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30 Jan 2003 : Column 1029W—continued

Benefit Fraud

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Court of Appeal last set sentencing guidelines for benefit fraud; and if he will make a statement. [94009]

Hilary Benn: The Court of Appeal last issued sentencing guidelines for benefit fraud on 24 March 1987 in the case of Livingstone Stewart.

Bioterrorism

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration has been made for dealing with domestic pets in drawing up strategies to deal with bio-terrorist attacks. [92524]

Mr. Blunkett: In drawing up contingency plans, consideration has been given to the handling of pets following the deliberate release of biological agents, including infectious diseases. The handling of pets would depend very much on the particular circumstances of the incident. Whatever action is necessary, the authorities do their best to take account of the emotional attachment which all pet owners feel towards their animals.

Crime and Disorder Act

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether section 17 of the Crime and

30 Jan 2003 : Column 1030W

Disorder Act 1998 will apply to (a) the Planning Bill, (b) the Licensing Bill and (c) the Local Government Bill; and if he will make a statement. [93880]

Mr. Denham: Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 applies without prejudice to any other obligation imposed on an authority to which it applies. Any new functions proposed under the (a) the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill (b) theLicensing Bill and (c) the Local Government Bill maintains the duty under section 17 for the relevant authority to have due regard to the likely effect of the exercise of those functions on, and the need to do all it reasonably can to prevent, crime and disorder in its area.

Cumbria Crime Squad

David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police hours were lost as a result of the inquiry into the Cumbria force crime squad. [94027]

Mr. Denham: I am informed by Cumbria Constabulary that one police officer was suspended for a period of seven months from October 2000 to May 2001. This equates to approximately 1,104 working hours. Apart from this all officers under investigation have been assigned non-operational duties within the constabulary.

Domestic Violence (Merseyside)

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of domestic assault have been reported to Merseyside police authority in each year since 1996; how many and what percentage of such cases were withdrawn by (a) the police complainant and (b) the victim complainant before the case was referred to the CPS; how many cases were pursued by the CPS after the victim complainant had withdrawn the complaint; and how many cases were accepted by the CPS where the only complainant was the police complainant. [92174]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 29 January 2003]: Domestic violence is not identified separately in recorded crime figures: crimes involving domestic violence are recorded in a range of offences, along with offences committed in other circumstances.

The British Crime Survey (BCS) produced data by region for 2001–02. For that year it estimated that there were 97 incidents of domestic violence per 10,000 adults in the north west region, compared with 149 incidents per 10,000 adults in England and Wales as a whole; and that 35 per cent. of domestic violence incidents were reported to the police. The BCS does not provide information on domestic violence for individual police force areas.

The 1996 BCS included a self-completion component on domestic violence to encourage disclosure. Results were published in Home Office Research Study No. 191, copies of which were deposited in the Library.

Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) case records begin when the police refer a file to the CPS, either for pre-charge advice or for prosecution. CPS records do not,

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therefore, show how many cases of domestic assault have been reported to the police, or how many were disposed of before referral to the prosecution.

The CPS does hold records of case outcomes, but at present these are held in aggregate form, and cannot be provided for particular offences or groups of offences.

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of domestic violence were reported and how many lives domestic violence claimed in (a) the Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the north-east and (d) the UK in each year since 1997. [86455]

Mr. Denham: Recorded crime figures are generally collected by legal definitions. Recorded crimes involving domestic violence will be recorded in a range of offences, along with offences which have been committed in other circumstances. Numbers of offences involving domestic violence are therefore not available from recorded crime data.

The British Crime Survey (BCS) produced data by region for 2001–02, on the number of crimes of domestic violence recorded by the survey. However, it does not provide information on domestic violence at a local level nor for individual police force areas.

The BCS estimates that there were 92 crimes of domestic violence per 10,000 adults in the north-east region for interviews conducted in the 2001–02 financial year. This compares with 149 incidents per 10,000 adults in England and Wales as a whole.

The BCS can also provide trend information on the number of incidents of domestic violence for England and Wales.

