| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
19 Jul 2005 : Column 1625W—continued
Sexual Offences Act
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been prosecuted under section (a) 30 and (b) 38 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003; and how many prosecutions were successful in each case. [12929]
Fiona Mactaggart: Offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, including sections 30 and 38, came into force on 1 May 2004. Statistics of court proceedings for 2004 will be published in the autumn.
Uninsured Drivers
Mr. Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he plans to take to reduce the number of uninsured drivers. [12617]
Paul Goggins:
We have introduced in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 a specific power for the police to seize immediately any vehicle driven by someone who is uninsured. Release of the vehicle is subject to the payment of prescribed charges and the
19 Jul 2005 : Column 1626W
production of a valid insurance certificate; otherwise the vehicle will be disposed of by the police. This power came into effect on 6 July 2005.
We also introduced in the same Act provisions to improve police access to the Motor Insurance Database (MID). These will make available to the police information about vehicles the use of which has been but is no longer covered by insurance and so enhance their ability to check an individual driver's status. The police use of this new facility, particularly in conjunction with automatic number plate recognition technology, should significantly improve their detection capability and help reduce the number of uninsured drivers.
Victims of Crime
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list organisations which have received funding from the Victims Fund to develop community-based services for victims of sexual crime, broken down by amount. [11954]
Fiona Mactaggart: A list of the organisations and amounts awarded from the Victims Fund in 2004–05 and 2005–06 will be published on the Government funding website in due course, in accordance with established best practice under the compact. Details of the successful organisations are set out in the following table.
19 Jul 2005 : Column 1628W
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to publish the responses to the consultation on the Victim's Code of Practice. [11955]
Fiona Mactaggart: Consultation on the draft Victims' Code of Practice ended on 30 May 2005. A summary of the responses received will be published in August and the final Victims' Code of Practice will be laid before Parliament in October.
Work-related Stress
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of work-related stress have been reported in his Department in each of the last three years; how much compensation was paid to employees in each year; how many work days were lost due to work-related stress in each year; at what cost; what procedures have been put in place to reduce work-related stress; at what cost; and if he will make a statement. [7865]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
There is no requirement for departments to keep separate records of the number of days lost or the number of cases of work related stress and while the Home Office records sickness absence due to stress or anxiety it is not possible to state what percentage of these absences may be due specifically to
19 Jul 2005 : Column 1629W
work related stress. For this reason the information requested relating to the number of work days lost, and the cost of this cannot be provided.
Where the Health and Welfare Service in the Home Office and the Staff Care and Welfare Service (SCWS) in the Prison Service record information on staff who self refer to them reporting work related stress or where this is a factor this information has been provided.
In the Home Office the number of interviews undertaken by the Health and Welfare Service over the last three years where work related stress has been cited as a factor as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 747 |
| 2003–04 | 817 |
| 2004–05 | 1,091 |
These figures cover staff in the Home Office, United Kingdom Passport Service (UKPS) and the Forensic Science Service. It should also be noted that the figures may include multiple interviews with the same member of staff.
19 Jul 2005 : Column 1630W
In the Prison Service figures for the last three years where staff have contacted SCWS reporting work related stress are:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 623 |
| 2003 | 542 |
| 2004 | 586 |
| 2005 (year to date) | 245 |
There have been no compensation payments made to current employees or former employees of the Home Office or any of its agencies as a result of work related stress over the last three years.
The Home Office and its agencies have a range of measures in place to reduce work related stress and to provide guidance, practical assistance and support to staff where it may arise.
These measures include the a clear statement of departmental values; provision of a range of work-life balance policies and practices, including flexible working, special leave and child care support; managing attendance; training to ensure that all staff have the right skills and competences to do their jobs; and comprehensive policies to tackle bullying, harassment and discrimination.
As the range and nature of the measures in place to reduce work related stress varies it is not possible to provide the costs except at disproportionate cost.
19 Jul 2005 : Column 1631W
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |