| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
4 Feb 2005 : Column 1157W—continued
Stafford Prison Escape
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his written answer of 20 January 2005, Official Report, column 1088W, if he will ensure that his Department notifies the hon. Member for Stafford when the report into the escapes from Stafford Prison on 8 December 2004 is completed; and if he will arrange for the hon. Member to receive a briefing on the contents of the report. [211296]
Paul Goggins:
The investigation into the escapes from Stafford prison has been completed and the report has been accepted by the Area Manager for the West Midlands. The Governor will contact my hon. Friend to arrange to brief him on the report.
4 Feb 2005 : Column 1158W
Stop and Search (London)
Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many stop and searches have been made by police officers of the Metropolitan police in the Greater London area in each of the last three years. [201852]
Ms Blears: The number of Stop and Searches of persons under s1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, and other legislation, carried out by the Metropolitan police over the last three years are as follows (Section 95—Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice System).
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 167,074 |
| 2001–02 | 197,333 |
| 2002–03 | 262,903 |
Telephone Tapping
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many telephone wire taps have been authorised in the last 12 months in the West Mercia police constabulary area. [213311]
Ms Blears: The most recently published figures for the numbers of interception warrants are contained in the report of the Interception of Communications Commissioner for 2003 (HC883). The available figures are not broken down by constabulary areas.
Terrorism Act
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been stopped and searched at RAF Menwith Hill under the Terrorism Act 2000 in each year since the Act came into force. [211767]
Ms Blears: Statistics showing the number of stop-searches in each force area for England and Wales under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 are published annually in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin.
Statistics are only collated for each force area, therefore the number of people stop-searched specifically at RAF Menwith Hill under the Terrorism Act 2000 is not available.
The number of stop-searches under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 for North Yorkshire, the force area covering RAF Menwith Hill, are:
| Financial year | Number | |
|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 8 | Vehicles and occupants |
| 0 | Pedestrians | |
| 2002–03 | 110 | Vehicles and occupants |
| 0 | Pedestrians | |
| 2003–04 | 30 | Vehicles and occupants |
| 38 | Pedestrians |
4 Feb 2005 : Column 1159W
The Statistical Bulletin can be found on the Research and Statistics section of the Home Office website.
Under-age Drinking (Hartlepool)
Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have taken place for under-age drinking in Hartlepool in each year since 1990. [211531]
Ms Blears:
There is no specific offence of under-age drinking.
4 Feb 2005 : Column 1160W
However, the available information from the Home Office Court Proceedings database, gives the number of defendants aged 10 to 17 years who were proceeded against in Hartlepool PSA, for offences of being drunk, drunk at a designated sports event and drunk and disorderly together with defendants proceeded against for the offence of: "Selling etc., intoxicating liquor to persons under 18 for consumption on the premises", 1990–2003.
Statistics for 2004 will be available in the autumn.
(23) These data are on the principal offence basis
4 Feb 2005 : Column 1161W
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs when he will reply to the letter dated 15 December from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Thomas Gill. [212287]
Mr. Leslie: The Secretary of State replied to my right hon. Friend on 2 February 2005.
Courts (Photography)
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether the Government intends to amend or repeal section 41 of the Criminal Justice Act 1925, following the statement by the Lord Chancellor that photography will be allowed in court. [213249]
Mr. Leslie: My Department will be consulting on the issue of court broadcasting until the end of February, and no decision has yet been taken as to whether photography will be allowed in court. No statement has been made by either the Lord Chancellor or myself to the effect that photography will be permitted. I hope that the hon. Member for Beaconsfield and other interested Members of the House will take the opportunity to participate in the consultation, perhaps by completing the consultation questionnaire, which is available electronically through my Department's website at http://www.dca.gov.uk/consult/courts/broadcasting-cp28–04.htm
Electoral Register
Tom Cox: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what checks are made on people whose names appear on electoral registers to ascertain whether they are eligible to vote in elections that may take place in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [213386]
Mr. Leslie: Electoral registration officers (EROs) are responsible for compiling the electoral register and may require a person applying to be added to it to give additional information if they are in doubt as to whether that person is eligible to be registered. They may also refer to other records kept by the council or the registrar of births, marriages and deaths if they consider that further checks are necessary. It is an offence under the Representation of the People Act 1983 to fail to comply with a request for information from an ERO or to provide false or inaccurate information to a registration officer. The electoral register is available for public inspection which enables checks to be made that only eligible electors are on the register.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |