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1 Sept 2004 : Column 847W—continued
Departmental Staff
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have left employment in his Department because of (a) anxiety, (b) stress, (c) depression and (d) other mental health reasons in each year since 1997. [175677]
Fiona Mactaggart: The Home Office does not record the reasons for employees leaving employment in the level of detail requested.
However, since 2003 the Home Office has operated a voluntary exit survey which indicates that seven staff have stated stress as their reason for leaving the Department in 2003 and (to date) four staff in 2004.
The Department is legally obliged to providing a safe working environment for employees and has a number of initiatives in place to reduce work related stress, including return to work interviews and managing sick absence by line managers and stress seminar and workshops run by the Home Office Health and Welfare Service.
Domestic Violence
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what policies are in place to tackle female-on-male domestic violence. [185075]
Mr. Browne: The 2001 British Crime Survey's Inter-Personal Violence Module shows that one in four women and one in six men have suffered domestic violence at some point in their lives, though women form the overwhelming majority of those subject to the heaviest abuse in terms of frequency, range of violence and severity of injury. The Government's definition of domestic violence is clear that domestic violence can occur regardless of gender or sexuality and the important measures in the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill will protect both male and female victims.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the procedure is for women to press charges against their male partners in cases of domestic violence. [185813]
Mr. Browne [holding answer 22 July 2004]: A decision on whether or not to proceed with a case and press charges is a matter for the CPS, having received a file of evidence from the police. Decisions will be made on the appropriate level of charge once the two tests in the code for Crown Prosecutors have been passed. These are firstly whether there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction, and secondly that of the public interest. Victims' views are taken into consideration as part of the public interest test. The two tests must be passed before any criminal case can proceed. The procedure is the same regardless of gender or sexuality.
Drug Rape
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the recommendations of the Sturman Report on drug rape published in June 2000; and if he will make a statement. [177572]
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Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 July 2004, Official Report, column 202W.
Drug Testing and Treatment
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug testing and treatment orders were issued in Gloucestershire in each month since the scheme's inception. [184204]
Caroline Flint: The drug treatment and testing order (DTTO) was piloted in Gloucestershire, Liverpool and Croydon between October 1998 and March 2000. The number of DTTOs made in Gloucestershire in each month during the pilot phase, including April to September 2000 during which the pilots were allowed to continue post-evaluation until the order was rolled-out, was:
| Month/year | DTTO commencements |
|---|---|
| 1998 | |
| October | 0 |
| November | 0 |
| December | 0 |
| 1999 | |
| January | 4 |
| February | 7 |
| March | 9 |
| April | 8 |
| May | 6 |
| June | 6 |
| July | 10 |
| August | 17 |
| September | 4 |
| October | 3 |
| November | 6 |
| December | 5 |
| 2000 | |
| January | 6 |
| February | 5 |
| March | 4 |
| Post evaluation | |
| April | 3 |
| May | 4 |
| June | 7 |
| July | 5 |
| August | 6 |
| September | 3 |
The number of DTTOs made in Gloucestershire in each month following roll-out of the order across England and Wales on 1 October 2000 is:
1 Sept 2004 : Column 849W
Drugs (Prisons and Probation Service)
Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will define best value in respect of the provision of drug services for prisons and probation services in England and Wales. [184894]
Paul Goggins: The Prison Service assesses the delivery of service against the specifications for each type of intervention. There are a number of ways "best value" can be judged, which include the effectiveness, accessibility, impact on reoffending and cost efficiency of drug services.
In England, the Probation Service does not directly commission drug services in relation to community Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs). Drug Action Teams (DATs) in the community contract local treatment providers to deliver the required treatment.
Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders in (a) jail and (b) the community have been dealt with by the major drug agencies which have contracts with the prisons and probation services in the latest year for which figures are available. [184895]
Paul Goggins:
The total number of prisoners for 2003–04 entering each type of drug treatment service where the service was delivered partly or solely by an external drug agency is given in the table.
1 Sept 2004 : Column 850W
|
Entrants onto clinical services(58) |
CARATs(59) initial assessments | Drug treatment programmes entrants |
|---|---|---|
| 4,386 | 51,080 | 3,076 |
(58) This does not include clinical services provided through Primary Care Trusts
(59) Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare Service
In England, the Probation Service does not directly commission drug services. Drug Action Teams (DATs) in the community contract local treatment providers to deliver the required treatment. Information on the extent of involvement of major drug agencies is not available centrally.
Dungavel Removal Centre
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to expand Dungavel Removal Centre. [184572]
Mr. Browne: On 16 March 2004 we announced publicly the decision to create a new building on the Dungavel site designed to hold up to 44 single males which will achieve the capacity of 194 places. In February 2004, work on the construction of that new building began and is now nearing completion. We expect this to be operational during August.
There are no plans to increase the capacity of Dungavel beyond 194 places.
Either-way Cases
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of the proportion of contested cases triable either-way in the magistrates court that resulted in acquittal in (a) the Crown courts and (b) magistrates courts in each of the last five years. [183591]
Paul Goggins: Information collected centrally by the Home Office does not contain details on defendants' plea at magistrates courts (nor therefore data on the number of contested cases).
The available information contained in the table provides figures for the number of defendants who pleaded "not guilty" to a triable either-way offence (where that offence was the principal offence) at the Crown court, and the number who were acquitted, in England and Wales, for the years 1998 to 2002.
Statistics on court proceedings for 2003 will be published in the autumn.
1 Table excludes the figures of those defendants who pleaded "not guilty" who were not tried.
2 Not guilty plea to the principal offence.
3 Acquitted—includes, not guilty, no evidence offered, charge withdrawn, judge rules no case to answer.
1 Sept 2004 : Column 851W
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