Number of BCS incidents of domestic violence, 1997 to 2001–02, BCS interviews, England and Wales (thousands)

	Domestic Violence
1997	826
1999	787
2000	514
2001–02	635

The BCS figures are estimates only. They are derived from a sample and so are subject to sampling error. Also, the context of the face-to-face BCS interview means the estimates are certain to be underestimates of the true extent because some respondents may be unwilling to reveal experience of domestic violence to interviewers. Results from the 1996 BCS self-completion module on domestic violence were published in Home Office Research Study No. 191, deposited in the Library. This more confidential approach to measurement revealed that the proportion of women that were victims in the last year of domestic assault was over three times higher than in the main BCS.

Details of homicides by constituency and for the United Kingdom are not held centrally. The available information relates to currently recorded offences of homicide (murder, manslaughter and infanticide) where the relationship of the victim to the suspect includes current or former spouse, cohabitant or lover. Information for England and Wales is as follows.

Number of homicides by current or former spouse, cohabitant or lover, England and Wales

	Number
1997–98	131
1998–99	104
1999–2000	112
2000–01	127
2001–02	148

Note:

As at 8 October 2002, figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available.

30 Jan 2003 : Column 1032W

Drink-driving

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many first time convictions for drink-driving resulted in custodial sentences in the last three years, broken down by police authority. [91568]

Hilary Benn: Information on the number of first time convictions for drink-driving resulting in custodial sentences is not available.

The table provides information on the numbers of offenders that were sentenced for the first conviction of drink-driving in England and Wales from data samples in 1998, 1999 and 2000 and also the number who were given custodial or other sentences. Due to the small numbers in the samples sentenced to custody it is not possible to give a break down by Police Force Area.

Sentence	Number of offenders	Percentage
	Number of first time drink-drivers sentenced in a four week sentencing sample for 1998
Immediate custody	307	2.7
Community penalty	1,539	13.5
Fine	9,445	83.0
Other sentence	82	0.7
Total	11,373	100.0
	Number of first time drink-drivers sentenced in a four week sentencing sample for 1999
Immediate custody	137	2.5
Community penalty	721	13.3
Fine	4,518	83.3
Other sentence	50	0.9
Total	5,426	100.0
	Number of first time drink-drivers sentenced from April to June 2000
Immediate custody	140	2.4
Community penalty	830	14.3
Fine	4,803	82.9
Other sentence	24	0.4
Total	5,797	100.0

30 Jan 2003 : Column 1033W

Drug Abuse

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what initiatives are under way in Hull and the East Riding to tackle drug abuse. [93823]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The area in question is served by two Drug Action Teams (DATs)—East Riding of Yorkshire and Kingston-upon-Hull. They work very closely and meet as a combined forum. The DATs are served by a comprehensive infrastructure including combined Joint Commissioning Groups, groups working across all sections of the National Drugs Strategy, Drug Reference Groups and 15 locality based Drug Forums. They are supported by senior and assistant DAT Coordinator posts.

Last year (2001–02) the DATs oversaw the allocation of a total budget approaching £15 million pounds, of which nearly 50 per cent. was allocated to treatment services, 25 per cent. on addressing the availability of drugs, 15 per cent. on community involvement and 12 per cent. on young people's initiatives.

The combined DATs have recently produced and published an Annual Report for 2001–02 and a Combined Strategic Plan for 2002–03, copies of which will be placed in the Library. These documents paint a comprehensive picture of initiatives already in place and those planned for the future. In particular, there has been an increase in investment in treatment services.

As part of the Prison Service Drug Strategy, Her Majesty's Prison Hull is actively working towards reducing the supply of, and demand for, illegal drugs among prisoners. Hull offers drug-misusing prisoners a range of drug interventions—including detoxification and counselling, assessment, referral, advice and through care (CARAT) services. The through care elements of the latter are aimed at establishing links to treatment services in the community to ensure that the progress made during custody is consolidated post-release. Prisoners are encouraged to remain drug-free, and to demonstrate this commitment, they can sign Voluntary Drug Testing compacts.

To help deter drug smuggling, the prison can enforce visits bans and closed visits and has access to a drug dog.

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