| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Crime Victims
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what date it is planned to implement measures to ensure victims of crime are kept informed by the Crown Prosecution Service of the progress of their case; and if he will make a statement. [145705]
22 Jan 2001 : Column: 493W
Mr. Charles Clarke: From 1 April 2001, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will begin the phased implementation of a system to ensure that victims are informed of decisions, or given explanations for decisions, for which the CPS has responsibility. The police will continue to have responsibility for informing victims about other significant developments in their case.
Community Sentences
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders completed accredited programmes in the community in the last year; and if he will make a statement. [145717]
Mr. Boateng: The only programme to be accredited before September 2000 was the Think First General Offending Programme; since its accreditation there have been an estimated 80 completions in Devon and Teesside (both Pathfinder areas). Those programmes accredited at the Joint Accreditation Panel in September 2000 have only been run in pilot/pre-accredited form. A small number of offenders will have completed the programme during the pathfinder development stages, but no figures are available.
Released Offenders (Drugs)
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of offenders on post release supervision were referred to drug treatment in the last two years; and if he will make a statement. [145707]
Mr. Boateng: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Police Expenditure
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the change was in expenditure on policing in total and in real terms in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [145708]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The information is set out in the table.
Source:
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy Police statistics (Actuals)
22 Jan 2001 : Column: 494W
Percentage changes have been calculated in real terms at 1999-2000 prices using Gross Domestic Product deflator as at December 2000.
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total expenditure on advertising to recruit special constables was in the last five years; what the total number of new recruits was during the same period; what the net change in the number of specials over the period was; and if he will make a statement. [145710]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The total expenditure on special constable recruitment advertising is assessed at the end of each financial year in March. The total expenditure for the five years, from March 1995 to March 2000 was £5,595,000.
The total number of special constables recruited in the five years 1995-1996 to 1999-2000 was 17,817.
There has been a net loss of 2,137 special constables during the period 1995 to 2000.
Prison Escapes
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many escapes there have been from (a) all Prison Service establishments, per category and in total and (b) Prison Service escorts, including contracted out escorts, in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [145706]
Mr. Boateng: The table gives the information requested by prisoner category.
22 Jan 2001 : Column: 493W
| 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01(61) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category A | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Category B | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| Category C | 23 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 2 |
| Category D | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- |
| Females--non-Category A | -- | 1 | 1 | 4 | -- |
| Young offenders--closed | -- | -- | 2 | 3 | -- |
| Unsentenced male remand | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | -- |
| Not categorised sentenced male | 7 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 4 |
| Totals | 33 | 23 | 28 | 30 | 7 |
(61) Up to 31 December 2000
22 Jan 2001 : Column: 495W
| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1996-97 | 98 |
| 1997-98 | 82 |
| 1998-99 | 62 |
| 1999-2000 | 67 |
| 2000-01(62) | 53 |
(62) Up to 31 December 2000
Prisons (Education)
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of prisoners discharged in each of the last three years were at level 1 or below in literacy and numeracy skills; and if he will make a statement. [145718]
Mr. Boateng: Information is not available in the form requested. Data on the results of Basic Skills Agency screening tests taken by prisoners while in custody in the last two years are set out in the table. Data are not available for years before 1998.
| Year | Competence | Numbers tested | Percentage below Level 1 | Percentage at Level 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Reading | 47,298 | 26.8 | 25.3 |
| 1998 | Writing | 46,032 | 39 | 33.7 |
| 1998 | Numeracy | 59,440 | 34.7 | 34.8 |
| 1999-2000 | Reading | 89,623 | 30.5 | 19.3 |
| 1999-2000 | Writing | 97,681 | 47.3 | 33.7 |
| 1999-2000 | Numeracy | 89,572 | 37.6 | 29 |
Note:
Data in 1998 collected by calendar year to match education contract.
Antisocial Behaviour (High Energy Drinks)
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received on possible links between the use of high energy drinks and anti-social behaviour; and if he will make a statement. [145952]
Mr. Charles Clarke: I have not received any representations on links between the use of high energy drinks and anti-social behaviour.
Intelligence Services Act
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) on how many occasions since May 1997 a warrant has been issued under the provision of section 6(1) of the Intelligence Services Act 1994; and if he will make a statement; [146136]
- (2) on how many occasions since May 1997 he has exercised his powers under section 7(1) of the Intelligence Services Act 1994; and if he will make a statement; [146132]
(3) how many warrants he has issued for interference with (a) property and (b) wireless telegraphy under section 5(1) of the Intelligence Services Act 1994 since May 1997; and if he will make a statement; [146144]
(4) on how many occasions he has exercised his power under section 6(3) of the Intelligence Services Act 1994; and if he will make a statement; [146134]
22 Jan 2001 : Column: 496W
(5) on how many occasions he has received an application from the Security Service in accordance with provisions of section 5(4) of the Intelligence Services Act 1994; and if he will make a statement; [146137]
(6) on how many occasions he has cancelled a warrant in accordance with section 6(4) of the Intelligence Services Act 1994; [146133]
(7) how many warrants he has issued in accordance with section 5(3) of the Intelligence Services Act 1994 for the purpose of the taking of action in support of the prevention or detection of serious crime outside of the British Islands; and if he will make a statement. [146135]
Mr. Straw: It is not the Government's practice to publish information about warrants under the Intelligence Services Act 1994. The exercise of the Secretary of State's powers under the Act is overseen by the Commissioner appointed under the Act, who reports annually to the Prime Minister who has a duty under the legislation to lay the report before each House of Parliament. The last annual report, for 1999, was laid before the House in July 2000 (CM4779). The Commissioner explained, as in previous reports, that he had not disclosed the numbers of warrants issued and renewed in the course of the year because particulars of the actual numbers would assist the operation of those hostile to the state.
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the members of the tribunal constituted under the provision of Schedule 2 of the Intelligence Services Act 1994. [146130]
Mr. Straw: The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 consolidated the tribunals previously provided under Intelligence Services Act 1994, the Security Service Act 1989, and the Interception of Communications Act 1985 into a single tribunal. As regards its members, I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bury, North (Mr. Chaytor) on 1 November 2000, Official Report, columns 517-18W.
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) on how many occasions since May 1997 the tribunal under the provisions of section 6(1) of Schedule 1 of the Intelligence Services Act 1994 has determined that (a) the Intelligence Service and (b) GCHQ did not have reasonable grounds for their actions; and if he will make a statement; [146138]
- (2) on how many occasions the Commissioner has considered a reference under paragraphs 2 and 4 of Schedule 1 to the Intelligence Services Act 1994; on how many occasions he has deemed that the Secretary of State has acted improperly in (a) issuing a warrant and (b) renewing a warrant; and if he will make a statement; [146146]
(3) how many complaints the tribunal provided under section 9(1) of the Intelligence Services Act 1994 has received since May 1997; and how many complaints it has determined; [146131]
(4) what remedies have been awarded since May 1997 under the provisions of section 8(1) of Schedule 1 to the Intelligence Services Act 1994; and if he will make a statement. [146139]
22 Jan 2001 : Column: 497W
Mr. Straw: The information sought is contained in the annual reports of the Commissioner appointed under the Intelligence Services Act 1994. The last annual report was the one for 1999 laid before the House in July 2000 (Cm 4777).
For convenience, a summary of the available figures since 1997 is as follows: the Tribunal has received and determined 20 complaints; on no occasion did the Tribunal, or Commissioner, uphold a compliant; therefore no remedies have been awarded; and of the 12 occasions that the Commissioner considered referrals under paragraphs 2 and 4 of Schedule 1 to the Act on no occasion did he find that I had acted improperly.
The Commissioner's report gives figures for calendar years, so the figures included for 1997 covers the whole year.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |