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Post-16 Education
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will express, in real terms, the SSA per student in respect of post-16 education in each local education authority in (a) 1999–2000, (b) 2000–01 and (c) 2001–02; and what her estimate is of SSA per student transferred to the Learning and Skills Council in 2002–03. [37043]
Mr. Timms: The Post-16 SSA cannot be expressed meaningfully as a per pupil amount because education for this group is not compulsory and a large part of the post-16 SSA is determined on the basis of population aged 11 to 15. For local education authorities without school sixth forms, and consequently with very small numbers of post-16 pupils, this would produce disproportionately high figures. Participation rates in schools post-16 can also vary significantly in authorities with sixth forms, which would make the figures for post-16 SSA per pupil vary significantly from year to year.
Amy Gehring
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether her Department received correspondence about Amy Gehring prior to the circumstances that led to the recent court case. [36602]
Mr. Timms: The Department received a letter on 20 November 2000 from Surrey police which contained factual information about allegations made against Miss Gehring, and stated that no further police action would be taken. This was the first notification the Department received of her case.
Prior to this, on 1 November 2000, Timeplan had already allowed Miss Gehring to return to teaching in Surrey on a supply basis. On 9 November 2000 Surrey Child Protection Unit wrote to Timeplan warning them that the unit considered that Miss Gehring was a serious risk to children. Timeplan did not withdraw Miss Gehring from her teaching post and failed to inform the LEA, DfES or the schools of this warning.
The allegations considered by the court are alleged to have taken place between 19 November 2000 and 31 December 2000.
25 Feb 2002 : Column 749W
SOLICITOR-GENERAL
Restricted Videos (Mail Order)
Mr. Leigh: To ask the Solicitor-General what action she plans to take to combat the breach of the provisions of the Video Recordings Act 1984 by those selling Restricted 18 videos via mail order advertisements. [35653]
The Solicitor-General: It falls to the police to investigate the possible commission of any offences under the Video Recordings Act 1984 by those selling Restricted 18 videos via mail order advertisements. I share your concerns over this issue and shall refer the matter to the Home Office.
Where the police have instigated proceedings, or referred a case to the Crown Prosecution Service for advice, the CPS will decide whether a prosecution should follow having applied the tests set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
25 Feb 2002 : Column 750W
Discontinued Cases
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General how many criminal and magistrate court cases were discontinued per year in absolute terms and as a percentage of all cases, in each region and as a percentage of the total acquittals; and how many arose (a) from the jury and (b) following an order or direction of the judge. [35961]
The Solicitor-General [holding answer 14 February 2002]: Table 1 shows the number of defendants whose cases were discontinued in each of the last three years, and expresses these as a percentage of completed cases in magistrates courts.
Table 2 shows for the same period the number of defendants whose case resulted in a judge ordered acquittal after the prosecution offered no evidence; the number resulting in a judge directed acquittal; and the number acquitted on the verdict of the jury after a full trial.
Each of these outcomes is also shown as a percentage of completed cases in the Crown court.
25 Feb 2002 : Column 751W
| Judge ordered acquittals (percentage) | Judge directed acquittals (percentage) | Acquittals after trial (percentage) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | |||
| Total | 9,331 (10.7) | 1,849 (2.1) | 6,958 (8.0) |
| P01 Avon and Somerset | 220 (9.7) | 48 (2.1) | 178 (7.8) |
| P02 Bedfordshire | 69 (9.6) | 27 (3.8) | 86 (12.00 |
| P03 Cambridgeshire | 69 (6.6) | 19 (1.8) | 81 (7.8) |
| P04 Cheshire | 121 (7.6) | 35 (2.2) | 119 (7.50 |
| P06 Cleveland | 112 (9.2) | 14 (1.2) | 55 (4.5) |
| P07 Cumbria | 60 (9.0) | 9 (1.3) | 35 (5.2) |
| P08 Derbyshire | 102 (7.7) | 16 (1.2) | 70 (5.3) |
| P09 Devon and Cornwall | 214 (11.9) | 41 (2.3) | 111 (6.2) |
| P10 Dorset | 72 (8.5) | 15 (1.8) | 74 (8.7) |
| P11 Durham | 84 (7.8) | 18 (1.7) | 59 (5.5) |
| P12 Dyfed Powys | 58 (9.0) | 18 (2.8) | 68 (10.5) |
| P13 Essex | 250 (12.7) | 39 (2.0) | 212 (10.8) |
| P14 Gloucestershire | 68 (13.1) | 10 (1.9) | 32 (6.1) |
| P15 Greater Manchester | 623 (11.2) | 144 (2.6) | 477 (8.5) |
| P16 Gwent | 80 (7.6) | 12 (1.1) | 89 (8.5) |
| P17 Hampshire | 346 (11.3) | 82 (2.7) | 321 (10.5) |
| P18 Hertfordshire | 124 (10.4) | 32 (2.7) | 128 (10.8) |
| P19 Humberside | 82 (6.5) | 18 (1.4) | 57 (4.5) |
| P20 Kent | 281 (13.8) | 80 (3.9) | 179 (8.8) |
| P21 Lancashire | 402 (13.8) | 51 (1.8) | 153 (5.3) |
| P22 Leicestershire | 174 (11.0) | 17 (1.1) | 103 (6.5) |
| P23 Lincolnshire | 56 (8.2) | 11 (1.6) | 35 (5.1) |
| P24 Merseyside | 399 (11.6) | 49 (1.4) | 259 (7.5) |
| P25 Metropolitan and City | 1,864 (13.7) | 461 (3.4) | 1,888 (13.9) |
| P26 Norfolk | 78 (10.5) | 16 (2.2) | 53 (7.1) |
| P27 Northamptonshire | 111 (12.0) | 8 (0.9) | 41 (4.4) |
| P28 Northumbria | 337 (11.2) | 55 (1.8) | 131 (4.3) |
| P29 North Wales | 45 (6.8) | 11 (1.7) | 39 (5.9) |
| P30 North Yorkshire | 103 (9.7) | 9 (0.8) | 67 (6.3) |
| P31 Nottinghamshire | 252 (9.1) | 23 (0.8) | 101 (3.7) |
| P32 South Wales | 212 (8.3) | 45 (1.8) | 192 (7.5) |
| P33 South Yorkshire | 268 (9.2) | 40 (1.4) | 119 (4.1) |
| P34 Staffordshire | 170 (11.1) | 35 (2.3) | 99 (6.5) |
| P35 Suffolk | 41 (5.1) | 22 (2.7) | 98 (12.1) |
| P36 Surrey | 97 (11.8) | 15 (1.8) | 86 (10.5) |
| P37 Sussex | 182 (11.4) | 43 (2.7) | 152 (9.5) |
| P38 Thames Valley | 125 (8.8) | 35 (2.5) | 151 (10.6) |
| P39 Warwickshire | 16 (4.6) | 6 (1.7) | 5 (1.4) |
| P40 West Mercia | 114 (9.5) | 24 (2.0) | 75 (6.3) |
| P41 West Midlands | 678 (11.8) | 121 (2.1) | 369 (6.4) |
| P42 West Yorkshire | 542 (8.5) | 71 (1.1) | 271 (4.2) |
| P43 Wiltshire | 30 (7.1) | 4 (0.9) | 40 (9.4) |
25 Feb 2002 : Column 752W
25 Feb 2002 : Column 754W
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will list the groups of crimes to which discontinuance statistics apply and provide statistics for these crimes on a regional basis for each year since 1992. [35959]
The Solicitor-General [holding answer 14 February 2002]: Discontinuance statistics apply to the full range of crimes handled by the Crown Prosecution Service. Any offence, from relatively minor traffic matters to the most serious crimes, may lead to discontinuance if the evidential and public interest criteria specified in the Code for Crown Prosecutors are not met.
However, the CPS holds no central record on the outcome of particular crimes: the information is held on individual files and could be retrieved only at disproportionate cost.
The table therefore shows the total number of discontinuances in each year since 1992, and expresses this as a proportion of cases completed in magistrates courts. The same information is also shown for each of the 42 Areas of the Service since present records began.
| 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | Total | % | Total | % | Total | % | Total | % | |
| 42 Areas | 193,110 | 13.3 | 175,025 | 12.8 | 159,803 | 11.7 | 156,628 | 12.0 | 153,274 | 12.0 |
| P01—Avon and Somerset | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3,941 | — | 3,833 | 17.6 |
| P02—Bedfordshire | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1,563 | — | 1,665 | 18.3 |
| P03—Cambridgeshire | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1,686 | — | 1,636 | 14.8 |
| P04—Cheshire | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1,567 | — | 1,655 | 10.6 |
| P06—Cleveland | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2,821 | — | 2,598 | 23.8 |
| P07—Cumbria | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1,705 | — | 1,715 | 13.9 |
| P08—Derbyshire | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2,009 | — | 2,606 | 19.3 |
| P09—Devon and Cornwall | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2,796 | — | 3,179 | 16.1 |
| P10—Dorset | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1,383 | — | 1,898 | 16.0 |
| P11—Durham | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1,811 | — | 1,355 | 16.2 |
| P12—Dyfed Powys | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1,513 | — | 1,511 | 15.9 |
| P13—Essex | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2,400 | — | 2,669 | 14.1 |
| P14—Gloucestershire | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2,009 | — | 2,312 | 24.5 |
| P15—Greater Manchester | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7,454 | — | 9,101 | 13.3 |
| P16—Gwent | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2,049 | — | 2,178 | 21.3 |
| P17—Hampshire | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2,374 | — | 3,084 | 11.3 |
| P18—Hertfordshire | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1,782 | — | 1,973 | 17.0 |
| P19—Humberside | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1,748 | — | 1,909 | 12.7 |
| P20—Kent | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3,336 | — | 3,529 | 17.0 |
| P21—Lancashire | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4,113 | — | 4,532 | 15.2 |
| P22—Leicestershire | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4,389 | — | 3,606 | 23.0 |
| P23—Lincolnshire | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2,016 | — | 1,783 | 20.9 |
| P24—Merseyside | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4,032 | — | 4,176 | 13.5 |
| P25—Metropolitan and City | — | — | — | — | — | — | 31,338 | — | 25,339 | 17.5 |
| P26—Norfolk | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1,409 | — | 1,578 | 14.0 |
| P27—Northamptonshire | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2,073 | — | 1,819 | 23.1 |
| P28—Northumbria | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6,056 | — | 5,123 | 17.2 |
| P29—North Wales | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1,998 | — | 2,091 | 15.3 |
| P30—North Yorkshire | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1,474 | — | 1,401 | 13.5 |
| P31—Nottinghamshire | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3,281 | — | 4,095 | 20.0 |
| P32—South Wales | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5,597 | — | 6,074 | 19.6 |
| P33—South Yorkshire | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5,725 | — | 4,919 | 21.5 |
| P34—Staffordshire | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3,461 | — | 3,068 | 15.4 |
| P35—Suffolk | — | — | — | — | — | — | 905 | — | 1,210 | 13.8 |
| P36—Surrey | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1,913 | — | 1,926 | 16.1 |
| P37—Sussex | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3,146 | — | 3,023 | 15.4 |
| P38—Thames Valley | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4,744 | — | 4,854 | 16.7 |
| P39—Warwickshire | — | — | — | — | — | — | 926 | — | 852 | 11.8 |
| P40—West Mercia | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2,543 | — | 2,416 | 14.6 |
| P41—West Midlands | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6,636 | — | 7,035 | 14.3 |
| P42—West Yorkshire | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11,473 | — | 10,503 | 20.2 |
| P43—Wiltshire | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1,432 | — | 1,420 | 13.2 |
25 Feb 2002 : Column 755W
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | Total | % | Total | % | Total | % | Total | % | |
| 42 Areas | 161,461 | 12.2 | 162,661 | 12.0 | 164,682 | 12.1 | 166,001 | 12.8 | 172,398 | 13.1 |
| P01—Avon and Somerset | 3,922 | 12.5 | 4,152 | 12.0 | 4,574 | 13.1 | 3,345 | 10.4 | 2,548 | 8.3 |
| P02—Bedfordshire | 1,784 | 12.4 | 1,451 | 11.6 | 1,132 | 10.5 | 1,148 | 11.9 | 1,575 | 14.4 |
| P03—Cambridgeshire | 1,734 | 10.0 | 1,667 | 9.5 | 1,537 | 9.1 | 1,249 | 8.5 | 1,153 | 10.4 |
| P04—Cheshire | 1,617 | 7.3 | 1,776 | 7.6 | 1,915 | 8.6 | 2,140 | 10.1 | 2,028 | 9.8 |
| P06—Cleveland | 2,421 | 13.8 | 2,418 | 12.9 | 2,206 | 11.2 | 2,002 | 10.0 | 2,326 | 11.5 |
| P07—Cumbria | 1,848 | 10.3 | 1,582 | 9.2 | 1,627 | 9.7 | 1,315 | 9.6 | 1,287 | 9.5 |
| P08—Derbyshire | 2,472 | 13.3 | 2,666 | 12.1 | 2,290 | 11.7 | 2,215 | 12.0 | 2,167 | 11.1 |
| P09—Devon and Cornwall | 3,589 | 12.5 | 3,651 | 13.0 | 3,473 | 12.2 | 3,438 | 12.1 | 3,089 | 12.2 |
| P10—Dorset | 1,643 | 12.1 | 1,453 | 11.0 | 1,269 | 9.6 | 1,636 | 12.0 | 1,471 | 11.6 |
| P11—Durham | 1,391 | 11.5 | 1,631 | 10.9 | 1,740 | 9.7 | 1,536 | 9.8 | 1,509 | 10.1 |
| P12—Dyfed Powys | 1,423 | 11.1 | 1,389 | 10.1 | 1,696 | 11.5 | 1,716 | 12.5 | 1,717 | 13.7 |
| P13—Essex | 3,170 | 11.2 | 3,042 | 10.4 | 3,477 | 12.0 | 3,432 | 13.7 | 2,997 | 11.5 |
| P14—Gloucestershire | 2,390 | 17.4 | 2,369 | 15.3 | 2,254 | 15.1 | 2,410 | 16.9 | 2,318 | 16.4 |
| P15—Greater Manchester | 8,588 | 9.9 | 9,410 | 10.3 | 9,480 | 10.6 | 9,410 | 10.8 | 9,985 | 11.1 |
| P16—Gwent | 2,605 | 14.8 | 2,494 | 13.0 | 2,364 | 12.5 | 2,303 | 12.3 | 2,217 | 12.0 |
| P17—Hampshire | 3,530 | 8.9 | 3,196 | 8.2 | 4,333 | 10.1 | 3,842 | 9.2 | 3,769 | 10.0 |
| P18—Hertfordshire | 2,214 | 13.0 | 2,238 | 13.0 | 1,696 | 10.0 | 2,161 | 11.1 | 2,280 | 11.8 |
| P19—Humberside | 1,841 | 8.8 | 2,042 | 9.4 | 1,852 | 8.1 | 1,962 | 9.1 | 2,121 | 9.9 |
| P20—Kent | 3,932 | 13.4 | 4,356 | 14.0 | 4,793 | 14.4 | 4,390 | 13.8 | 3,816 | 12.1 |
| P21—Lancashire | 8,417 | 14.9 | 8,806 | 15.2 | 8,769 | 15.5 | 9,064 | 16.3 | 8,834 | 17.0 |
| P22—Leicestershire | 3,466 | 14.3 | 2,965 | 12.8 | 2,925 | 12.6 | 2,658 | 12.3 | 2,714 | 12.2 |
| P23—Lincolnshire | 1,807 | 13.9 | 1,746 | 12.0 | 1,651 | 11.0 | 1,804 | 12.1 | 2,463 | 13.1 |
| P24—Merseyside | 4,418 | 9.7 | 4,479 | 10.2 | 5,022 | 10.9 | 5,655 | 12.3 | 5,074 | 12.5 |
