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Uniformed Police Patrols
Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the level of uniformed police patrols was in (a) England and Wales as a whole and (b) each individual police force in England and Wales in each of the last five years for which data are available; and if he will make a statement. [2939]
Mr. Denham [holding answer 9 July 2001]: The information requested has been provided by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC) and covers the years 1995–96 to 1999–2000. The table records the number of officers who are predominately assigned to foot, car and beat patrol duties for each year from 1995–96 to 1999–2000. Information for 2000–01 will be available in the autumn after it has been collated and verified by HMIC.
I understand from HMIC that in 1999–2000 50.3 per cent. of the total number of officers in forces in England and Wales were deployed to patrol duties. Most of the other half of the police service are deployed to other operational duties, such as CID, traffic, and other specialist operational activities.
Decisions on the allocation of resources to patrol and other functions such as CID are operational decisions for the professional judgment of Chief Officers of Police.
The number of officers available for deployment is increasing. Home Office Statistical Bulletin 10/01, published on 28 June 2001, shows that by 31 March 2001 the strength of the police service in England and Wales had grown to 125,519 police officers (full-time equivalents), up 1,349 since March 2000. We expect police strength to reach record numbers by March 2003 and to reach 130,000 by March 2004.
Source:
Data from HMICs Annual Statistical Return
18 Jul 2001 : Column: 283W
Drugs (Medicinal Uses)
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which countries supply Britain with (a) cannabis, (b) coca and (c) opium for use in (i) the legal pharmaceutical industry and (ii) research and development to investigate possible medicinal uses. [4571]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: None of these substances are imported for pharmaceutical industrial purposes. A small amount of processed cannabis has recently been imported from Germany for medical research.
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Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the research and development projects being carried out to investigate the possible medicinal uses of (a) cannabis, (b) coca and (c) opium. [4667]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: There are 25 licences currently valid for cannabis research. The licence holders and the purposes are:
| Licence holders | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Prof. A. D. Smith (Univ. of Oxford) | Academic |
| Dr. R. Middleton (Univ. of Hull) | Academic |
| Dr. C. Hunter (Univ. of the West of England) | Academic |
| Dr. M. A. Sackville (Univ. of Sunderland) | Academic |
| Dr. C. Wright (Univ. of Bradford) | Academic |
| Dr. P. M. Dewick (Univ. of Nottingham) | Academic |
| Dr. J. Smart (Univ. of Portsmouth) | Academic |
| Dr. Geoffrey Hall (De Montfort Univ) | Academic |
| Prof. P. J. Houghton (Kings College London) | Academic |
| Dr. Alexander (Univ. of Edinburgh) | Academic |
| Dr. J. Cole (Royal Liverpool Univ. Hospital) | Academic |
| Prof. J. F. Alder (Univ. of Manchester Institute | Academic |
| Mr. Malcolm Aiken (Univ. of Brighton) | Academic |
| Dr. K. Brain (Welsh Sch. of Pharmacy) | Academic |
| Prof. Redfern (Univ. of Bath) | Academic |
| Prof. J. Kelly (Univ. of Edinburgh) | Academic |
| Prof. T. Stone (Univ. of Glasgow) | Academic |
| Dr. D. Todd (James Paget Hospital) | Researching general therapeutic benefits |
| Dr. D. Baker (Univ. College London) | Immune systems (inc. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research) |
| Dr. R. Pertwee (Univ. of Aberdeen) | Neuropharmacology research |
| Dr. C. Heard (Welsh Sch. of Pharmacy) | Research into transdermal administration |
| Dr. E. Williamson (Univ. of London) | Research into Multiple Sclerosis (MS) |
| Prof. R. Rainsford (Sheffield Hallam Univ.) | Research into arthritis |
| G. W. Pharmaceuticals (Porton Down) | Research into Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and other conditions |
| Dr. J. Zajicek (Derriford Hospital) | Research into Multiple Sclerosis (MS) |
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licences have been granted for research and development to investigate possible medicinal uses of (a) cannabis, (b) coca and (c) opium in each of the last 10 years. [4666]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: According to existing records, the following number of licences have been granted to investigate the possible medicinal uses of cannabis during the last 10 years.
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| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 1 |
| 1992 | 0 |
| 1993 | 0 |
| 1994 | 4 |
| 1995 | 1 |
| 1996 | 0 |
| 1997 | 3 |
| 1998 | 1 |
| 1999 | 3 |
| 2000 | 12 |
| 2001 | 38 |
No applications were received in respect of coca and opium during the same period.
Child Pornography (Young Offenders)
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been in
18 Jul 2001 : Column: 286W
England and Wales during the last 12 months where children have been involved in the production of pornography. [2845]
Mr. Denham: There is no separate offence of producing pornography. Any prosecution is likely to be for possessing, taking or making indecent photographs, or pseudo-photographs, of children: and, in the case of young offenders, for possessing obscene material for gain.
The available information, taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings and Cautions Database and given in the table, shows that there were four prosecutions and two convictions of persons aged 10–17 during 1999 for possessing obscene material for gain.
There were 175 prosecutions and 139 convictions of persons during 1999 for taking or making indecent photographs, or pseudo-photographs, of children: none of these defendants were aged 10–17. There were also 163 prosecutions and 99 convictions for possessing indecent photographs, or pseudo-photographs, of children: again, none of these defendants were aged 10–17.
| Offence | Short title of principal statute | Age | Total prosecuted | Total convicted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Possessing obscene material for gain | Obscene Publications Act 1959 S.2 as amended by the Obscene Publications Act 1964 Sec.1 | All ages | 131 | 96 |
| of which: | ||||
| 16 | 2 | — | ||
| 17 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Take or to make indecent photographs, or pseudo-photographs, of children | Protection of Children Act 1978 Secs 1, 6 as amended by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 Sec. 84 | All ages | 175 | 139 |
| of which: | ||||
| 16 | — | — | ||
| 17 | — | — | ||
| Possession of an indecent photograph, or pseudo-photograph, of a child | Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1988 Sec. 160 as amended by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 Secs 84(4) and 86(1) | All ages | 163 | 99 |
| of which: | ||||
| 16 | — | — | ||
| 17 | — | — |
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