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31 Jan 2005 : Column 689W—continued

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation. [204355]


 
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Fiona Mactaggart: Home Office expenditure on official entertainment is made in accordance with departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety based on the principles set out in Government Accounting.

The following figures relate to the cost of entertaining non-civil servants (hospitality) and civil servants (management entertainment). Details of such expenditure have only been held centrally since 1997–98 and are not recorded in a way that allows expenditure to be broken down into the categories requested.

The increase in expenditure from 1999–2000 is due to an element of incorrect expenditure coding, resulting in the inclusion of accommodation and subsistence costs. It is not possible, without incurring disproportionate cost, to separate these costs and, consequently, these figures are not directly comparable with those provided in previous years.
£

Total expenditure
1997–9837,747
1998–9944,415
1999–200094,370
2000–01108,925
2001–0275,808
2002–0370,591
2003–0489,072

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the running costs of the Department were in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) electricity, (b) water, (c) gas, (d) telephones, (e) mobile telephones and (f) televisions. [206680]

Fiona Mactaggart: The figures are as follows:
£

2003–042002–032001–022000–011999–20001998–991997–98
Electricity(47)2,783,6862,576,9002,562,1612,017,3311,928,3771,441,8531,373,063
Waterl192,341175,993323,350351,987311,947n/an/a
Gasl579,546692,005838,530624,255347,556359,219285,521
Telephones(48)7,487,8136,520,2406,138,1986,392,3984,863,3555,136,7918,354,664
Mobile Telephones(49)1,318,4441,289,000960,078786,525495,335333,467527,558
Televisions(50)21,47116,28317,162n/a15,0388,572n/a




n/a = Not available.
(47)These figures are taken from Environmental monitoring data and are for key sites only. They include Home Office and Prison Service HQs, but exclude prisons. The number of key sites captured within these figures has increased since 1997 by over 100 per cent.
(48)Figures for telephones includes, exchange rentals, calls, computer line links, CBX costs, GTN rentals and call costs, video conference costs, GDN costs and engineering and development costs. These figures are taken from accounting data and include all Home Office sites (excluding Prison Service and prisons).
(49)Figures include pager charges. These figures are taken from accounting data and include all Home Office sites (excluding Prison Service and prisons).
(50)Figures are for Cable Television charges for the HO central London estate (other than Prison Service).


Dispersal Orders

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many section 30 dispersal orders each authority has applied for in each year since their introduction. [210729]

Ms Blears: It is estimated that dispersal powers have been authorised in over 400 areas between January 2004, when the powers came into force and September 2004. We do not have a breakdown by local authority area.

Fixed Penalty Notices

Mr. Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for which offences fixed penalty notices may be issued by non-police personnel. [210052]

Ms Blears: Under the Police Reform Act 2002 chief constables may accredit a community safety accreditation scheme and individuals to take part in such a scheme. Accredited persons have the power to issue fixed penalty notices for:
 
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Accredited persons may also be authorised by a chief constable to issue certain fixed penalty notices under the penalty notice for disorder scheme. The table lists these penalty offences. It is a matter for the chief constable which of these offences accredited persons may issue penalty notices for.

Other Government Departments also have fixed penalty notice schemes where non-police personnel may issue fixed penalties.
Penalty Notice For Disorder Scheme: List of penalty offences

S5, Criminal Law Act 1967Wasting police time. Giving false report.
s127(2) of the Communications Act 2003Use of a public electronic communications network in order to cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety.
(England only) S49 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004Knowingly giving a false alarm to a person acting on behalf of a fire and rescue authority.
S31, Fire Services Act 1947Knowingly giving a false alarm to a fire brigade.
S5, Public Order Act 1986Causing, harassment, alarm or distress.
S80, Explosives Act 1875Throwing fireworks.
s169A of the Licensing Act 1964Sell alcohol to person under 18.
s169C(2) of the Licensing Act 1964Purchase in licensed premises of alcohol for person under 18.
s169C(3) of the Licensing Act 1964Purchase of alcohol for consumption in a bar in licensed premises for person under 18.
s169F of the Licensing Act 1964Delivery of alcohol to person under 18 or allowing such delivery.
Fireworks Regulations 2004 under s11 of the Fireworks Act 2003Contravention of a prohibition or failure to comply with a requirement imposed by or under fireworks regulations or making false statements, specifically; Breach of fireworks curfew.
Fireworks Regulations 2004 under s11 of the Fireworks Act 2003Contravention of a prohibition or failure to comply with a requirement imposed by or under fireworks regulations or making false statements, specifically; Possession of a category 4 firework.
Fireworks Regulations 2004 under s11 of the Fireworks Act 2003Contravention of a prohibition or failure to comply with a requirement imposed by or under fireworks regulations or making false statements, specifically; Possession by a person under 18 of an adult firework.
S55, British Transport Commission Act 1949Trespassing on a railway.
S56, British Transport Commission Act 1949Throwing stones at a train.
S12, Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001Consuming alcohol in designated public place, contrary to requirement by constable not to do so.
169E(1) of the Licensing Act 1964Consumption of alcohol by a person under 18 in licensed premises.
169E(2)of the Licensing Act 1964Allowing consumption of alcohol by a person under 18 in a bar in licensed premises.

Fraud and Forgery (Lancashire)

Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) fraud and (b) forgery offences have been reported to Lancashire police in each year since 1997; and how many led to (i) prosecution and (ii) conviction. [209996]

Ms Blears: The available information is given in the tables. Tables 1 and 2 give the number of offences recorded by the police in the Lancashire police force area. Recorded crime data are published on a financial year basis.

Table 3 gives the number of defendants proceeded against and found guilty in the Lancashire police force area. Court proceedings data are published on a calendar year basis. Data for 2004 will not be available until the autumn.

Because recorded crime deals with offences and court proceedings deals with defendants, the two data sets are not directly comparable.
Table 1: Fraud and forgery offences recorded by the police in Lancashire, 1997–98 to 2001–02
Number of offences

FraudForgery
1997–98(51)3,340217
1998–99(52)4,279167
1999–20003,831193
2000–015,828107
2001–026,155183


(51)The number of crimes recorded using the coverage and rules in use until 31 March 1998.
(52)The number of crimes recorded using the expanded coverage and revised counting rules which came into effect on 1 April 1998.
Note:
The data in this table are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.




Table 2: Fraud and forgery offences recorded by the police in Lancashire, 2002–03 and 2003–04
Number of offences

FraudForgery
2002–035,695144
2003–046,991166




Note:
The data in this table take account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.




 
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Table 3: Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for fraud and forgery(53) in the Lancashire police force area, 1997 to 2003

Fraud
Forgery
Proceeded againstFound guiltyProceeded againstFound guilty
1997742553294206
1998872667236161
1999804619265197
2000759546171130
2001736558165107
2002739540199133
2003626489224144


(53)These data are on the principal offence basis.



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