| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
12 Jul 2005 : Column 908W—continued
Lancaster Castle
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Lancaster Castle will cease to be a prison; and if he will make a statement. [10154]
Fiona Mactaggart: There are currently no plans to cease using Her Majesty's Prison Lancaster Castle as a prison.
Licensing
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers magistrates have to ban defendants from entering licensed premises. [4785]
Hazel Blears: Under the provisions of the Licensed Premises (Exclusion of Certain Persons) Act 1980 a court can make an order prohibiting a person from entering specified licensed premises, following conviction for an offence committed on licensed premises involving violence or threats of violence. In addition, Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) that were introduced under Section one of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and first used in 1999 can also be used to prohibit certain people from entering specific areas or premises. ASBOs however have a two year minimum period and can contain various prohibitions. We are therefore introducing Drinking Banning Orders (DBOs) under the Violent Crime Reduction Bill that we introduced on 8 June 2005. The Bill received its Second Reading on 20 June 2005. A DBO has an effect for a period not less than two months and not more than two years and would be more appropriate where binge drinking and alcohol fuelled behaviour needs to be addressed and discouraged and where there is a need for more flexible time limits to apply to a ban.
Local Authority Regulatory Services
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance the Government have given to (a) local authorities and (b) local authorities' co-ordinators of regulatory services, on tackling (i) underage drinking, (ii) solvent abuse and (iii) bogus marriages. [7428]
Hazel Blears: The Government taking action on underage drinking, solvent abuse and bogus marriages.
(i) The results of a campaign aimed at tackling alcohol-related disorder and underage drinking, involving the police, trading standards and other partners, were published in a document called Lessons Learned from the Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign" last year. This included lessons learned from underage test purchasing operations undertaken during the campaign. The lessons learned document was circulated to all Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships. In addition, on 8 June 2005 we introduced the Violent Crime Reduction Bill which includes new powers for the police to impose 48-hour bans on pubs and clubs persistently selling to underage drinkers.
12 Jul 2005 : Column 909W
(ii) The Home Office and other Government Departments have worked in partnership with the Department of Health who have developed a framework for tackling volatile substance abuse. The draft framework outlines a number of key recommendations that Government will take forward in partnership with key stakeholders at local, regional and national level.
(iii) Registrars and local authorities coordinators of regulatory services (LACORS) are both represented on a joint Home Office/Registrars Group which discusses issues relating to marriage abuse. The General Register Office has provided guidance on identifying bogus marriages and on the implementation of the provisions contained in sections 19 to 25 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc.) Act 2004 to combat bogus marriages.
Mini-Motos
Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is taking to prevent the use of miniature motorcycles (mini-motos) on publicly owned land. [10437]
Paul Goggins: We have already given the police a power under the Police Reform Act 2002 to seize any mechanically propelled vehicle which is being driven both in a careless and inconsiderate manner on-road, or off-road without lawful authority, and causing or likely to cause alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public. How the police exercise this power is an operational matter for individual chief officers. We are aware of local initiatives, bringing together a wide range of interests, to investigate the possibilities for making special provision for recreational use of vehicles which will avoid nuisance to the general public. We are working with other Departments to develop such thinking and its practical implementation.
National Firearms Register
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2005, Official Report, column 766W, on the National Firearms Register, when he expects the National Firearms Licensing Management System to be successfully signed off and available for forces to take up. [8812]
12 Jul 2005 : Column 910W
Hazel Blears [holding answer 5 July 2005]: Load testing for the live piloting of the National Firearms Licensing Management System will resume in the autumn.
National Offender Management Service
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when the National Offender Management Service proposes to build on the sites in (a) Merseyside and (b) London for which it has obtained outline planning permission; [10180]
(2) what progress has been made in acquiring the two sites to build large multi-functional prisons for which the 2003 Budget Settlement made provision. [10181]
Fiona Mactaggart: Although the National Offender Management Service owns the two sites at Merseyside and London, no decision has been taken to build on them. A number of sites have previously been identified as potentially suitable for new prisons, but no decision to acquire any site has been made.
Off-licence Sales
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been for off-licence alcohol sales to people (a) already under the influence of alcohol and (b) under the age of 18 years in each of the last 10 years; if he will break down by region the number of defendants; and if he will make a statement. [1559]
Hazel Blears: The available information from the Home Office Court Proceedings database gives the number of defendants proceeded against in England and Wales, 1994 to 2003, for the offences of: Selling etc., intoxicating liquor to persons under 18 for consumption on the premises" (including wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18") and permitting drunkenness or riotous conduct on the premise, or selling liquor to a drunken person", broken down by region.
Statistics for 2004 will be available in the autumn.
We introduced the Violent Crime Reduction Bill on the 8 June 2005. The Bill includes a power for police to impose 48-hour bans on pubs and clubs persistently selling alcohol to underage drinkers. The provisions apply to all premises licensed to retail alcohol, including off-licenses, convenience stores and supermarkets, and to any person giving a temporary event notice which authorizes sales of alcohol.
12 Jul 2005 : Column 911W
(15) These data are on the principal offence basis.
(16) Includes Wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18"
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |