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24 Jan 2005 : Column 109W—continued
Domestic Violence
Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether funding for domestic violence advocacy services will be ring-fenced; [206043]
(2) whether domestic violence advocacy services will include assistance in respect of (a) justice systems, (b) health, (c) housing and (d) benefits; [206044]
(3) what plans he has to ensure that the development of domestic violence advocacy services will (a) identify and assess existing provision of local Women's Aid and other domestic violence advocacy services and (b) build on what already exists. [206045]
Paul Goggins [holding answer 20 December 2004]: We recognise that advocacy services are an important element in supporting victims of domestic violence, both in and outside the criminal justice system. It is important that there is a range of services for all victims of domestic violence locally, including advocacy provision, which is the responsibility of local partnerships.
Each partnership is required to produce a strategy every three years for reducing crime and disorder in their area, following an audit to establish need. These audits were undertaken earlier this year, and partnerships should now be identifying what the needs of their local communities are, including for services addressing domestic violence. They will then set out how these needs will be met in their three year strategies, bearing in mind their budgets, which come from a range of sources. There is no ring fenced funding for domestic violence advocacy services from the Home Office, though the Department allocated those local partnerships with responsibility for crime and disorder £74 million in 2004–05 through the Building Safer Communities Fund. Among a variety of interventions, this could be spent on domestic violence services.
How local services are then commissioned is a matter for local areas, though we would recommend that they consider working in partnership with voluntary and community organisations where appropriate.
The precise remit of individual advocacy services will be based on identified local need, and may include a range of emotional, legal and practical support.
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To support partnerships in developing their three year strategies and considering the range of domestic violence services that might be appropriate in their area, we have recently launched 'Developing Domestic Violence Partnerships: A Guide for Partnerships', which includes a section on advocacy and where partnerships can go for further advice. The guidance can be found at http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk/domesticviolence46.doc.
Drink Driving (Wales)
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions for drink driving there have been in Wales in each year since 1996. [208842]
Paul Goggins: Information taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database on findings of guilt for offences of driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs 1996 to 2002 (latest available) is given in the table.
Data for 2003 will be available in March 2005.
(47) Including the following offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988: Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs (impairment). [s. 4(1)]
Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle while having a breath, urine or blood alcohol concentration in excess of the prescribed limit, [s. 5(1)(a)]
Failing without reasonable excuse to provide a specimen for a laboratory test or two specimens for analysis of breath if at the relevant time, he/she was driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle. [s. 7(6)]
In charge of a motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs (impairment). [s. 4(2)]
In charge of a motor vehicle while having a breath, urine or blood alcohol concentration in excess of the prescribed limit, [s. 5(1)(b)]
In charge of a motor vehicle and failing to provide a specimen for a laboratory test or two specimens for analysis of breath if at the relevant time, he/she was driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle. [s. 7(6)]
Failing without reasonable excuse to provide a specimen of breath for a preliminary test. [s. 6(4)]
Excluding offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 3A: Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs.
Drug-related Crime
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug-related crimes in (a) South Tyneside, (b) Tyne and Wear and (c) England and Wales were linked to heroin in the most recent period for which figures are available. [209289]
Caroline Flint:
Recorded crime figures, which are used to measure trends in crime, include statistics on drugs offences, such as possession, and on property crimes, such as burglary, do not record whether the latter are related to an offender's drug habits. They also do not
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separately identify drug offences relating to heroin. There are therefore no figures currently available for the total number of crime in different areas linked to heroin. Statistics on the number of convictions for drug offences do contain more information about the type of drugs involved but only provide national figures.
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes in (a) South Tyneside, (b) Tyne and Wear and (c) England and Wales have been linked to drugs in each year since 1997. [209291]
Caroline Flint: Recorded crime figures, which are used to measure trends in crime, include statistics on drugs offences, such as possession, and on property crimes, such as burglary, do not record whether the latter are related to an offender's drug habits. There are therefore no figures currently available for the total number of crimes in different areas linked to drugs.
Information on recorded drug offences, including trafficking and possession can be found in table 2.04 of the Home Office "Crime in England and Wales 2003–04" Statistics, which can be accessed via the RDS website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/hosb1004 .pdf
These figures are not broken down by drug type.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people under the age of 18 years have been arrested for possessing class A drugs in each of the last seven years. [206229]
Caroline Flint: Figures on the number of people under the age of 18 years arrested for possessing Class A drugs are not collated. However we do have data on the number of people under the age of 17 years found guilty, cautioned or dealt with by compounding for unlawful possession of all drugs.
This information, which is only available since 2001, can found in Table 3.8 of the Home Office Drug Seizure and Offender Statistics which can be accessed via the Research Development and Statistics website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/hosb0804.pdf.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people under the age of 18 years have been arrested for selling Class A drugs in each of the last seven years. [206240]
Caroline Flint: Figures on the number of people under the age of 18 years arrested for selling Class A drugs are not collated. However we do have data on the number of people under the age of 17 years found guilty, cautioned or dealt with by compounding for unlawful supply of all drugs.
This information, which is only available since 2001, can found in Table 3.8 of the Home Office Drug Seizure and Offender Statistics which can be accessed via the RDS website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/hosb0804.pdf.
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Evidence
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the recommendations on disclosure from (a) the study commissioned by his Department, (b) the thematic review by the Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and (c) Lord Justice Auld's review of the Criminal Courts have been implemented. [207449]
Paul Goggins: The prosecution disclosure recommendations made by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Inspectorate and the Home Office commissioned research were taken forward by a joint police/CPS project which produced revised joint operational instructions issued in November 2002. This was followed up by training based on the new instructions which began in April 2003. The Government's response to Sir Robin Auld's recommendations, including those on disclosure, is set out in the Annex to the Criminal Justice White Paper: Justice for All (CM 5563) issued in July 2002.
Lord Justice Auld's recommendation that the two stage prosecution disclosure test should be replaced by a single test was included in part 5 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 as were provisions aimed at addressing the findings of the Home Office commissioned research that many defence statements are inadequate. A public consultation exercise relating to the implementation of Part 5 of the 2003 Act ended last month and the responses are being evaluated with a view to implementation in April this year.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the admission of similar fact evidence in trials. [207450]
Paul Goggins: The common law "similar fact" rule allowed the prosecution to rely on a defendant's previous misconduct in certain circumstances. However the Bad Character provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, which were implemented on 15 December 2004, abolished this and other common law rules governing the admissibility of such evidence in criminal proceedings. In their place the Act sets out a number of "gateways" through which evidence of a defendant's bad character may be admissible, where relevant and probative. One of these is where such evidence is
include the question whether the defendant has a propensity to commit offences of the kind with which he is charged.
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