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6 May 2003 : Column 595W—continued
Coroner's Review
Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to publish the report of the Home Office Coroner's Review. [110801]
Hilary Benn [holding answer 1 May 2003]: The Independent Review of Coroner Services reported to the Home Secretary at the end of April. The Review Group's report will be published once Ministers have had the opportunity to consider it.
Departmental Website
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the (a) cost of and (b) number of visitors to each website operated by his Department and each agency and non-departmental public body for which his Department is responsible in each year since its establishment. [107602]
Mr. Blunkett: The available information is shown in the table. For 1998 to 2001, it reflects expenditure on the corporate Home Office website only. Figures for 2001 onwards include all known Home Office funded web properties excluding Criminal Justice System (CJS) Online.
| Year | Cost | Visitors |
|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | n/a | n/a |
| 1999–2000 | 40,614 | n/a |
| 2000–01 | 58,170 | 484,269 |
| 2001–02 | 1,576,214 | 3,830,772 |
| 2002–03 | (10)1,643,356 | (10)6,099,197 |
(10) These figures include the cost of the site volcomgrants.gov.uk but no statistics of use are available.
As it has evolved, the Home Office website has used the most suitable statistical analysis software available. The figures shown in the table therefore represent the most accurate information available to us at the time of each reported statistic.
Websites accounted for in these figures for 2001–02 onwards:
- www.apc.gov.uk
www.ask-the-football-fans.gov.uk
www.assetsrecovery.gov.uk
www.bicester-centre.co.uk
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www.crimereduction.gov.uk
www.dpas.gov.uk
www.drugs.gov.uk
www.dspdprogramme.gov.uk
www.fairersentencing.gov.uk
www.goldenjubileeaward.gov.uk
www.good2bsecure.co.uk
www.hmenterprises.gov.uk
www.hmpenterprises.co.uk
www.hmpnewgate.co.uk
www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk
www.homeoffice.gov.uk
www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk
www.ipcc.gov.uk
www.kebabathon.co.uk
www.mappaonline.co.uk
www.policecouldyou.co.uk
www.policereform.gov.uk
www.positivefutures.gov.uk
www.ppo.gov.uk
www.probation.homeoffice.gov.uk
www.secureyourmotor.gov.uk
www.sentencing-advisory-panel.gov.uk
www.specialconstables.gov.uk
www.surveillancecommissioners.gov.uk
www.technicaladvisoryboard.org.uk
www.thinkuknow.co.uk
www.volcomgrants.gov.uk
www.wiseuptothenet.co.uk
EU Committees
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU committee for protection against the effects of the extra-territorial application of legislation adopted by a third country, and actions based thereon or resulting therefrom, the number of times and the dates on which it has met since January 2002, the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, the decisions it has made since January 2002 and the means used to communicate these decisions to the House. [110499]
Nigel Griffiths: I have been asked to reply.
This committee has not been set up.
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Firearms
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many firearms have been handed in to police over the past five years in (a) Merseyside, (b) St. Helens, (c) England and (d) London; [108893]
- (2) how many deaths by firearms have occurred in each of the last five years in (a) Merseyside, (b) St. Helens, (c) England and (d) London per head of population; [108890]
(3) what assessment his Department has made of the number of illegal firearms in circulation in Merseyside; and if he will make a statement; [108891]
(4) how many crimes involving firearms have occurred in each of the last five years in (a) Merseyside, (b) St. Helens, (c) England and (d) London per head of population. [108889]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Details of the number of illegal firearms in circulation by police force area are not collected centrally.
Available published data by police area, on the total number of recorded crimes in which firearms (including air weapons) were reported to have been used are given in the table.
Information on firearms offences per head of population are not available.
| Number of offences involving firearms | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Merseyside | London | England |
| 1997 | 576 | 2,930 | 11,816 |
| 1998–99 | 856 | 3,005 | 13,283 |
| 1999–2000 | 914 | 4,123 | 16,234 |
| 2001–01 | 1,041 | 4,264 | 17,083 |
Information on the number of firearms that have been handed in to police are not routinely collected centrally.
Available published data by police force area, on the number of recorded homicide offences in which firearms were reported to have been used are given in the table.
| Number of homicide offences involving firearms | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Merseyside | London | England |
| 1997 | 3 | 26 | 57 |
| 1998–99 | 3 | 19 | 49 |
| 1999–2000 | 3 | 24 | 62 |
| 2000–01 | 3 | 28 | 72 |
Numbers of firearms offences were published on a calendar year basis up to 1997, and on a financial year basis thereafter. The London area refers to the Metropolitan Police and the City of London Police.
There was a change of counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, which will have the effect of increasing the number of crimes counted. Numbers of recorded crimes before and after this date are therefore not directly comparable.
As a result of some police forces adopting the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in advance of its official introduction across
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England and Wales on 1 April 2002, numbers of offences recorded in 1999–2000 and 2000–01 for England may have been inflated. Both Merseyside and the London forces (Metropolitan Police and City of London Police) adopted the Standard on 1 April 2002, therefore their figures for 2001–02 will not be affected.
Details of firearms offences are not collected at a smaller breakdown than police force area.
Immigration and Nationality Directorate
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what IND will answer the letters of the hon. Member for Southwark North and Bermondsey of 25 July 2002 and 10 December 2002 about the immigration application of Mr.Patrick Sabure, Congolese citizen, of London SE17. [110217]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 28 April 2003]: I am sorry that the hon. Member has not had an earlier reply. I understand that the Immigration and Nationality Directorate have now replied to his letters of 25 July 2002 and 10 December 2002.
Narrowing the Justice Gap
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what targets have been set under the Narrowing the Justice Gap programme. [109591]
Hilary Benn: The Public Service Agreement target to bring 1.2 million recorded offences to justice by 2005–06, with an improvement in all Criminal Justice System areas, a greater increase in the worst performing areas, and a reduction in the proportion of ineffective trials, is referred to as the 'Narrowing the Justice Gap' target. This target applies to the criminal justice system in England and Wales as a whole. The various criminal justice services have not been set their own 'Narrowing the Justice Gap' targets: rather, the services in each area need to work together to deliver the target. For 2003–04, each Local Criminal Justice Board has been set a 'Narrowing the Justice Gap' target to increase the number of offences brought to justice in its area by 5 per cent., compared with the area's performance in 2001–02. From 2004–05, the worse performing areas will be expected to achieve a greater performance increase than the national average performance improvement required in order to achieve the 2005–06 target. Local Criminal Justice Boards have been asked to set a 2003- 04 target for their own area for reduction of ineffective trials.
Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many certificates he has issued under section 72 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 since it came into force. [109571]
Beverley Hughes: Section 72 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 was partly commenced on 10 February 2003 and fully commenced on 1 April 2003. No certificate has yet been issued under section 72. We will not hesitate to use this power as and when appropriate cases are identified.
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