| P25—Metropolitan and City | 24,834 | 12.7 | 20,985 | 11.4 | 20,779 | 12.3 | 19,945 | 12.8 | 21,477 | 12.9 |
| P26—Norfolk | 1,790 | 10.9 | 1,591 | 9.8 | 1,472 | 8.4 | 1,939 | 11.1 | 1,850 | 10.6 |
| P27—Northamptonshire | 1,492 | 14.2 | 1,860 | 13.8 | 1,672 | 12.9 | 2,060 | 13.9 | 2,324 | 14.7 |
| P28—Northumbria | 5,183 | 11.9 | 5,677 | 10.9 | 6,030 | 11.4 | 6,659 | 12.8 | 6,090 | 12.0 |
| P29—North Wales | 1,939 | 11.6 | 1,648 | 9.9 | 1,579 | 9.3 | 1,614 | 9.6 | 1,944 | 11.9 |
| P30—North Yorkshire | 1,724 | 10.7 | 1,624 | 10.6 | 1,928 | 11.3 | 1,707 | 11.6 | 1,577 | 12.0 |
| P31—Nottinghamshire | 3,685 | 13.8 | 4,258 | 13.6 | 3,795 | 12.5 | 4,103 | 13.9 | 3,866 | 13.7 |
| P32—South Wales | 6,642 | 14.1 | 6,850 | 14.5 | 6,308 | 13.8 | 6,276 | 14.6 | 6,349 | 14.6 |
| P33—South Yorkshire | 4,732 | 14.3 | 3,998 | 13.1 | 4,049 | 11.4 | 4,192 | 11.7 | 4,464 | 12.6 |
| P34—Staffordshire | 3,670 | 13.2 | 3,796 | 13.1 | 3,882 | 13.0 | 3,536 | 12.7 | 3,357 | 13.2 |
| P35—Suffolk | 1,255 | 10.3 | 1,190 | 9.9 | 1,220 | 9.3 | 1,361 | 11.7 | 1,487 | 12.1 |
| P36—Surrey | 1,849 | 11.1 | 1,464 | 9.6 | 1,660 | 10.2 | 1,924 | 12.1 | 1,998 | 13.0 |
| P37—Sussex | 3,468 | 12.3 | 3,604 | 12.8 | 3,480 | 12.9 | 3,942 | 15.4 | 4,043 | 15.7 |
| P38—Thames Valley | 4,616 | 11.8 | 5,407 | 13.4 | 5,449 | 13.7 | 5,250 | 14.5 | 8,623 | 16.1 |
| P39—Warwickshire | 729 | 8.0 | 717 | 8.4 | 714 | 8.4 | 685 | 8.5 | 786 | 9.1 |
| P40—West Mercia | 2,283 | 10.5 | 2,613 | 10.8 | 2,969 | 11.4 | 2,987 | 11.4 | 3,415 | 12.6 |
| P41—West Midlands | 8,934 | 11.8 | 10,714 | 13.3 | 12,320 | 15.3 | 11,659 | 14.8 | 11,607 | 13.7 |
| P42—West Yorkshire | 11,070 | 14.3 | 12,108 | 15.0 | 12,142 | 14.4 | 14,275 | 18.0 | 16,528 | 20.6 |
| P43—Wiltshire | 1,344 | 9.4 | 1,578 | 10.8 | 1,159 | 9.2 | 1,056 | 8.7 | 1,155 | 9.0 |
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General what research has been carried out to investigate the reasons for differences in the discontinuance rates for charges of violence against the person, criminal damage and motoring offences. [35953]
The Solicitor-General [holding answer 14 February 2002]: A survey of discontinuance was conducted in six branches of the Crown Prosecution Service during the period October to December 1998.
Data were collected on a matrix of 25 reasons for discontinuance and 11 types of offence, as shown in the table. The survey showed that 18.5 per cent. of all discontinuances related to violence against the person, 7.9 per cent. to criminal damage, and 29 per cent. to motoring offences.
25 Feb 2002 : Column 756W
The survey showed considerable variations in the reason for discontinuance for the various types of offence. The most common reasons were as follows.
In offences of violence against the person most discontinuances were recorded where a victim refused to give evidence or retracted a complaint. These amounted to almost 9 per cent. of total discontinuances for the period. In offences of criminal damage the most common reason was the lack of an essential legal element in the prosecution case. These amounted to 1.4 per cent. of all discontinuances. In motoring offences the most common reason was the lack of an essential legal element in the prosecution case: these amounted to 7.4 per cent. of all discontinuance. Other significant reasons were unreliable evidence of identification (4.5 per cent.) and the likelihood of conviction resulting in only a small or nominal penalty (4.5 per cent.).
25 Feb 2002 : Column 757W
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