---

19 Dec 2002 : Column 983W—continued

Criminal Offences

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences were brought to justice in each of the Criminal Justice System areas in the last three years. [83676]

19 Dec 2002 : Column 984W

Mr. Blunkett: The requested information is available for all areas for 1999–2000, 2000–01 and 2001–02, although the figures for 2001–02 are, at this stage, provisional. The information is contained in the table.

Offences brought to justice1 by police force area: 2001–02, 2000–01 and 1999–2000—Absolute and percentage changes from 1999–2000

					Change 2000–01 to 2001–02			Change 1999–2000 to 2001–02
	OBTJ 2001–022	OBTJ 2000–01	OBTJ 1999–2000	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage
Avon and Somerset	28,083	27,463	28,487	620	2.3	-404	-1.4
Bedfordshire	11,297	10,897	10,244	400	3.7	1,053	10.3
Cambridgeshire	10,783	11,465	13,503	-682	-5.9	-2,720	-20.1
Cheshire	15,211	17,186	18,505	-1,975	-11.5	-3,294	-17.8
Cleveland	14,603	14,546	15,427	57	0.4	-824	-5.3
Cumbria	9,985	9,779	12,255	206	2.1	-2,270	-18.5
Derbyshire	17,574	16,425	17,226	1,149	7.0	348	2.0
Devon and Cornwall	25,640	25,585	26,966	55	0.2	-1,326	-4.9
Dorset	11,756	10,719	12,031	1,037	9.7	-275	-2.3
Durham	13,723	12,900	12,869	823	6.4	854	6.6
Dyfed Powys	11,010	10,682	13,064	328	3.1	-2,054	-15.7
Essex	21,912	20,281	22,459	1,631	8.0	-547	-2.4
Gloucestershire	12,920	13,033	13,461	-113	-0.9	-541	-4.0
Greater Manchester	57,501	68,546	72,821	-11,045	-16.1	-15,320	-21.0
Gwent	16,892	16,902	18,899	-10	-0.1	-2,007	-10.6
Hampshire	31,848	32,254	35,655	-406	-1.3	-3,807	-10.7
Hertfordshire	13,573	13,488	13,856	85	0.6	-283	-2.0
Humberside	17,859	18,847	20,120	-988	-5.2	-2,261	-11.2
Kent	24,466	27,833	28,600	-3,367	-12.1	-4,134	-14.5
Lancashire	30,650	29,666	32,366	984	3.3	-1,716	-5.3
Leicestershire	19,580	18,157	20,177	1,423	7.8	-597	-3.0
Lincolnshire	13,125	10,256	10,488	2,869	28.0	2,637	25.1
Merseyside	30,613	32,321	30,699	-1,708	-5.3	-86	-0.3
Met. Area of London(19)	123,665	121,765	141,276	1,900	1.6	-17,611	-12.5
Norfolk	12,621	12,897	16,340	-276	-2.1	-3,719	-22.8
North Wales	13,226	12,551	13,960	675	5.4	-734	-5.3
North Yorkshire	12,339	12,300	14,380	39	0.3	-2,041	-14.2
Northamptonshire	13,204	13,940	13,963	-736	-5.3	-759	-5.4
Northumbria	41,514	40,128	43,952	1,386	3.5	-2,438	-5.5
Nottinghamshire	24,569	25,971	26,723	-1,402	-5.4	-2,154	-8.1
South Wales	30,977	28,792	33,856	2,185	7.6	-2,879	-8.5
South Yorkshire	24,383	25,812	27,685	-1,429	-5.5	-3,302	-11.9
Staffordshire(20)	21,197	22,640	20,603	-1,443	-6.4	594	2.9
Suffolk	12,034	11,768	11,808	266	2.3	226	1.9
Surrey	12,267	11,004	12,020	1,263	11.5	247	2.1
Sussex	22,724	20,256	20,276	2,468	12.2	2,448	12.1
Thames Valley	31,309	32,137	29,694	-828	-2.6	1,615	5.4
Warwickshire	8,092	7,057	7,709	1,035	14.7	383	5.0
West Mercia	22,444	20,478	21,587	1,966	9.6	857	4.0
West Midlands	79,707	72,001	74,971	7,706	10.7	4,736	6.3
West Yorkshire	46,928	53,033	61,149	-6,105	-11.5	-14,221	-23.3
Wiltshire	10,851	9,987	11,625	864	8.6	-774	-6.7
England and Wales	1,024,654	1,023,748	1,103,755	906	0.1	-79,102	-7.2
Comprised of:
TICs	91,084	88,657	97,640	2,427	2.7	-6,557	-6.7
Cautions	228,691	228,814	249,486	-123	-0.1	-20,795	-8.3
Convictions	704,879	706,277	756,629	-1,398	-0.2	-51,750	-6.8

