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15 Mar 2005 : Column 202W—continued

Prisons

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were doubling up in cells designed for single occupancy at the most recent date for which figures are available. [214068]

Mr. Charles Clarke [holding answer 4 February 2005]: At the end of December 2004,15,786 prisoners were doubled up in cells certified to hold one person.

Sentencing (Violent Crime)

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average sentence length for offenders convicted of (a) rape, (b) robbery, (c) sexual assault, (d) grievous bodily harm, (e) actual bodily harm and (f) violence against the person was in each year since 1997; and how many convictions there were in each case in each of those years. [217750]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The available information is contained in the table and gives the number of offenders found guilty and the average custodial sentence length at all courts for the requested offences, England and Wales 1997 to 2003.

Statistics on court proceedings for 2004 will be published in the autumn.
Number of offenders found guilty at all courts and the average custodial sentence length received for certain offences(11), England and Wales 1997 to 2003

Offence1997199819992000200120022003
RapeFound guilty (Number)618675659598572655673
Average custodial sentence length(12)(months)78.779.879.883.281.183.786.4
RobberyFound guilty (Number)5,5895,5425,6265,8916,8227,7117,303
Average custodial sentence length(12)(months)39.135.335.736.135.438.939.3
Sexual assault(13)Found guilty (Number)2,9632,8942,8682,6332,5172,5902,467
Average custodial sentence length(12)(months)24.524.824.124.625.426.326.3
Grievous bodily harm(14)Found guilty (Number)6,1266,3976,0045,7845,7756,1345,966
Average custodial sentence length(12)(months)26.124.825.624.926.326.828.9
Actual bodily harm(15)Found guilty (Number)17,68518,38817,33716,56914,96214,90414,961
Average custodial sentence length(12)(months)7.87.57.88.08.59.29.2
Violence against the personFound guilty (Number)34,56237,05035,70035,27035,29837,70838,036
Average custodial sentence length(12)(months)17.416.115.715.816.717.618.8


(11) These data are on the principal offence basis.
(12) Excludes life sentences.
(13) Includes: Indecent assault on a male and female.
(14) Excludes racially and religiously aggravated GBH.
(15) Excludes racially and religiously aggravated ABH.



 
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Serious Organised Crime Agency

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to assess the effectiveness of the Serious Organised Crime Agency. [218363]

Caroline Flint: The Serious Organised Crime Agency and Police Bill provides that the Secretary of State may determine strategic priorities for the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and, where he has done so, he may direct SOCA to establish levels of performance ("performance targets") to be aimed at.

Special Constables

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the average age of serving special constables was, broken down by police force area in 1997; [216312]

(2) what the average tenure of serving special constables was, broken down by (a) year of entry and (b) police force area in 1997. [216313]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The information requested is not available.

Staff Identity Passes

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of producing a staff identity pass was in the Department on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many staff identity passes have been reported lost or stolen in each year since 1997. [215088]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The cost of producing a staff pass in February 2005 was £4.25 per pass (including the cost of the pass and administrative costs).

The number of Home Office passes reported lost or stolen on the central London and Croydon estates annually is as follows:
 
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Number
199895
199934
200089
200164
2002138
2003291
2004321




Note:
Figures for 1997 are not available.



Tetra

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what resources were given to Sussex Constabulary to roll out the commission for Tetra police communication networks in Sussex. [220483]

Caroline Flint [holding answer 10 March 2005]: The Home Office has provided funding to Police Authorities for the implementation of the Airwave service. Sussex Police Authority received £4.575 million from the Home Office in 2002–03 to support installation costs within the force.

A further £441,000 has been provided during the current financial year and a one-off payment £1.067 million will be paid in 2005–06 to meet our commitment to provide all forces with sufficient funding to meet their initial costs from when ready for service status has been achieved.

Proceeds of Crime

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action is to be taken by (a) his Department and (b) other appropriate authorities to seek to confiscate the money that has been earned by women forced into prostitution in the UK by foreign nationals who have recently been found guilty of the trafficking of women in court cases; and if he will make a statement. [220383]


 
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Caroline Flint: The Government have introduced new legislation to enable appropriate authorities to confiscate the proceeds of crime. The Government encourage the police and other agencies to make use of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) at every appropriate opportunity. Under the Act anyone convicted of a criminal offence is liable to confiscation proceedings to recover any proceeds of their criminality. In the absence of a conviction it is open to law enforcement agencies to refer the case to the Assets Recovery Agency to consider civil recovery or taxation proceedings instead. POCA also contains provisions for enabling the seizure of cash where it can be demonstrated that it is from, or intended for use in, crime.

The Home Office funds Reflex, the multi-agency enforcement taskforce established to tackle organised immigration crime, including human trafficking. Many of the recent court cases have resulted from Reflex supported operations. Confiscating the proceeds of crime is an important part of the reflex strategy and a new dedicated Reflex Financial Investigation Unit has recently been established within the National Crime Squad.

