---

27 Nov 2002 : Column 366W—continued

HOME DEPARTMENT

Corpse Disposal

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements have been made to deal with the disposal of corpses contaminated by a (a) chemical, (b) biological, (c) radioactive and (d) nuclear attack. [82161]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 21 November 2002]: Contingency plans for managing the consequences of attacks using chemical, biological and radiological material are in place and are regularly reviewed. These plans include arrangements for the efficient and sensitive handling of contaminated corpses, although the precise response would largely depend on the circumstances and scale of the incident. The Government do not reveal details of contingency arrangements relating to potential terrorist attacks for security reason.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Antisocial Behaviour Orders have been imposed in each of the last two years. [82083]

Mr. Denham: The table shows the number of notifications reported to the Home Office of Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) issued up to 30 June 2002 (latest available) within England and Wales.

Number of Antisocial Behaviour Orders issued, as reported to the Home Office from1 April 1999 to 30 June 2002, England and Wales

	From 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000(32)	From 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2000	From 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001	From 1 January 2002 to 30 June 2002	Total
ASBOs issued	104	134	293	123	654

⁽³²⁾ Total figure only available within this period.

We are aware that the numbers of ASBOs made locally have been consistently under-reported in returns made by magistrates courts, and are considering how reporting can be improved.

27 Nov 2002 : Column 367W

Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of (a) practical and (b) procedural difficulties in relation to the imposition of Anti-social Behavioural Orders; and what remedial proposals he has. [82086]

Mr. Denham: Legislative changes were introduced by the Police Reform Act to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs). These changes, combined with the new guidance, will help to remedy some of the problems identified in the Home Office Review of ASBOs, published in April 2002. We are also working with the Local Chancellor's Department (LCD), Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and others to ensure that the necessary training is given to magistrates, prosecutors and others involved in the process. We will continue to review the working of ASBOs in order to make them as streamline as possible.

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued since their introduction in the Beaconsfield constituency. [82385]

Mr. Denham: The table shows the number of notifications received by the Home Office of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs), issued within Buckinghamshire (in which the Beaconsfield constituency is situated) and by local government authority up to 30 June 2002 (latest available).

We are aware that the numbers of ASBOs made locally have been consistently under reported in returns made by magistrates courts, and are considering how reporting can be improved.

Number of antisocial behaviour orders reported to the Home Office which have been issued as from 1 April 1999 to 30 June 2002 for Buckinghamshire by local government authority area

Area	From 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000(33)	From 1 June 2000 to 30 June 2002	Total
Police force area/MCC
Thames Valley(34)	1	9	10
Local government authority, county of Buckinghamshire
Milton Keynes borough council	(35)—	3	3
Wycombe district council	(35)—	2	2

⁽³³⁾ Total figure only available for Thames Valley police force area within this period. Local government authority not known.

⁽³⁴⁾ Includes total figure for counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

⁽³⁵⁾ Not available.

Child Curfew and Safety Orders

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) child curfew orders and (b) child safety orders there have been in each year since their introduction. [81004]

27 Nov 2002 : Column 368W

Mr. Denham: Between February 2001, when curfew orders with electronic monitoring were extended to 10 to 15-year-olds, and 31 October 2002 the courts imposed 2,704 orders on young offenders of that age.

Two child safety orders were issued in the areas in which they were piloted between September 1998 and June 2000.

Conviction Rates

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the conviction rate in Crown courts was in each year since 1992. [81001]

Hilary Benn: The information requested, for the years 1992 to 2000, is as follows:

Conviction rate⁽³⁶⁾ at the Crown court in England and Wales, 1992 to 2000

Year	Rate
1992	79.9
1993	79.5
1994	78.6
1995	79.1
1996	80.4
1997	80.3
1998	75.9
1999	74.3
2000	72.9

⁽³⁶⁾ Defendants convicted as a percentage of defendants for trial.

Notes:

The introduction of plea before venue from 1 October 1997 caused a greater number of guilty plea cases to be heard at magistrates courts.

Statistics for 2001 will be available in December.

Criminal Records Bureau

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the Criminal Records Bureau to be able to cope with demand sufficiently to implement the criminal record checks as part of the Protection of Vulnerable Adult lists. [81721]

Hilary Benn [holding answer 19 November 2002]: As my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary made clear on 4 November 2002 in response to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon (Mr. Dismore), Official Report, column 99W, we shall introduce arrangements for Criminal Records Bureau checks against the Protection of Vulnerable Adults list at the earliest opportunity.

