 1,736.6 | 176.9 | 10 |
| 1994 | (13)1,733.1 | 186.7 | 11 |
| 1995 | (13)1,721.0 | 188.4 | 11 |
| 1996 | (13)1,727.0 | 187.8 | 11 |
| 1997 | 1,667.9 | 183.6 | 11 |
(12) Includes 'others' ie public bodies, companies etc.
(13) Figures adjusted to take account of shortfalls in the provision of data on magistrates' courts proceedings.
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