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8 Jun 2004 : Column 325W—continued

Motoring Offences

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which motoring offences are included within the scope of his Department's statistics on offences that are brought to justice. [172405]


 
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Paul Goggins: The table gives information relating to the motoring offences included within Home Office statistics on offences that are brought to justice.

The offences brought to justice target counts notifiable (recorded) crimes that resulted in a positive outcome during the period, that is where the offender was brought to justice by being issued with a penalty notice for disorder (PND), cautioned, convicted or the offences being taken into consideration (TIC).

Notifiable offences are those offences that must be notified by police forces to the Home Office and are published as recorded crime as part of the National Crime Statistics.

The offence code 825/90 (miscellaneous motoring offences), which was included in the 2003–04 targets for each criminal justice system area, will be excluded from the 2004–05 offences brought to justice targets as most of the offences it covers are not notifiable. However, the notifiable element of 825/90 "Tampering with Motor Vehicles" will be retained by giving it a new offence code from April 2004 onwards.
Motoring offences included with Home Office offences brought to justice statistics

Classification codeBrief description of offenceLegislation
Indictable offences
004/04Causing death by dangerous drivingRoad Traffic Act 1988 S.1 as amended by the Road Traffic Act 1991 S.1 and CJA 1993 S.67
004/06Death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugsRoad Traffic Act 1988 S.3A as added by Road Traffic Act 1991 S.3 and amended by Criminal Justice Act 1993 S.6
008/04Causing bodily harm by furious drivingOffence Against the Person Act 1861 S.35
Triable-Either-Way Offences
005/11Causing danger by causing anything to be on road, interfering with vehicles or traffic equipmentRoad Traffic Act 1988 S. 22A as added by Road Traffic Act 1991 S.6
037/01Where, owing the driving of the vehicle, an accident occurs causing the death of any personTheft Act 1968 S.12A as added by the Aggravated Vehicle Taking Act 1992 S.1
037/02Where the vehicle was being driven dangerously, where injury to any person or damage to any property was caused, or damage was caused to the vehicleTheft Act 1968 S.12A as added by the Aggravated Vehicle Taking Act 1992 S.1
048/01Stealing motor vehiclesTheft Act 1968 S.1
802/00Aiding, abetting, causing or permitting reckless drivingRoad Traffic Act 1988 S.2 as amended by Road Traffic Act 1991 S.2
814/01Fraud, forgery etc. associated with driving licenceRoad Traffic Act 1988 S.173(1) Public Passenger Vehicle Act 1981 S.65 (1) (a) and (2)
814/02Fraud, forgery etc. associated with insurance certificateRoad Traffic Act 1988 SS.173 (1) and 175 (a)
814/03Fraud, forgery etc. associated with registration and licensing documentsVehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 SS.44 and 45; Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981 S.65 (1) (b) and (2)
814/04Fraud, forgery etc. associated with work recordsTransport Act 1968 S.99 (5)
814/05Fraud, forgery etc. associated with operator's licenceGoods Vehicle (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995 S.38; Sch.5 Para 4; Road Traffic Act 1988 S.173 (1) Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981 S.65 (1) (a) and (2)
814/06Fraud, forgery etc. associated with test certificateRoad Traffic Act 1988 SS.173 (1) and 175 (b)
814/07Mishandling or faking parking documentsRoad Traffic Regulation Act 1984 S.115 (1)
Summary offences
130/01Unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle or being carried knowing vehicle to have been taken or drivenTheft Act 1968 S.12 (1) as amended by Criminal Justice Act 1988 S.37
131/01Where the only factor is criminal damage of £5,000 or underTheft Act 1968 S.168 S.12A as added by Aggravated Vehicle Taking Act 1992 S.2
825/90(8)Tampering with motor vehicle and other miscellaneous non-notifiable offencesRoad Traffic Act 1988 S. 25 plus other road traffic legislation


(8) The offences included within the offence code 825/90 will be excluded from offences brought to justice calculations from 2004–05 onwards with the exception of "tampering with a motor vehicle", which has been allocated it own code from April 2004 onwards.



