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"Reducing Crime—Changing Lives"

Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultation took place with key stakeholders prior to the publication of the document Reducing Crime—Changing Lives; and whether trade unions were consulted. [160895]

Paul Goggins: Reducing Crime—Changing Lives sets out the Government's initial response to the Carter report.

The Home Secretary has sought and continues to seek views from all stakeholders on a number of issues relating to the effective management of offenders.

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to publicise the role of the (a) voluntary and (b) private sector in the delivery of justice following the publication of the Carter Report; and if he will make a statement. [155617]

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Paul Goggins: The Government's response to Patrick Carter's report "Managing Offenders—Reducing Crime" was outlined in the Government paper "Reducing Crime—Changing Lives" both of which were published on 6 January 2004.

The "Reducing Crime—Changing Lives" document sets out the Government's proposals for the reform of correctional services and seeks views from key stakeholders on a number of implementation issues including how best to ensure effective community involvement and improve contestability in the new National Offender Management Service.

The Government will analyse the responses to those questions and make them available, unless the respondent has requested confidentiality.

Anti-terrorism (Overseas Evidence)

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the admissibility of (a) hearsay evidence and (b) written evidence from abroad in relation to prosecutions under anti-terrorism legislation. [162610]

Mr. Blunkett [holding answer 22 March 2004]: Prosecutions under counter terrorist legislation are conducted in the same way as other prosecutions and the same rules on the admissibility of evidence apply, including the law on hearsay. At present, written statements from witnesses abroad who are unable to attend the trial, may be admitted as evidence if certain conditions are met. When implemented, the Criminal Justice Act 2003 provides that witness statements will generally be admissible in any criminal proceedings where a witness is abroad, subject to certain safeguards.

Cargo Theft

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidences of cargo theft were reported by contracted shipping delivery companies in each year between 1997 and 2003. [162419]

Ms Blears: The requested information is not collected centrally by the Home Office.

Child Abuse

Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he gives to chief constables on the secondment of police officers who specialise in (a) internet and (b) non internet child abuse to other types of police activity. [158987]

Paul Goggins: There are no specific arrangements for seconding officers to this area of work. The deployment of police officers to specific posts is an operational matter for Chief Officers.

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Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with internet service providers who refuse to keep the internet addresses of customers after they change ISP and the effect of this on the tracking of online predators. [158988]

Paul Goggins: There has been considerable consultation with the Internet Industry over the last two years about retention of their business data. The Industry continues this dialogue. We are keeping Internet Service Providers data retention practices under review in consultation with the Industry.

Coroners

Mr. Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he requires that bodies be released by hospitals immediately without precondition or delay once they are no longer required by a coroner for evidential purposes. [159971]

Paul Goggins: Once the coroner has released the body it is for the representatives of the deceased, working with the hospital, to arrange transfer of the body to its final resting place.

Corruption

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the actions the UK needs to take to ratify the UN Convention Against Corruption; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [158307]

Caroline Flint: Officials of the responsible Government Departments are considering what, if any, legislative or administrative amendments are required to

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enable the UK to meet its commitments under the Convention. Should any amendments be required, these will be enacted or put in place at the earliest opportunity. It is not possible to indicate when this process will be completed. The UK will be in a position to ratify the Convention once the Government are satisfied that the UK can fulfil the Convention's provisions.

Crime

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the percentage change in (a) overall recorded crime, (b) recorded violent crime, (c) burglaries and (d) vehicle thefts in Crosby has been since 1997. [160538]

Ms Blears: Recorded crime statistics below police force area level are collected on a Basic Command Unit (BCD) and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) basis. BCD areas equate to former police divisions/districts, with CDRPs equating to local authority areas.

The constituency of Crosby is not specified as being either a BCD or CDRP, however there is data available at these levels for the area of Sefton, which is located within the borough constituency of Crosby. Figures at these levels are available for 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2002–03. Data for six key offences only has been previously published at CDRP level for these years and are given in the table.

A greater breakdown of recorded crime figures for 2002–03 by CDRP, police force and region has recently been made available and is given in the Home Office website at www.crimestatistics.org.uk/output/page1.asp.

Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership data from April 1999 to March 2003

CDRP: Sefton Force: Merseyside1999–20002000–012001–022002–03(22)
Violence against the person2,0342,3072,2253,016
Sexual offences156148130185
Robbery288224346334
Burglary dwelling1,7121,5282,2692,533
Theft of a motor vehicle2,2852,0141.9261,542
Theft from a vehicle2,2501,8522,0091,629

(22) Merseyside police implemented the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) on 1 April 2002. Broadly, the NCRS had the effect of increasing the number of crimes recorded by the police. Therefore, following the introduction of the Standard, numbers of recorded crimes are not directly.

Mr Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many violent crimes were committed in (a) the London Borough of Havering and (b) Romford in the last 12 months; [154851]

Ms Blears: Recorded crime statistics below police force area level are collected on a basic command unit (BCD) basis. In London, BCD areas equate to London boroughs. The total number of violent crimes (violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery offence groups) recorded in Havering BCU in 2002–03 was 4,558. The Metropolitan police introduced the National Crime Recording Standard on 1 April 2002, and this may have increased the number of crimes recorded in the violence against the person offence group.

Recorded crime data is collected by offence type, rather than by particular circumstance. It is therefore not possible to distinguish drug related crime within recorded crime figures.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the role of the Criminal Cases Review Commission in seeking views on (a) controversial expert evidence and (b) investigative methods; [159704]

Paul Goggins: The commission treats every application received on its individual merits. Cases regularly raise issues involving expert evidence and

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investigative methods. Where necessary the commission instructs a professionally qualified person to give a view on the expert evidence or the investigative method, and such further evidence is taken into account when a decision is made on the case. In some circumstances it may be appropriate for the Commission to ask for further evidence on a particular issue which is common to several cases.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research has been conducted into the motives of solicitors who submit large numbers of applications to the Criminal Cases Review Commission. [159710]

Paul Goggins: No research has been conducted into the motives of solicitors who submit large number of applications to the Commission. Some firms of solicitors specialise in this area and so it is not unexpected that several applications every year will come from them. To date the Commission has not received a large number of applications at the same time from any individual solicitor or firm. It continues to receive applications unsupported by legal representation.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the findings of the Criminal Cases Review Commission's Working Group on Sexual Abuse were. [159711]

Paul Goggins: The "findings" of the Criminal Cases Review Commission's Working Group on Sexual Abuse enabled the Commission to analyse and refine it's approach to child sexual abuse cases generally, to help it establish best practice, to investigate developments that might discover new evidence in such cases and communicate any lessons obtained internally and to other stakeholders.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what process is used for recruiting members of the Criminal Cases Review Commission. [159713]

Paul Goggins: Members of the Criminal Cases Review Commission are appointed by Her Majesty the Queen on the recommendation of my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister. New members are recruited in accordance with the Code of Practice for Public Appointments issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointment. The process includes:





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