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20 Dec 2004 : Column 1508W—continued
Press Releases
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many press releases have been issued by his Department in each month of 2004; and if he will make a statement. [199906]
Fiona Mactaggart: The number of press releases, including regional and local press releases, issued by month are as follows:
(48) To 25 November.
(49) Separate regional press notices were sent out to announce nominations for prison officer of the year.
Sentencing Guidelines
Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received on altering sentencing guidelines for murder. [205653]
Mr. Clarke: Sentencing guidelines are a matter for the independent Sentencing Guidelines Council. Schedule 21 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 sets out robust principles to which judges must have regard when setting the minimum custodial term to be served by the offender within the mandatory life sentence.
The revised guideline published on 16 December 2004 makes a separate provision for murder which rules out any reduction in the most heinous (whole life tariff) cases, halves the maximum reduction available in other cases and emphasises that the tariff as a whole must accurately reflect the seriousness of the offence.
Special Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether departmental special advisers have made speeches in their official capacity since May 1997. [203501]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Any speeches made by special advisers in an official capacity are conducted in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.
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Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether departmental special advisers have been responsible for authorising instances of departmental spending since May 1997. [203926]
Mr. Charles Clarke: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by my hon. Friend the Member for South Shields (Mr. Miliband) on 16 December 2004, Official Report, column 1258W.
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether departmental special advisers have given instructions to permanent civil servants without the explicit authorisation of Ministers since May 1997. [203968]
Mr. Charles Clarke: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by my hon. Friend the Member for South Shields (Mr. Miliband) on 16 December 2004, Official Report, column 1258W.
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997. [204290]
Mr. Charles Clarke: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by my right hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, West (Ruth Kelly) on 14 December 2004, Official Report, column 1004W.
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether departmental special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997. [204310]
20 Dec 2004 : Column 1510W
Mr. Charles Clarke: No special advisers from this Department have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.
Vicious and Sex Offenders' Register
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on rolling out the Vicious and Sex Offenders' Register. [205654]
Paul Goggins: The roll out of ViSOR is progressing well and will be available to all 43 Police Forces in England and Wales by 31 March 2005.
Access to the system will subsequently be extended to the National Probation Service and the Prison Service in order to ensure effective risk assessment and enhance public protection arrangements.
Young Offenders
Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long it took on average in the last year for which figures are available from arrest to bringing a young offender before courts in the Metropolitan Police Authority area. [206200]
Mr. Leslie: I have been asked to reply.
Information on the time taken for criminal proceedings in magistrates courts is collected by my Department in its quarterly Time Intervals Survey.
In 2003, the average number of days from arrest to first listing for youth defendants in all criminal cases was 22 days in the Metropolitan Police Force Area. For the year up to September 2004 (the latest survey published) the average was 24 days.