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No-smoking Policy

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on (a) the effectiveness of his Department's no-smoking policy and (b) the proportion of his Department's offices that do not allow smoking. [125152]

Mr. Straw: I am satisfied that my Department's policy, under which smoking in its main buildings in London, Croydon and Merseyside is only permitted in designated smoking rooms, is working satisfactorily. 99 per cent. of these offices do not allow smoking.

Rape Statistics

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the conviction rates were for rape (a) nationally and (b) in each Crown Prosecution Service area in England and Wales in each of the last five years for which statistics are available. [125789]

Mr. Charles Clarke: Rape is an indictable only offence. The available information, on defendants tried in the Crown court, is by Police Force Area and is given in the table.

15 Jun 2000 : Column: 715W

Number and proportion of defendants tried and convicted at the Crown court for rape offences(7) by Police Force Area, 1994-98

	1994			1995
Police Force Area	Number tried	Total convicted	Percentage convicted	Number tried	Total convicted	Percentage convicted
Avon and Somerset	22	12	55	31	15	48
Bedfordshire	14	3	21	8	5	63
Cambridgeshire	19	4	21	17	12	71
Cheshire	14	8	57	17	10	59
Cleveland	9	5	56	17	10	59
Cumbria	5	4	80	13	7	54
Derbyshire	15	5	33	20	16	80
Devon and Cornwall	13	9	69	18	12	67
Dorset	13	10	77	8	3	38
Durham	11	7	64	17	12	71
Essex	14	6	43	17	10	59
Gloucestershire	8	3	38	8	5	63
Greater Manchester	72	37	51	91	47	52
Hampshire	29	11	38	20	10	50
Hertfordshire	6	4	67	4	3	75
Humberside	5	3	60	15	11	73
Kent	18	9	50	29	19	66
Lancashire	20	8	40	23	14	61
Leicestershire	4	2	50	17	4	24
Lincolnshire	8	2	25	10	1	10
Merseyside	29	14	48	24	15	63
Metropolitan police(8)	214	90	42	205	94	46
Norfolk	13	3	23	9	4	44
Northamptonshire	9	2	22	14	6	43
Northumbria	41	22	54	50	24	48
North Yorkshire	13	3	23	13	8	62
Nottinghamshire	26	13	50	24	7	29
South Yorkshire	22	13	59	19	12	63
Staffordshire	19	12	63	20	7	35
Suffolk	12	3	25	12	7	58
Surrey	4	2	50	9	4	44
Sussex	11	7	64	18	6	33
Thames Valley	10	4	40	15	5	33
Warwickshire	3	3	100	4	2	50
West Mercia	11	5	45	8	5	63
West Midlands	62	32	52	67	35	52
West Yorkshire	41	21	51	46	30	65
Wiltshire	4	0	0	13	9	69
England	863	401	46	970	506	52
Dyfed-Powys	4	3	75	4	4	100
Gwent	11	7	64	2	1	50
North Wales	9	4	44	22	13	59
South Wales	35	20	57	46	29	63
Wales	59	34	58	74	47	64
England and Wales	922	435	47	1,044	553	53

