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Paper and Timber Products
Mr. Reed:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to ensure that paper and timber products purchased by his Department come from a sustainable source. [110165]
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Mr. Straw:
My Department aims to purchase only sustainably produced timber and timber products. The Department's current Greening Operations policy (in place since June 1998) contains a specific aim in respect of purchasing wood. This states that as far as possible, wood products purchased by the Home Office should
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come from forests and plantations that have been independently verified as being well managed. We are continuing to develop and promulgate our Green Procurement policy and emphasise our commitment to considering the environment when making purchases. Our Environmental Action Plan in respect of paper focuses on reducing its overall use and on increasing the percentage of recycled paper used.
Mr. Reed:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ensure that paper and timber products purchased by his Department are independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as coming from a sustainable source. [110166]
Mr. Straw:
In keeping with my Department's policy to minimise any adverse environmental impact of its activities, the Home Office welcomes the availability of independent certification schemes such as that of the Forest Stewardship Council.
Our Greening Operations Policy (agreed in June 1998) encourages the use of ecolabels in procurement and asks purchasers to check environmental claims as thoroughly as possible, particularly with a view to verifying any vague environmental statements.
Nevertheless, it would be impractical for us to commit to ensuring that all paper and timber products that we purchase have the Forest Stewardship Council certificate. Our understanding is that the scheme does not yet cover the broad range of products that we are likely to require. Also, we would not want to find ourselves in breach of public procurement rules by being seen to favour the Forest Stewardship Council's scheme over and above any other equally valid certification scheme.
Mr. Marshall-Andrews:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each of the years 1995 to 1999 (1) the average length of time between charge and final disposal of contested cases involving either way offences tried in the magistrates' courts; [110426]
(3) the number and percentage of those who elected trial by jury who pleaded guilty to different offences from those on which they were committed. [110428]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
This information is not collected centrally. Information on the time taken in magistrates courts proceedings is collected by the Lord Chancellor's Department's Time Intervals Survey. In 1999 and earlier years, the survey collected data on indictable (including triable either way) cases completed in a sample week of each February, June and October. From 2000 onwards, there will be four surveys during each year.
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The average time taken from charge to completion for defendants in contested triable either way cases which were tried in magistrates courts was 147 days in February 1999 and 132 days in both June 1999 and October 1999. These figures include charged defendants but exclude summonsed defendants. For defendants committed for sentence to the Crown Court, time before committal is included but time spent in the Crown Court after committal is not available and therefore is not included.
These figures use information collected for the first time in 1999 following an enhancement to the survey. Equivalent figures for previous years are not available.
Mr. Marshall-Andrews:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost of appeals to the Crown Court per annum as a result of the provisions of the Criminal Justice (Mode of Trial) Bill (Lords). [110467]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the right hon. Member for Maidstone and The Weald (Miss Widdecombe), by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 27 January 2000, Official Report, column 250W.
Mr. Marshall-Andrews:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has (1) to end the power of magistrates to commit for sentence to the Crown Court; [110424]
Mr. Marshall-Andrews:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the requirement to plead before venue for each of the years 1997, 1998 and 1999. [110425]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Section 49 of the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 ("plea before venue") provides for defendants in either-way cases to be asked to indicate their plea before the magistrates decide whether to accept or decline jurisdiction. Its purpose is to allow cases in which a guilty plea is indicated, and which might previously have been committed for trial, to be dealt with by the magistrates themselves where the appropriate sentence (after any discount for the guilty plea) is within the court's powers, or if not through being committed to the Crown Court for sentence. The provision was implemented in October 1997, since when (as expected) substantially fewer cases have been committed for trial, but there has been a significant increase in the numbers committed for sentence. Statistics collected by the Crown Prosecution Service show that the percentage of either-way cases committed for trial reaching the Crown Court by way of the defendant's election was 28 per cent. in 1997 and 1998, and 32 per cent. in 1999.
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(2) the average length of time between committal and final disposal of contested cases involving either way offences which are tried before jury after election for jury trial; [110427]
(2) to reduce the sentencing power of magistrates to those available to the Sheriff's Court in Scotland. [110520]
| Year | Committed for trial | Committed for sentence |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 66,456 | 6,823 |
| 1998 | 51,952 | 18,185 |
| January-June 1999(4) | 25,777 | 9,533 |
(3) Where the triable either-way offence is the principal offence
(4) Data for this period are provisional
Young Offender Institutions
Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to re-role existing adult prisons as (a) young offender institutions or (b) young offender institutions holding 16 and 17-year-olds. [110436]
Mr. Boateng: The Prison Service is considering a proposal to re-role Blantyre House, an adult male prison to a young offender institution for under 18-year-old juvenile males. This forms part of a strategy drawn up by the Prison Service and the Youth Justice Board for securing further improvements to the under 18 secure estate. The proposal is contingent upon the availability of resources and trends in the prison population. No other adult prisons are being considered for re-role to a young offender institution, or young offender institution holding 16 and 17-year-olds. However, changes in the composition of the prison population may require the Prison Service to consider other strategic re-role options in future.
Blantyre House Prison
Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the future of Blantyre House Prison. [110438]
Mr. Boateng: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Chatham and Aylesford (Mr. Shaw) on 7 February 2000, Official Report, column 48W.
Emergency Services
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the current penalties are for malicious calls to emergency services; and what plans he has to increase the penalties. [110314]
Ms Hewitt: I have been asked to reply.
The penalties for malicious calls to the emergency services, as to any other party, are a maximum fine of £5,000, level 5 on the standard scale, or six months' imprisonment, under section 43 of the Telecommunications Act 1984 as amended by section 92 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. Currently there are no plans to increase these. The penalties came into force on 3 February 1995, and include the option of a custodial sentence for the first time.
Charity Commission
Mr. Hope:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to change the arrangements for the publication of the Charity Commission's Annual report. [111225]
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Mr. Boateng:
I have agreed that in future, the Charity Commission's Annual Report should be prepared on a financial year basis, rather than a calendar year basis. As a transitional measure, the next Annual Report will cover the 15 month period, 1 January 1999 to 31 March 2000 and should be published this Autumn.
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