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Kidnappings (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been kidnapped in London in each year since 1997. [15519]

Paul Goggins: The available information relates to recorded offences of kidnapping and is given in the tables. The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on one April 2002 and statistics before and after that date are not directly comparable.
Table 1: Recorded offences of kidnapping in the London area⁽¹⁵⁴⁾—1997 to 2001–02

Period	Kidnapping (number of offences)
1997	542
1998–99	628
1999–2000	787
2000–01	890
2001–02	1,095

⁽¹⁵⁴⁾Includes the Metropolitan Police and City of London police.
Note:
The data in this table are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.





Table 2: Recorded offences of kidnapping in the London area⁽¹⁵⁵⁾—2002–03 to 2004–05

Period	Kidnapping (number of offences)
2002–03	1,145
2003–04	1,013
2004–05	819

⁽¹⁵⁵⁾Includes the Metropolitan Police and City of London police.
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.

Licensing Act

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the proposed criteria are by which an area can be designated an alcohol disorder zone. [12839]

Hazel Blears: The proposed criteria for the designation of an alcohol disorder zone are set out at clause 13, subsections (1) and (8) of the Violent Crime Reduction Bill (www.parliament.uk) In summary: the criteria provide for a test on whether there is nuisance or annoyance or disorder in or near the locality that is linked with the consumption of alcohol; and a local
 
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authority may only designate a locality an alcohol disorder zone where the action plan (setting out the remedial steps that would make designation unnecessary) will not be implemented.

Mentally Disturbed Offenders

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress on work in standardising court diversion schemes for the mentally ill as set out in the Government's reply to the eleventh report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights of 2004–05 on Deaths in Custody. [15360]

Fiona Mactaggart: Improving the arrangements for Criminal Justice Liaison and Diversion services is now a part of dedicated joint project of the Home Office, Department of Health and Department of Constitutional Affairs aimed at improving the way health and social services advise and support the management of those before the courts. A series of regional events involving health, criminal justice and social care agencies is planned later this year.

These events will provide an opportunity to raise the profile of diversion schemes for mentally disordered offenders, identify good practice, and promote a co-ordinated approach to planning and delivery of services. Each diversion scheme will need to meet the needs of the community that it serves, ensuring that offenders coming before the courts have their mental health or other needs assessed at the earliest opportunity, informing sentencing decisions, and facilitating access to health or social care interventions at the right time.

Ministerial Speeches

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many speeches have been made by his Department's Ministers in each month since 1997; and how many have been published on the www.homeoffice.gov.uk website. [1397]

Mr. Charles Clarke: Details relating to the number of speeches made by Ministers are not collated centrally and to provide them would incur disproportionate costs.

37 ministerial speeches are currently available to download from the Home Office website.

Missing Dogs

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many dogs have been reported missing or stolen each year in the United Kingdom since 2000, broken down by borough. [15880]

Hazel Blears: It is not possible to identify the number of dogs stolen from the recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office for England and Wales. Information is not collected by the Home Office on the number of dogs reported missing.

Statistics for Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the respective Secretaries of State.
 
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Missing Persons (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been reported as missing in London in each year since 1997. [15521]

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Home Office.

Mopeds

Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued on whether mopeds may be parked in pedestrian zones, including pavements. [14089]

Paul Goggins: Guidance on pedestrianised zones is issued to local authorities by the Government Offices for the Regions. Enforcement against vehicles improperly parked is an operational matter for the police or the local authority.

Motorbike Nuisance

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions police forces have used powers under the Police Reform Act 2002 to issue warnings to individuals and to seize motorbikes following offences concerning motorbike nuisance. [14804]

Paul Goggins: Figures for the number of warnings issued to individuals and the number of motorbikes seized under the provisions of Section 59 of the Police Reform Act are not collected centrally.

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers are available to the police to combat the anti-social use of micro-bikes. [13309]

Paul Goggins: The police have the power under the Police Reform Act 2002 to seize ay mechanically propelled vehicle which is being driven both in a careless and inconsiderate manner on-road or off-road without lawful authority, and is causing or likely to cause alarm , distress or annoyance to members of the public. If a microbike is ridden on the pavement, the police can deal with this as an offence under the Highways Act 1835. Where the rider is a child the police may choose instead to warn him and advise his parents as necessary.

Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers the police have to deal with nuisance and disturbance caused by the use of mini-motorbikes. [14899]

Paul Goggins: The police have a power under the Police Reform Act 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. If a microbike is ridden on the pavement, the police can deal with this as an offence under the Highways Act 1835. Where the rider is a child the police may choose instead to warn him and advise his parents as necessary.
 
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Motoring Offences

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the penalties, including number of penalty points, for each motoring offence. [10547]

Paul Goggins: The penalties for all motoring offences are listed in schedule two to the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 as amended, a copy of which is available in the Library.

Multiple Passports

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate how many people who have a British passport also are (a) in possession of and (b) entitled to a passport of a different nationality; and what mechanisms are in place to monitor the use of multiple passports. [14072]

Andy Burnham: The UK Passport Service does not retain this information. UK nationality law does not prohibit the holding of dual nationality and the UK Passport Service does not record whether British passport holders have another nationality. The use of multiple passports is also not monitored.

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