⁽¹⁷⁾ Offences brought to justice include TICs, cautions and convictions for notifiable offences

⁽¹⁸⁾ 2002 Q1 figures are provisional (including estimates of shortfalls) and are subject to change. Hence 2001–02 figures are also provisional.

⁽¹⁹⁾ Metropolitan area of London includes City of London.

⁽²⁰⁾ Staffordshire supplied only four weeks data from magistrates courts in 2000. Hence both 1999–2000 and 2000–01 figures include estimates of shortfalls.

Crown Court Juries

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the effect of interference with juries on the outcome of prosecutions in the Crown court in the last five years. [82004]

Hilary Benn [holding answer 28 November 2002]: The possibility of jury interference has always been a matter of concern, particularly but by no means exclusively, in the context of trials relating to organised crime. There are several important legal measures already in force, designed to deal with jury interference.

19 Dec 2002 : Column 985W

The Crown Prosecution Service does not maintain records of the number of cases in which jury interference takes place, but in the last five years there have been instances of actual or feared jury interference that have resulted both in pre-trial arrangements whereby jury protection is put in place and trials which have been terminated before a jury has been able to reach a verdict. There have also been instances when jury interference has come to light after the jury's verdict has been returned.

The Criminal Justice Bill now before Parliament makes provision for the trial to be conducted without a jury either, on the application of the prosecution where there is a danger of jury tampering or where the judge discharges the jury because of jury tampering. The Government take the view that these measures will be a further strong and effective disincentive to jury tampering.

Domestic Violence

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Government's policy is on funding research into the prevalence of (a) child abuse in the home and (b) domestic violence that breaks down results by (i) family configuration and/or (ii) marital status. [86541]

Hilary Benn: The Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics Directorate (RDS) conducts a wide range of social research, development, statistical economics and modelling work, all of which build up the evidence base, produce national statistics and support practical delivery of the Home Office's targets in all seven Home Office aims.

Priorities for R&D are considered as part of a three year rolling business plan built into the overall Home Office planning process and are based on the resource allocations agreed as part of the spending review. The need for research into the prevalence of these two types of violence will continue to be assessed within the context of overall R&D priorities for the department but both will stay high on the agenda due to their seriousness.

Examining Officers' Powers

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans he has to enable an examining officer to request from the owner of a ship or aircraft specified information even if that information has also been required by immigration officers; and if he will make a statement; [87501]

(2) what plans he has to improve accommodation for special branch officers at airports and ports, and to provide sufficient space to enable persons awaiting interview to sit and be interviewed in private; and if he will make a statement; [87500]

(3) what plans he has (a) to introduce induction and training for special advocates under the Terrorism Act

19 Dec 2002 : Column 986W

2000 and (b) to ensure special advocates receive properly prepared instructions; and if he will make a statement; [87495]

(4) what plans he has (a) to improve co-ordination between police forces providing special branch services at ports and airports and (b) to introduce a unified port and borders police force; and if he will make a statement; [87505]

(5) what plans he has to ensure that transport operators improve the accuracy of the manifesto of passengers they carry into the UK; and if he will make a statement; [87502]

(6) what plans he has to propose amendments to the Terrorism Act 2000 to make it a specific offence to be or to have been concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism; and if he will make a statement. [87499]

Mr. Denham: The issues raised by my hon. Friend are among the comments and recommendations made by the noble Lord Carlile of Berriew QC in his independent report on the operation of the Terrorism Act 2000, which was laid before both Houses of Parliament on 26 November.

I will be giving my full consideration to all of these proposals and I will be responding to Lord Carlile on the issues raised in the new year. I will of course report my response to the House.

---