In addition the Home Office funds five multi agency Regional Asset Recovery Teams to increase the confiscation of the proceeds of crime and tackle money laundering.

Under-age Drinking (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have taken place for under-age drinking in each London borough in each year since 1990. [216846]


 
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Paul Goggins: There is no specific offence of under-age drinking.

However, the available information from the Home Office Court Proceedings database, gives the number of defendants aged 10–17 years who were proceeded against in each London borough, for offences of being drunk, drunk at a designated sports event and drunk and disorderly together with defendants proceeded against for the offence of:

Figures for 1990 to 2003 are given in the following table. Statistics for 2004 will be available in the autumn.

In addition, the penalty notice for disorder scheme provides for persons who commit specified penalty offences to be issued with a fixed penalty notice instead of being prosecuted or cautioned. The scheme was extended to 16 and 17-year-olds from 20 January 2004. The second table details the number of penalty notices issued for the listed offences which involve under age drinking. These include offences committed by 16 and 17-year-olds and alcohol offences involving the purchase for, sale or delivery to persons aged under 18 years.

The penalty notice for disorder scheme has been extended to allow penalty notices to be issued to 10 to 15-year-olds and pilots of these powers are now under way in seven police force areas including the borough of Kingston in the Metropolitan police force area. A further under age drinking offence, purchase of alcohol on licensed premises by a person under 18, is to be added to the scheme as set out in a draft Order laid before Parliament on 17 March.
Persons aged 10 and under 18 proceeded against at magistrates courts for certain alcohol related offences, by London borough 1990 to 2003(16)

Offence/London borough1990199119921993199419951996
Drunk in a highway or other public place, whether a building or not, or on licensed premises
Inner London magistrates courts(17)
City of London police
Guildhall Justice rooms
Metropolitan police
Bow Street(18)1
Camberwell Green/Tower Bridge2
Greenwich and Woolwich1
Highbury Corner(19)1
Horseferry Road1
Marylebone
South Western
Thames
West London3
Inner London Juvenile Courts(20)411
Outer London boroughs
Metropolitan police
Barking and Dagenham
Barnet
Bexley
Brent11
Bromley1
Croydon1
Ealing
Enfield
Haringey
Harrow
Havering
Hillingdon1
Hounslow111
Kingston-upon-Thames21
Merton
Newham1
Redbridge
Richmond upon Thames
Sutton
Waltham Forest
Total Metropolitan police34131
Total Greater London1128132

 
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Offence/London borough1997199819992000200120022003
Drunk in a highway or other public place, whether a building or not, or on licensed premises
Inner London magistrates courts(17)
City of London police
Guildhall Justice rooms
Metropolitan police
Bow Street(18)
Camberwell Green/Tower Bridge31
Greenwich and Woolwich
Highbury Corner(19)
Horseferry Road
Marylebone
South Western
Thames
West London11211
Inner London Juvenile Courts(20)
Outer London boroughs
Metropolitan police
Barking and Dagenham2
Barnet
Bexley13
Brent
Bromley1
Croydon1
Ealing1
Enfield
Haringey1
Harrow
Havering11
Hillingdon1
Hounslow11
Kingston-upon-Thames1
Merton12
Newham
Redbridge
Richmond upon Thames11111
Sutton1111
Waltham Forest
Total Metropolitan police21151045
Total Greater London222101156


(16) These data are on the principal offence basis.
(17) Information held centrally does not allow a breakdown of cases by borough in the Inner London area.
(18) Includes Marlborough Street 1997–99.
(19) Includes Clerkenwell and Hampstead, 1997–98.
(20) Cases included with adult courts from 1998 (from 1999 for cases heard at the Crown court).



Number of penalty notices for disorder issued in London(21) for offences relating to alcohol—2004 (Provisional figures)


Offence

Statute
Number of notices issued
Offences committed by juveniles aged 16 and 17 years
Drunk and disorderlyCriminal Justice Act 1967, Sec 9122
Being drunk in a highway, other public place or licensed premisesLicensing Act 1872, Sec 122
Consumption of alcohol in designated public placeCriminal Justice and Police Act 2001, Sec 12
Consumption of alcohol by under 18 in licensed premises(22)Licensing Act 1964, Sec 169E(1)
Offences involving the purchase for, sale or delivery to, persons aged under 18 years
Sell alcohol to person under 18(22)Licensing Act 1964, Sec 169A5
Purchase of alcohol in licensed premises for person under 18(22)Licensing Act 1964, Sec 169C(2)
Purchase of alcohol for consumption in bar of licensed premises for person under 18Licensing Act 1964, Sec 169C(3)2
Allowing consumption of alcohol by under 18 in bar of licensed premises(22)Licensing Act 1964, Sec 169E(2)
Delivery of alcohol to person under 18 or allowing delivery(22)Licensing Act 1964, Sec 169F3


(21) City of London and Metropolitan police force areas.
(22) Offence added to PND scheme only from 1 November 2004.





 
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