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15 Jun 2000 : Column: 717W

	1996			1997			1998
Police Force Area	Number tried	Total convicted	Percentage convicted	Number tried	Total convicted	Percentage convicted	Number tried	Total convicted	Percentage convicted
Avon and Somerset	23	7	30	30	10	33	35	15	43
Bedfordshire	13	7	54	15	6	40	16	5	31
Cambridgeshire	14	6	43	13	6	46	9	3	33
Cheshire	20	10	50	19	12	63	19	12	63
Cleveland	14	9	64	14	7	50	10	5	50
Cumbria	9	5	56	4	0	0	7	5	71
Derbyshire	22	12	55	20	9	45	14	7	50
Devon and Cornwall	16	15	94	24	13	54	39	23	59
Dorset	12	7	58	10	5	50	8	4	50
Durham	9	5	56	12	8	67	21	9	43
Essex	19	11	58	30	21	70	28	14	50
Gloucestershire	4	2	50	8	2	25	5	2	40
Greater Manchester	82	33	40	85	30	35	133	54	41
Hampshire	23	8	35	45	28	62	54	23	43
Hertfordshire	9	8	89	17	13	76	15	8	53
Humberside	22	13	59	20	11	55	20	8	40
Kent	26	15	58	36	16	44	32	11	34
Lancashire	21	13	62	26	14	54	38	20	53
Leicestershire	17	9	53	22	11	50	30	18	60
Lincolnshire	6	4	67	13	8	62	18	8	44
Merseyside	36	17	47	38	17	45	53	20	38
Metropolitan police(8)	250	116	46	258	115	45	299	111	37
Norfolk	8	1	13	9	2	22	12	4	33
Northamptonshire	6	2	33	5	4	80	16	5	31
Northumbria	50	25	50	42	26	62	64	22	34
North Yorkshire	15	8	53	12	4	33	14	8	57
Nottinghamshire	25	14	56	28	14	50	39	19	49
South Yorkshire	18	10	56	26	16	62	41	13	32
Staffordshire	23	12	52	27	13	48	20	11	55
Suffolk	9	3	33	15	6	40	19	7	37
Surrey	8	5	63	7	3	43	7	4	57
Sussex	15	9	60	24	15	63	23	15	65
Thames Valley	37	16	43	42	16	38	28	9	32
Warwickshire	6	5	83	3	1	33	5	3	60
West Mercia	13	8	62	21	13	62	24	12	50
West Midlands	71	37	52	77	38	49	95	51	54
West Yorkshire	63	37	59	43	26	60	84	48	57
Wiltshire	11	7	64	11	3	27	5	3	60
England	1,045	531	51	1,151	562	49	1,399	619	44
Dyfed-Powys	5	4	80	9	7	78	11	4	36
Gwent	20	9	45	20	13	65	18	4	22
North Wales	18	7	39	14	8	57	22	11	50
South Wales	37	24	65	55	25	45	6	36	53
Wales	80	44	55	98	53	54	119	55	46
England and Wales	1,125	575	51	1,249	615	49	1,518	674	44

(7) Rape offences cover rape, attempted rate and associated offences under the Mental Health Act 1959

(8) Including City of London

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15 Jun 2000 : Column: 719W

Cross-examination (Sexual History)

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications have been made under section 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 to cross-examine a complainant as to previous sexual history; and how many such applications were successful. [125788]

Mr. Charles Clarke: These provisions are not yet in force. Rules of court are being prepared for the implementation of section 41, which have been the subject of recent consultation. The Government intend to implement these provisions as soon as these Rules are in place.

Wrongful Convictions

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much financial compensation was paid in each of the last three years to people freed by courts in England and Wales for wrongful conviction for a criminal offence; and if he will make a statement. [125985]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The total amounts paid in compensation to people who have been wrongly convicted, or charged, for each of the last three financial years are as follows:

Year	Million
1997-98	6.652
1998-99	5.302
1999-2000	5.647

In all cases, the Secretary of State decides whether in principle an applicant qualifies for compensation, but the amount of the award is determined by the independent assessor he has appointed.

15 Jun 2000 : Column: 720W

Child Contact Centres

Mr. Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the annual expenditure is on child contact centres through probation partnerships. [125953]

Mr. Boateng: In 1998-99, the probation service spent a total of £1,106,299 on partnership projects relating to Family Court Welfare Work, £153,862 of which was devoted specifically to child contact centres.

Internet Monitoring

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what institutions he plans will be involved in the monitoring of internet and e-mail communications; and if he will make a statement. [125668]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill does not provide for routine monitoring of any communications. Clause 24 of the Bill allows for the acquisition of communications data, which would include the addressing data but not the content of the communication, by:

a police force;

the National Criminal Intelligence Service;

the National Crime Squad;

the Commissioners of Customs and Excise and their departments; and

any of the intelligence services (taken to mean the Security Service, the Secret Intelligence Service and Government Communications Headquarters).

The Bill provides for this list to be added to by Order.

We have included a number of oversight procedures to cover the collection of communications data. No authorising officer may authorise a notice unless obtaining the communications data is both necessary for certain specified purposes, and proportionate.

15 Jun 2000 : Column: 721W

In addition, the Bill places oversight of the use of this power under the remit of the Interception Commissioner. We intend for an audit team from the Commissioner's office to undertake periodic inspections of each body to ensure that the power is being used responsibly.

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