 
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Naturalisation Applications

Mr. Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many naturalisation applications submitted prior to the reorganisation of the approval system carried out in summer 2003 remain to be processed; and if he will make a statement. [172998]

Mr. Browne: Information on the applications referred to is not available.

The latest published information on numbers of naturalisation applications granted can be found in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin, "Persons Granted British Citizenship, United Kingdom, 2003", published on 25 May 2004.

New Hall Prison

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners at New Hall women's prison were on suicide watch during each of the last three months. [172653]

Paul Goggins: "Suicide watch' is not a term used by the Prison Service. The level of observation for any individual prisoner identified to be at risk of suicide or self-harm can vary and is decided by a multi-disciplinary case review team, or by the unit manager when there has not been the opportunity for the case review to be held.

The inherent vulnerability of many women in custody, combined with the high levels of self-harm across women's prisons, results in a very large number of women prisoners presenting themselves as requiring special care, and being made subject to the "Self-Harm At Risk Form' F2052SH procedures. Staff caring for women prisoners face exceptional difficulties in distinguishing between those women who are intensely vulnerable and those who may be actively suicidal.

The number of new F2052SHs opened, and the number of prisoners on an open F2052SH at New Hall during each of the last three months is shown in the following table:
MonthNumber of new F2052SHs opened 1Number of women on
an open F2052SH 2
February4897
March5492
April64100
Total166289


(9) These figures include women transferred into New Hall on open F2052SHs.
(10) These figures include newly opened F2052SHs and F2052SHs remaining open from the previous month.



 
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The number of apparently self-inflicted deaths at New Hall in each of the past three years is shown in the following table.
Calendar yearNumber of self-inflicted deaths
20010
20022
20033

In 2004 to date (11 May 2004), New Hall has experienced one apparently self-inflicted death.

The number of reported incidents of self-harm that occurred in each of the last three months at New Hall, and the number of women involved, is shown in the following table.
MonthNumber of reported incidents of self-harmNumber of
prisoners involved
February13128
March9428
April3920
Total26476

The number of self-inflicted deaths and level of self-harm among women prisoners is recognised as a very serious concern by the Prison Service and Ministers. The main principles of the outline suicide prevention strategy that I announced on 31 March 2004 apply across all types of prisons and to all prisoners, whether male or female. Women prisoners are to benefit from a specifically targeted and separate suicide prevention and self-harm management strategy being developed for them. This builds upon a number of interventions including: individual crisis counselling for women prisoners who self-harm; the continued development and evaluation of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, which is currently being trialled at Durham, Bullwood Hall and Holloway prisons; investment and planning to ensure progress on the detoxification strategy in women's prisons; and the introduction of a new training pack for all staff working with women in custody, which includes a module on the health and well being of women prisoners. £1 million from the Department of Health has been allocated to women's prisons to be spent on the recruitment of psychiatric nurses.

New Hall itself has a comprehensive local suicide and self-harm prevention policy which is reviewed annually, and an active suicide and self-harm prevention team. A full-time Suicide Prevention Coordinator and recently appointed Safer Custody Manager are leading
 
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improvements to the existing suicide prevention and other safer custody arrangements. It is intended that an open, less institutionalised environment will allow better interaction between staff and prisoners, and the provision of a dedicated interview room will facilitate more open discussion between prisoners and staff, which may, in turn, lead to easier identification of at-risk prisoners.

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what liaison took place between New Hall women's prison and the local area child protection committee about the welfare of girls under 18 in custody in (a) 2003 and (b) 2004. [172654]

Paul Goggins: During 2003 work began with Wakefield Social Services to develop child protection procedures for New Hall, these cover all child protection issues in the establishment including all individuals under the age of 18 and classified as juveniles, as well as mothers and babies.

Over the last nine months, the Governor of New Hall prison has, attended the area child protection committee (ACPC) meetings on a regular basis. The ACPC has now agreed the Child Protection procedures. There is also regular liaison with the initial response team about any concerns that the establishment has for any young person under 18, as well as any baby held within New Hall.


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