Previous Section Index Home Page


Police (Retirement)

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost was of early retirement and retirement on the ground of ill health to police authorities in (a) 1980, (b) 1990 and (c) the latest 12 months for which statistics are available; and for each of these years, what percentage of the final budget this cost accounted for. [143881]

Mr. Charles Clarke: There is no provision within the police pension scheme for officers to retire early with an actuarially reduced pension. Maximum pension benefits are payable on completion of 30 years' service and most officers retire having completed at least 30 years' service.

Officers may also retire with an immediate pension before completion of 30 years--or reaching compulsory retirement age--on the ground of ill-health. A police authority may retire an officer on that ground if he or she becomes permanently disabled from performing the ordinary duties of a police officer. The total cost of retirement on ill health ground to police authorities is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

8 Jan 2001 : Column: 422W

Guernsey

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers he has to persuade the States of Guernsey to introduce legislation against discrimination. [144034]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Insular Authorities in Guernsey are aware of their obligations under international conventions on discrimination and have undertaken, in a Billet d'Etat in September 2000, to propose legislation on race discrimination. My officials have recently met representatives of the Insular Authorities to discuss the form the legislation should take. The authorities have also prepared a draft sex discrimination law which is currently subject to consultation. It is planned that both pieces of legislation will be introduced in the States of Deliberation during 2001.

Motorcycle Theft

Mr. Opik: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what actions he is taking to reduce levels of motorcycle theft in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [143905]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The National Criminal Intelligence Service has received additional Government funding to run a project aimed at tackling organised motorcycle theft. Crime prevention messages specifically aimed at motorcyclists will be included in the next phase (starting in the next financial year) of the national vehicle crime reduction communications campaign. Local authorities now have powers to provide secure parking for motorcycles under the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 (as amended). The Vehicles (Crime) Bill currently before Parliament provides for statutory regulation of the motor salvage industry, which will help to prevent vehicles, including motorcycles, from being stolen to be broken up for spare parts or "rung" (ie taking on the identities of vehicles which have been written off in accidents).

Prisons (Drugs)

Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have tested positive through mandatory drug testing in each of the last five years. [143913]

Mr. Boateng: The numbers of positive mandatory drug tests recorded in each of the last five years is given in the table.

YearNumber of positive MDT results(30)
1996-9721,590
1997-9820,346
1998-9919,330
1999-200017,505
2000-01(31)11,243

(30) Includes prisoners testing positive on more than one occasion

(31) Year to 30 November 2000


Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been successfully prosecuted for smuggling drugs into prison in each of the last five years (a) in the UK, (b) at Frankland Prison and (c) at Durham Prison. [143914]

8 Jan 2001 : Column: 423W

Mr. Boateng: Figures for the number of people successfully prosecuted for smuggling drugs into prisons are not recorded centrally. The best available measure is the number of visitors arrested, figures for which are given in the table.

Visitor arrests

FranklandDurhamNational
19961011,320
19978211,189
19983321,114
1999511830
2000(32)35492

(32) Up to 20 December


Custodial Sentences

Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of remand prisoners have received custodial sentences in each of the last five years. [143917]

Mr. Boateng: Available information on the proportion of persons remanded to custody who subsequently received a custodial sentence is given in the table. This information is published in successive volumes of "Prison statistics England and Wales" (Table 2.6 of the 1999 edition, Cm 4805), copies of which are in the Library.

Final court outcome for persons remanded in custody at some stage in magistrates' court proceedings(33)

Finale court outcome-immediate custody(34)
YearMales(35)Females(35)
19954633
19964632
19974531
19984532
19994735

(33) Includes persons remanded in custody by magistrates during proceedings or on committal.

(34) Includes detention in a young offender institution and unsuspended imprisonment.

(35) Estimated percentages.


Prisons (Suicides)

Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many suicides there were among male prisoners under the age of 25 years, broken down by prison, in each of the last five years. [143963]

Mr. Boateng: The requested information in respect of the 114 self-inflicted deaths among male prisoners under 25 during the last five years is set out in the table.

Self-inflicted deaths of under 25s by establishment in England and Wales, 1996-2000(36)

Calendar year
Establishment19961997199819992000Total
Altcourse002204
Aylesbury020327
Belmarsh020002
Brinsford100236
Brixton001001
Castington000112
Chelmsford001102
Doncaster103127
Dorchester100001
Dover010001
Durham001001
Exeter110013
Featherstone000011
Feltham120014
Garth010001
Glen Parva212117
Gloucester000112
Haverigg010001
Highdown100001
Hindley021104
Holme House010102
Hull100012
Lancaster Farms010001
Leeds100113
Leicester000011
Lewes100113
Littlehey001001
Liverpool200002
Low Newton001001
Manchester000213
Northallerton001001
Norwich101002
Nottingham001001
PECS(37)000101
Parc001102
Parkhurst000011
Portland100102
Preston020103
Ranby000101
Reading003003
Risley010001
Rochester100001
Stafford000101
Stoke Heath000101
Swinfen Hall210003
The Mount100001
Wakefield001001
Wandsworth100012
Wetherby000112
Winchester121----4
Wolds000011
Woodhill001001
Wormwood Scrubs100001
Total2221232622114

(36) As at 20 December 2000

(37) Prisoner Escort and Custody Service (PECS)


8 Jan 2001 : Column: 424W

Life Sentences

Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are serving mandatory life sentences. [143915]

Mr. Boateng: The latest available provisional information is for 31 November 2000. On that date there were 3,376 persons in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales serving a mandatory life sentence.

Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time served before release was for life sentence prisoners in the last 10 years. [143916]

Mr. Boateng: Information on the average time served before release for life sentence prisoners in England and Wales over the last 10 years is given in the table. This information is also published in successive volumes of

8 Jan 2001 : Column: 425W

"Prison Statistics England and Wales" (table 5.5 of the 1999 edition, Cm 4805) copies of which are in the Library.

Average time served prior to release on life licence in England and Wales by life sentence prisoners, 1990-99

Year of releaseAverage time served (years)
199013.0
199112.1
199213.2
199314.5
199414.9
199513.8
199613.8
199714.3
199813.3
199914.8


Next Section Index Home Page