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Party Conferences (Policing)
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department contributed to the cost of policing each of the national political party conferences in autumn 1999; what were the total additional costs to the police forces responsible for policing the conferences; and if he will make a statement. [99789]
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Mr. Straw:
I approved the payment of two special grants towards the additional costs of policing of party conferences this year, as follows:
Information on the total additional cost of policing these conferences is not yet available.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals are (a) in progress and (b) planned to improve the enforcement of probation and community sentences; and if he will make a statement. [99805]
Mr. Boateng:
We are working with the Association of Chief Officers of Probation to raise the level of performance on enforcement, which is currently
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unacceptable, through issuing guidance and best practice. A follow up audit of enforcement by all probation services is being undertaken in the new year.
We are also tightening up the National Standards for Supervision of Offenders in the Community as from 1 April 2000 with the effect that offenders who fail to comply with their community sentences will be brought back before the court after a maximum of two unacceptable absences rather than the current three. In addition, we intend to introduce further powers in the Crime and Public Protection Bill further to improve enforcement of community sentences.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases have been referred for assessment for a drug treatment and testing order in each of the three pilot areas since October 1998; how many orders were made in each area over the period; how many orders have been (a) completed and (b) revoked; and if he will make a statement. [99797]
Mr. Boateng:
The information is given in the table:
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Dorset Police
£1.6 million (Labour Party Conference at Bournemouth)
Lancashire Constabulary
£895,000 (Conservative Party Conference at Blackpool).
| Area | Referrals | Orders made | Orders completed | Orders revoked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Croydon (South East London) | 96 | 35 | (4)-- | 9 |
| Gloucestershire | 203 | 80 | -- | 35 |
| Liverpool (Merseyside) | 132 | 53 | -- | 12 |
| Total | 431 | 168 | -- | 56 |
(4) None--the first completion of orders is not anticipated until the beginning of the new year at the earliest
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Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many offenders subject to a drug treatment and testing order have received (a) one formal written warning from a supervising officer and (b) two or more such warnings, but have not been subjected to breach proceedings; [100129]
- (2) how many offenders subject to a drug treatment and testing order under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 have been issued with a formal written warning by the supervising officer that they have failed to comply with the order; and how many such formal written warnings have been issued by supervising officers; [100131]
(3) how many drug treatment and testing orders made under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 have subsequently been varied by the courts; [100128]
(4) how many offenders whose drug treatment and testing orders have been revoked by the courts have been re-sentenced for their original offence; how many such offenders were sentenced to (a) custody, (b) a fine, (c) a community service order and (d) another penalty; how many such offenders were granted (i) an absolute and (ii) a conditional discharge; and if he will make a statement; [100133]
(5) how many offenders subject to a drug treatment and testing order under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 have been the subject of breach proceedings following (a) one formal written warning by the supervising officer and (b) two such written warnings; [100130]
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(6) how many offenders subject to a drug treatment and testing order have been made the subject of breach proceedings following (a) one failure to comply with the order, (b) two failures to comply, (c) three failures to comply and (d) four or more failures to comply. [100132]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The information requested is not immediately available and I will write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reported breaches of drug treatment and testing orders under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 have followed (a) a single failed test, (b) two failed tests, (c) three or more failed tests and (d) other reasons; and if he will make a statement. [100127]
Mr. Boateng: No drug treatment and testing orders have been breached on the basis of failed tests alone, though the number and frequency of test failures would have been a factor taking into consideration when making decisions on breach for failure to comply with the treatment requirement of the order.
Prosecutions
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of (a) criminal prosecutions, (b) either-way case prosecutions, (c) summary only prosecutions and (d) indictment only prosecutions in each of the last 10 years. [99790]
(5) For these years it is known that there were relatively small shortfalls in the number of proceedings reported to the Home Office.
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Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average cost of completed proceedings in Crown courts following (a) a guilty plea and (b) a not guilty plea; and if he will make a statement. [99792]
Mr. Straw:
The average cost of completed proceedings in the Crown court is £2,600 following a guilty plea and £17,550 following a not guilty plea. In both cases, there is an additional cost of £1,050 incurred at the magistrates courts, as a result of committal proceedings.
These costs relate to the calendar year 1997 and financial year 1997-98, the most recent period for which comprehensive information is available. They were taken from the Home Office Research Finding No. 103, "The Cost of Criminal Justice", which was published on the 15 November. This report is available on the internet at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/areas/econpf.htm.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what specific resources have been allocated to the probation service in relation to the Effective Practice Initiative; and if he will make a statement. [99804]
Mr. Boateng:
The Effective Practice Initiative was launched in June 1998 with the publication of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of "Probation of Strategies for Effective Offender Supervision". The initiative is now being taken forward as the What Works strategy, for which £21 million has been provided from 1999-2002 part of the Crime Reduction Programme, to develop and deliver high-quality work with offenders in the prison and probation services, based on what is known to reduce re-offending.
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