Illegal Camping

Ms Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the next guidance on managing illegal camping and travellers will be released. [82140]

Mr. McNulty: I have been asked to reply.

The new joint Office of the Deputy Prime Minister/Home Office guidance on managing unauthorised camping by gypsies and other travellers will be issued by the new year.

27 Nov 2002 : Column 369W

In order for the Government to strike up a balanced approach to unauthorised camping, the new guide will consist of two documents, Framework Guidance and detailed Operational Guidance, for use by local authorities, police services and both the settled and traveller communities.

Consultation with key stakeholders will commence shortly.

Immigration

Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department classes as purposeful activities as set out in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. [83435]

Beverley Hughes: Section 29 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 provides the necessary powers to provide and fund purposeful activities for asylum seekers supported in accommodation centres.

Such activities are likely to include training in English language, information technology and other skills training and volunteering. Other examples include sport, creative activities and practical activities like cookery or gardening. We do not intend to follow an unduly prescriptive approach to what constitutes a purposeful activity. The aim is to keep asylum seekers

27 Nov 2002 : Column 370W

occupied; contribute towards a positive atmosphere in the centres; make time spent in the UK productive; and provide opportunities to develop useful skills. We want to allow room for local variation and innovation.

Offences

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of (a) racially aggravated offences, (b) violent crime, (c) robbery of personal property and (d) drug offences were recorded in (i) Lancashire and (ii) the North West of England in (A) 1997, (B) 1998, (C) 1999, (D) 2000 and (E) 2001. [82373]

Mr. Denham: The requested statistics are given in the following table.

On 1 April 1998, there was a change in the counting rules for recorded crime, and an expansion of the offences covered. This resulted in an increase of crimes recorded by the police. Recorded crime figures before this date will therefore not be directly comparable.

As Lancashire, Cumbria and Greater Manchester police forces implemented the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in advance of its national implementation in April 2002, the recorded crime figures for these areas cannot be directly compared with those for previous years. The affects of the Standard are explained in table footnote 4.

Recorded crime: number of offences recorded from 1997 to 2001/02

Police force area/ offence	1997(37)	1997–98(38)	1998–99(39)	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02(40)
Lancashire
Total racially aggravated offences(41)	—	—	—	232	408	1,057
Total violent crime(42)	5,550	5,718	12,183	11,615	13,870	18,535
Robbery of personal property(43)	—	—	816	866	1,044	1,437
Drug offences(44)	554	529	4,117	3,135	3,124	3,169
North West Region(45)
Total racially aggravated offences(41)	—	—	—	1,284	2,053	4,746
Total violent crime(42)	46,224	50,503	87,033	93,029	95,940	106,892
Robbery of personal property(43)	—	—	9,338	10,425	11,614	13,656
Drug offences(44)	3,156	3,164	19,267	16,106	15,070	14,775

⁽³⁷⁾ Recorded on a calendar year basis.

⁽³⁸⁾ The number of crimes recorded in that financial year using the coverage and rules in use until 31 March 1998.

⁽³⁹⁾ The number of crimes recorded in that financial year using the expanded offence coverage and revised counting rules which came into effect on 1 April 1998.

⁽⁴⁰⁾ Cumbria, Greater Manchester and Lancashire implemented the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in advance of the national implementation date of April 2002. The 2000–01 and 2001–02 figures for these forces will be affected by the Standard. The NCRS and other changes to police recording practices, has had the estimated effect of increasing recorded crime statistics by at least 5 per cent. for 2001–02, which means the real increase of total recorded crime for 2001–02 is 2 per cent. compared to the published national total of 7 per cent. The impact will vary for different types of offence.

⁽⁴¹⁾ Racially aggravated offences became notifiable to the police on 1 April 1999. The offences covered are; other wounding, harassment, common assault, criminal damage to a dwelling, criminal damage to a building other than a dwelling, criminal damage to a vehicle and other criminal damage.

⁽⁴²⁾ Violent crime is comprised of violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery.

⁽⁴³⁾ Robbery of personal property was recorded separately (from total robbery) as from 1 April 1998.

⁽⁴⁴⁾ Up until 1 April 1998, Trafficking in controlled drugs was the only drugs-related offence recorded. After this date the offence coverage was expanded to include more drugs-related offences.

⁽⁴⁵⁾ The North West Region comprises the following police forces; Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside.

---