| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
20 May 2003 : Column 753W—continued
Cleveland Police
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers additional to the complement on 1 May 1997 have been appointed to Cleveland police force in each year since then. [114294]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The information is set out in the table. Police strength details are not collected in May.
| Year(as at 31 March) | Police strength(17) | Change police in strength | Civilian support staff strength(17) | Change in civilian strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 1,459 | — | 609 | — |
| 1998 | 1,483 | +24 | 586 | -23 |
| 1999 | 1,416 | -67 | 552 | -34 |
| 2000 | 1,404 | -12 | 595 | +43 |
| 2001 | 1,407 | +3 | 586 | -9 |
| 2002 | 1,461 | +54 | 626 | +40 |
| 2002 (30 Sept) | 1,488 | +27 | (18)— | — |
(17) Full-time equivalent strength
(18) Not available
Between March 1997 and September 2002 the force had an overall increase of 29 police officers. Between March 1997 and March 2002 there was an overall increase of 17 civilian staff.
Criminal Injuries Compensation
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the total current annual remuneration is of (a) the Chairman and (b) the Chief Executive of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panels; [111092]
- (2) what the total annual remuneration is of (a) the Chairman and (b) the Chief Executive of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority in 2003. [111098]
20 May 2003 : Column 754W
Paul Goggins: In the financial year ending 31 March 2003 the total taxable pay of the relevant officials was:
Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel:
- Chairman £66,762 (Based on 3/5 rate for a District Circuit Judge)
Chief Executive £50,953 (Civil Service Grade 6)
- Chairman—There is no such post
Chief Executive £60,419 (Member of the Senior Civil Service)
Paul Goggins: Recruitment to the Appeals Panel is by open competition. Whenever recruitment exercises are undertaken, the fact is advertised widely in the national press. The advertisements make it clear that candidates' suitability for the posts will be indicated by their high level of achievement, for example, through a successful senior career in law, medicine, commerce, management or public service. The advertisements make it clear that candidates will need well-developed skills of analysis and judgment, and to have good communications skills. All short-listed candidates are interviewed by a selection panel in accordance with guidelines issues by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
All panel members are given the opportunity to apply for the post of chair when it falls vacant. The successful candidate must demonstrate to the selection board that he or she possesses the range of qualities and competencies needed for such a position.
Brief CVs of all panel members, summarising their qualifications and experience, are given in an annex to the panel's annual report, copies of which are placed in the Library.
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average award made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panels (CICAP) was in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what the budget for the CICAP has been in each of the last five financial years. [111094]
Paul Goggins: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel does not itself pay awards of compensation, and does not therefore have a separate budget for such expenditure. All awards of compensation, whether made by the Compensation Authority or the Appeals Panel, are paid by the Compensation Authority, which controls the compensation budget.
The table accordingly details the average value of awards which the Appeals Panel has authorised the Authority to pay under the tariff-based scheme in the five years to 31 March 2003. The figures for the final year are provisional, and subject to audit.
20 May 2003 : Column 755W
| Financial year | Average award authorised by CICAP under the tariff-based scheme (£) |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 3,165 |
| 1999–2000 | 3,207 |
| 2000–01 | 4,046 |
| 2001–02 | 4,392 |
| 2002–03 | 6,843 |
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was (a) the average award made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority and (b) the total sum paid in criminal injuries compensation in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [111096]
Paul Goggins: The table shows the average award made by Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) under the tariff-based scheme effective for all applications lodged on or after 1 April 1996, the average award paid by CICA under both that tariff-based and the former common law damages based scheme which it superseded, and the total amount of compensation paid under both schemes.
| Financial year | Average award made by CICA under the tariff scheme (£) | Average award paid by CICA under both the tariff scheme and the old scheme (£) | Total sum paid in compensation (£ million) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 2,762 | 4,203 | 194 |
| 1999–2000 | 2,904 | 4,737 | 206 |
| 2000–01 | 3,001 | 5,270 | 206 |
| 2001–02 | 3,702 | 5,640 | 233 |
| 2002–03 | 3,717 | 5,432 | 232 |
Note:
The figures for 2002–03 are provisional, and subject to audit.
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total budget allocated for criminal injuries compensation was in each of the past five years for which figures are available. [111097]
Paul Goggins: The table shows the budget estimate figure for compensation as recorded in the spring supplementary estimates. The figures for the first three years are cash-based; those for the last two are resource-based.
| Financial year | Compensation budget (rounded) |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 207 |
| 1999–2000 | 229 |
| 2000–01 | 194 |
| 2001–02 | 214 |
| 2002–03 | 208 |
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will commission and publish an independent review of the work of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority; [111099]
- (2) if he will commission and publish an independent review of the work of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panels. [111091]
20 May 2003 : Column 756W
Paul Goggins: The Comptroller and Auditor General published a report on "Compensating Victims of Violent Crime" on 14 April 2000, covering the work of the Compensation Agency and Appeals Panel.
Although Ministers do not get involved in the day to day running of these bodies, we do maintain regular contact with them, and keep their overall performance under review on a continuing basis. We see no value in commissioning any special independent reviews at this juncture.
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for compensation rejected by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority were referred to the CIC Appeals Panel in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many of these were successful. [111100]
Paul Goggins: The data in the attached table have been provided by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).
| Appealed | Rejection | Award | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 3,827 | 1,247 | 1,235 | 2,482 |
| 2001–02 | 3,269 | 1,765 | 1,721 | 3,486 |
| 2000–01 | 4,043 | 1,687 | 1,753 | 3,440 |
| 1999–2000 | 5,983 | 1,423 | 1,487 | 2,910 |
| 1998–99 | 5,582 | 943 | 813 | 1,756 |
Criminal Offences
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 8 April 2003, Official Report, column 206W, on criminal offences, how many individuals have been convicted under each of the new offences cited. [109561]
Paul Goggins: The available information is contained in a table which has been placed in the Library and relates to defendants convicted under each of the new offences cited in the answer given by the former Under-Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, Central (Hilary Benn) on 8 April 2003, Official Report, column 206W, on criminal offences, where these can be separately identified on the Home Office Court Proceedings database.
Statistics on defendants convicted under the statutes coming into force from 1 January 2002 will be in the autumn.
The Government are focusing on what matters to the public such as driving down burglary and robbery rates, tackling racist crime and anti-social behaviour, providing record police numbers and reforming the criminal justice system.
Many offences are designed to act as a deterrent and send a clear signal that such behaviour will not be tolerated. It is therefore too simplistic to draw conclusions about the success or otherwise of offences purely on conviction rates.
20 May 2003 : Column 757W
Furthermore, the impact of the offences covered in this answer cannot be accurately gauged given that conviction rates are shown up until 2001 but many of the offences listed did not come into force until 2001 or 2002.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |