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10 Jun 2003 : Column 816W—continued
DNA Profiles
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his Answer of 1 May 2003, Official Report, column 524W, on DNA profiles, what estimate he has made of the number of people without previous convictions who will be affected by his policy of permitting the retention of DNA information from people who are arrested and then released without charge in the first year of operation of the new policy. [116277]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: My earlier reply stated that it was estimated that in the region of 300,000 arrests would be affected by this change in policy. Further research work indicates that around 177,000 people could potentially be liable to have a sample of DNA taken in the first year who would not have been previously. However, it is not currently possible to indicate how many of these people may have previous convictions.
Dogs
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many dogs were reported stolen in each year since 1997. [116843]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The requested information is not collected centrally.
Double Jeopardy
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to extend the exception to the rule of double jeopardy to offences other than those listed in schedule 4 of the Criminal Justice Bill. [116246]
Paul Goggins: It will be necessary to include in Schedule 4 to the Criminal Justice Bill additional offences of equal seriousness, arising from changes to sexual offences currently before Parliament in the Sex Offences Bill. Other than this we have no plans to extend the exception to the double jeopardy rule to other offences.
Drugs
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many (a) men and (b) women have been convicted of drug dealing in the Greater London area in each of the last three years; and how many have been (i) sent to prison and (ii) fined; [117164]
10 Jun 2003 : Column 817W
- (2) how many foreign nationals have been convicted of drug dealing in the Greater London area in each of the last three years and when sent to prison have been recommended for deportation. [117165]
Beverley Hughes: Information on the number of men and women convicted in the Greater London area of drug dealing are given in the table, together with information on the number sentenced to an immediate term of imprisonment or given a fine. The figures relate to 1998–2000, the last three years for which data are currently available.
No information is collated centrally concerning the nationality of those convicted of drug offences.
| Year and gender | Convicted | Imprisoned | Fined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | |||
| Male | 1,551 | 896 | 128 |
| Female | 190 | 76 | 7 |
| 1999 | |||
| Male | 1,380 | 882 | 3 |
| Female | 189 | 84 | 6 |
| 2000 | |||
| Male | 1,169 | 738 | 42 |
| Female | 105 | 53 | 4 |
Notes:
1. Police forces included in the total for the Greater London area are the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police Service.
2. The term 'dealing' is taken to cover the following drug offences: possession with intent to supply unlawfully, unlawful supply, and unlawful import/export.
Source:
Drug and Alcohol Research Programme.
Firearms
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many deaths have been caused by firearms within the Greater London area in each of the last five years; [117154]
- (2) how many crimes involving firearms have occurred in each of the last five years in the London borough of Wandsworth. [117156]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The number of homicides involving firearms in the London region in the last five years are given in the table.
| Number of firearm homicides | |
|---|---|
| 1997(18) | 26 |
| 1998–99 | 19 |
| 1999–2000 | 24 |
| 2000–01(19) | 28 |
| 2001–02(19) | 44 |
(18) Figures are on a calendar year basis for 1997, and thereafter on a financial year basis (12 months to March).
(19) Figures recorded on the new boundary basis, as the Metropolitan Police ceded some areas to Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey on 1 April 2000.
Numbers of other firearm deaths are not collected by the Home Office.
Numbers of firearm offences by London borough are not collected centrally.
10 Jun 2003 : Column 818W
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the number of illegal firearms in circulation in the Greater London area. [117155]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The fact that firearms are being held illegally means it is difficult to assess accurately the numbers in circulation. However, steps are being taken to provide a clearer picture.
The National Criminal Intelligence Service has expanded its firearms section and has a key role in pulling together, acting on and sharing good quality intelligence, particularly on the supply and movement of firearms.
The setting up of the National Firearms Forensic Intelligence Database, supported by £1.4 million from the Home Office, will facilitate the linking of firearms offences through the automatic correlation of ballistics tests. This will contribute to a strategic overview of national firearms trends which will be available to all forces. Data is already being recorded on the information database in respect of cases submitted to the Forensic Science Service after 1 April 2003.
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answers of 14 May 2003, Official Report, column 216W, on gun crime, how many weapons, and of what type, have been handed in (a) in total and (b) to each United Kingdom police force as part of the national gun amnesty. [117584]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Final figures for the amnesty will be made available soon. We are still waiting for confirmation of totals, together with detailed breakdowns of what was handed in, from a small number of police forces.
Interface with Faith Communities
Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what way faith communities were consulted on the membership of his Department's Working Group which is reviewing the Government's Interface with Faith Communities. [115973]
Beverley Hughes: The Inter Faith Network for the United Kingdom and the Inner Cities Religious Council were consulted on the membership of the Working Group. These highly experienced bodies are fully representative of the wide range of faith communities living in the United Kingdom.
Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average age is of the faith community members of his Department's Working Group which is reviewing the Government's Interface with Faith Communities. [115974]
Beverley Hughes: Age was not a consideration in inviting individuals from the faith communities to join the group. The sole criterion for selection was that individuals should have significant personal experience of having been involved in consultations by Government. The need to restrict the Group to a manageable size meant that only one such individual could be included from each of the five largest faith communities, as well as two further members to represent the Black-led Churches and the smaller faith communities.
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Adults of all ages have the opportunity to contribute to this review through their inputs to the questionnaires which have been sent to 106 faith representative organisations across the country.
Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria have been established for use by his Department's Working Group which is reviewing the Government's Interface with Faith Communities, to assess which organisations will represent faith communities in consultations with different Government departments. [115976]
Beverley Hughes: The Working Group will consider draft criteria at its next meeting on 20 June 2003.
Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) membership and (b) terms of reference are of his Department's Review Steering Group to whom his Department's Working Group, which is reviewing the Government's Interface with Faith Communities, will report. [115977]
Beverley Hughes: These details will be announced later this month.
Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the Gurdwara councils formally consulted as part of the mapping exercise by his Department's Working Group which is reviewing the Government's Interface with Faith Communities; and what criteria were used to select the councils. [115978]
Beverley Hughes: My noble Friend, (Lord Filkin) will write to my hon Friend with a list of the Gurdwara Councils which have been consulted. These were selected on authoritative advice as those which have particular experience of having been consulted by local and national Government, and to achieve a regional spread
Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to which Sikh organisations a questionnaire has been sent by his Department's Working Group reviewing the Government's Interface with Faith Communities; and what criteria were used to select the organisations. [115979]
Beverley Hughes: My noble Friend, (Lord Filkin) will write to my hon. Friend with a list of the 38 national and local Sikh organisations which have been sent the questionnaire.
Regarding the criteria used in their selection, I refer my hon. Friend to the second part of the written reply given to the hon. Member for Beaconsfield (Mr. Grieve) on 19 May 2003, Official Report, column 643W.
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