---

1 Sept 2003 : Column 970W—continued

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases are awaiting review by the Criminal Cases Review Commission. [124986]

Paul Goggins: At 31 March 2003, 282 cases were awaiting the commencement of a review by the Criminal Cases Review Commission. Further details are available from the Commission's 2002–03 Annual Report available from the Library.

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the cases awaiting review by the Criminal Cases Review Commission were referred in each month during the period that the longest has been awaiting review. [125419]

Paul Goggins: A copy of the Criminal Cases Review Commission's 2002–03 Annual Report is available from the Library (and also at: www.ccrc.gov.uk). This sets out that the Commission's case review process is divided into several discrete Stages. Stage 0 is for initial inquiries, Stage 1 to assess eligibility for a review, Stage 2 screen to expedite those cases that can be reviewed with only modest caseworker effort. Stage 2 involves those cases requiring resource intensive reviews. A few of these will proceed to Stage 3, which requires the formal appointment of an Investigating Officer. The main build up of cases awaiting review therefore occurs at Stage 2 and the Commission has provided an analysis of this. The table and graph indicates the length of time as at 30 June 2003 that in custody cases (to which the Commission gives priority) and at liberty cases have been awaiting the allocation of a caseworker prior to the start of a Stage 2 review. table and graph indicates the length of time as at 30 June 2003 that in custody cases (to which the Commission gives priority) and at liberty cases have been awaiting the allocation of a caseworker prior to the start of a Stage 2 review. A table giving information on Stage 2 allocations will be placed in the Library.

1 Sept 2003 : Column 971W

Criminal Records

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for the introduction of (a) basic criminal records disclosure and (b) the Protection of Vulnerable Adults List. [126821]

Paul Goggins: The priority for the Criminal Records Bureau is to ensure that the demand for higher level disclosures is fully met; to this end we have announced proposals for the introduction of checks on care workers starting in October. The Basic Disclosure service will not be introduced until this objective has been achieved. Moreover, we are considering the Independent Review Team's proposal that applications for Basic Disclosures should be routed through Register Bodies. In the event that the Government decides to proceed, it would be necessary to amend Part 5 of the Police Act 1997 before the change could be implemented.

We are working with the Department of Health to implement the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) list as soon as practicable.

Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the care home sector on deferring increases in fees for Criminal Records Bureau checks. [124883]

Paul Goggins [holding answer 10 July 2003]: To date we have received some 100 written representations from the care home sector with regard to the increase in Criminal Records Bureau fees. These primarily expressed concern about the scale and timing of the increase. The Criminal Records Bureau has received a further 27 written representations on this matter from the care home sector.

Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Criminal Records Checks have been outstanding for (a) three months, (b) six months and (c) more than 12 months. [124900]

Paul Goggins [holding answer 10 July 2003]: The number of outstanding valid Disclosure applications over three, six and 12 months old are as follows:

	Number
3–6 months	1,671
6–12 months	1,843
Over 12 months	120
Total	3,634

The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) has undertaken several initiatives recently to reduce the number of aged applications in the system. These have included contacting applicants and the Registered Bodies who submitted the applications to encourage them to provide any outstanding information and seeking closer co-operation with the police forces to prioritise applications in their systems.

The Bureau continues to improve its output and is already achieving its Business Plan target that the number of applications over six weeks old, will be reduced to no more than 5 per cent. of work in progress by September 2003. The Bureau is now achieving its published service standards of issuing 90 per cent. of Standard Disclosures within two weeks and 90 per cent. of Enhanced Disclosures within four weeks.

1 Sept 2003 : Column 972W

Mr. Butterfill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received from the voluntary and community sector about the increase in fees for Criminal Records Bureau checks; and if he will make a statement. [125121]

Paul Goggins: To date we have received a small number of representations from the voluntary and community sector, including from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, with regard to the increase in Criminal Records Bureau fees. These primarily expressed concern about the scale of the increase and the absence of consultation prior to the introduction of the new fees. Checks on volunteers continue to be free, saving the voluntary sector an estimated £10 million in 2003–04.

Curfew Orders

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders sentenced to a curfew order or a community sentence with a curfew condition were unlawfully at large on the latest date for which figures are available, broken down by (a) category of offence, (b) contract region and (c) police force area; and what penalties have been imposed on each contractor as a result. [124917]

Paul Goggins: At 30 June 2003, 147 offenders sentenced to a curfew order or a community sentence with a curfew condition were unlawfully at large. Comprehensive information for the category of offence is not centrally available. The figures for each contract region are Southern (58), Midlands and Wales (25), London and Eastern (29) and Northern (35). The figures broken down by police force area are Avon and Somerset (32), Devon and Cornwall (8), Dorset (1), Hampshire (7), Sussex (7), Thames Valley (2), Wiltshire (1), Derbyshire (1), Dyfed-Powys (1), Leicestershire (4), North Wales (1), Northamptonshire (1), Nottinghamshire (3), South Wales (4), Staffordshire (1), West Midlands (9), Cambridgeshire (1), Essex (1), Herefordshire (5), Metropolitan (12), Norfolk (9), Suffolk (1), Doncaster (1), Durham (1), Lancashire (1), Liverpool (2), Manchester (13), Newcastle (6), Sheffield (3) and Wakefield (8). The contractors are not subject to penalties in these cases.

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many extra prisoners he expects to be released as a result of the changes to the Home Detention Curfew scheme due to come into effect on 14 July 2003. [124967]

Paul Goggins: Three changes to the Home Detention Curfew (HDC) scheme will come into force on 14 July 2003. Taken together, these measures are not expected to increase the number of prisoners released under the scheme. However, those released will be released for a longer period—so adding to the number on HDC at any one time.

Dharmesh and Rashik Jamiet

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the case of Dharmesh (date of birth 27 February 1973) and Rashik (8 December 1977) Jamiet was received in the Appeal Processing Centre at the Home Office. [125523]

1 Sept 2003 : Column 973W

Beverley Hughes: The appeal papers for Mr. Dharmesh Jamiet and Mr. Rashik Jamiet were received in the Appeals Processing Centre (APC) of the Home Office on 7 January 2003.

Domestic Violence (Policemen)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many policemen found to have committed acts of domestic violence have been (a) suspended and (b) dismissed in England and Wales in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [125420]

Ms Blears: Information on domestic violence committed by policemen is not held centrally.

Drug Treatment and Testing Orders

Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders have been subjected to a drug treatment and testing order in each year since it was introduced; and how many of these have re-offended during the period of the drug treatment and testing order. [124864]

Paul Goggins: The number of drug treatment and testing orders (DTTOs) commenced in each year since the order was rolled-out to courts in England and Wales in October 2000 is as follows:

	Number
2000–01 (six months)	1,256
2001–02	4,854
2002–03	6,140

It is too soon for validated information about re-offending since roll-out. It is currently impossible to

1 Sept 2003 : Column 974W

differentiate between offences committed prior to the commencement of the order and those committed after the order was made.

---