2 Nov 2005 : Column 1107Wcontinued
Indefinite Leave to Remain
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to supply Mr. T. M. of Aylesbury (ref. M1194191; CTS ref. M20613/5) with formal documentation to confirm the grant to him of indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom. [22429]
Mr. McNulty
[holding answer 25 October 2005]: The case of Mr. T. M. of Aylesbury is being treated as a priority. The Immigration and Nationality Directorate will grant him indefinite leave to remain when certain documents that were requested from Mr. T. M. on the 25 October have been received.
2 Nov 2005 : Column 1108W
Licensing Hours
Mr. Walker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of violent assaults in England and Wales were attributed to alcohol abuse in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [18556]
Hazel Blears:
The Home Office does not hold data on violent assaults attributable to alcohol abuse (ie involving people with problems with alcohol).
Mr. Walker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has conducted into the impact of extended licensing hours on the allocation of police resources; and if he will make a statement. [18558]
Hazel Blears:
Under the outgoing licensing law, the police are annually engaged in over 1.6 million administrative licensing processes which will be streamlined to around 170,000 under the Licensing Act 2003 resulting in a saving of up to £15 million annually. The Act will also give the police further powers to tackle alcohol related disorder, for instance through allowing temporary or permanent reductions in trading hours.
Missing Children
Ms Abbott:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken to establish the whereabouts of the African and Caribbean boys between the ages of four and seven who were recently identified as having gone missing from London schools over a three-month period; and what steps have been taken to encourage the Department for Education and the Immigration and Nationality Directorate to work more closely together to improve systems of record keeping. [19680]
Hazel Blears:
Initial inquiries made by Metropolitan Police Officers investigating the 'Adam' murder found that a number of African boys had not returned to school following the summer break in 2001. Following their further investigations, I understand from the Metropolitan Police Service that in every case there were legitimate reasons for the boys not returning to school and none of the boys reported as missing is unaccounted for.
There has been considerable media speculation that these children were trafficked for the purpose of ritual abuse. There is no evidence that any of them has come to any harm or been involved in ritualistic practices and there were no allegations from either the families or schools that the welfare of these children was at risk. The Metropolitan police have made it clear that they believe this type of crime to be extremely rare, and that there is no evidence to suggest that any children are at risk.
The Department for Education and Skills, the Home Office and the police service are continuing to work together to reinforce local procedures to ensure that any children at risk might be identified. Every Child Matters: Change for Children, published by the Department for Education and Skills on 1 December 2004, iterates the Government's expectation that by
2 Nov 2005 : Column 1109W
December 2005 every local authority should have systematic arrangements in place to identify children missing from education, so that suitable provision can be made for them.
Motoring Offences
Mr. Amess:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) hit and run accidents, (b) hit and run accidents in which the driver did not have insurance and (c) hit and run accidents for which drivers were taken to court and (i) fined, (ii) imprisoned and (iii) acquitted there were in (A) Southend, (B) Essex, (C) the Metropolitan police area of London and (D) England and Wales in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what percentage of these fines remain unpaid. [20630]
2 Nov 2005 : Column 1110W
Fiona Mactaggart:
Information on the number of drivers without insurance who are involved in hit and run accidents is not collected centrally.
Available information taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database and given in Tables AD2 show the number of offences proceeded against by result for the offence of 'failing to stop after an accident' under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 170 (4) from 1999 to 2003 (latest available). 2004 data will be available early in 2006.
Table E, provided by the Department for Transport, details data for those accidents classified as hit and run.
Fines are collected by the courts and the current payment rate for fines in general is around 80 per cent.
Table A: Court proceedings for accident offences(20) within Southend-on-Sea magistrates court by result, 19992000
Number of offences
|
---|
| Total proceedings | Charges withdrawn/dismissed (21) | Total findings of guilt | Immediate custody (22) | Fine
|
1999 | 250 | 38 | 164 | 10 | 95
|
2000 | 329 | 105 | 198 | 12 | 107
|
2001 | 286 | 76 | 190 | 8 | 100
|
2002 | 309 | 100 | 184 | 13 | 90
|
2003 | 319 | 84 | 215 | 10 | 105
|
(20) Aiding, abetting, causing or permitting accident offences under the RTA88 s. 170(4)
(21) Includes cases under Magistrates Courts Act 1980 s9 (when court, after hearing the evidence, decide the defendant is not guilty).
(22) Includes sentences of Secure Training Order, Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and Unsuspended sentence of imprisonment.
Table B1: Proceedings at magistrates courts for accident offences(23) dealt with by Essex police by result, 19992000
Number of offences
|
---|
| Total proceedings | Charges withdrawn/dismissed (24) | Total findings of guilt | Immediate custody (25) | Fine
|
1999 | 998 | 326 | 594 | 30 | 366
|
2000 | 1,103 | 416 | 605 | 24 | 360
|
2001 | 1,185 | 380 | 710 | 36 | 413
|
2002 | 1,214 | 385 | 731 | 34 | 379
|
2003 | 1,309 | 421 | 787 | 49 | 403
|
(23) Aiding, abetting, causing or permitting accident offences under the RTA88 s. 170(4)
(24) Includes cases under Magistrates Courts Act 1980 s9 (when court, after hearing the evidence, decide the defendant is not guilty).
(25) Includes sentences of Secure Training Order, Detention & Training Order, Young Offender Institution and Unsuspended sentence of imprisonment.
Table B2: Proceedings at the Crown court for accident offences(26) dealt with by Essex police by result, 19992000
Number of offences
|
---|
| Total proceedings for trial | Acquitted | Total findings of guilt | Immediate custody (27) | Fine
|
1999 | 6 | 5 | 1 | |
|
2000 | 8 | 4 | 4 | |
|
2001 | 6 | 2 | 2 | |
|
2002 | 6 | 6 | | |
|
2003 | 27 | 10 | 17 | | 4
|
(26) Aiding, abetting, causing or permitting accident offences under the RTA88 s. 170(4)
(27) Includes sentences of Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and Unsuspended sentence of imprisonment.
Table C1: Proceedings at magistrates courts for accident offences(28) dealt with by the Metropolitan police by result, 19992000
Number of offences
|
---|
| Total proceedings | Charges withdrawn/dismissed (29) | Total findings of guilt | Immediate custody (30) | Fine
|
1999 | 2,544 | 1,029 | 1,293 | 44 | 891
|
2000 | 2,212 | 884 | 1,115 | 36 | 737
|
2001 | 1,926 | 827 | 960 | 39 | 577
|
2002 | 1,919 | 768 | 986 | 33 | 603
|
2003 | 1,838 | 746 | 957 | 40 | 535
|
(28) Aiding, abetting, causing or permitting accident offences under the RTA88 s. 170(4)
(29) Includes cases under Magistrates Courts Act 1980 s9 (when court, after hearing the evidence, decide the defendant is not guilty).
(30) Includes sentences of Secure Training Order, Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and Unsuspended sentence of imprisonment.
2 Nov 2005 : Column 1111W
Table C2: Proceedings at the Crown court for accident offences(31) with by the Metropolitan police by result, 19992000
Number of offences
|
---|
| Total proceedings for trial | Acquitted | Total findings of guilt | Immediate custody (32) | Fine
|
1999 | 32 | 11 | 19 | | 2
|
2000 | 28 | 5 | 23 | 13 | 2
|
2001 | 15 | 5 | 9 | |
|
2002 | 34 | 12 | 19 | 3 | 3
|
2003 | 40 | 12 | 28 | 5 | 5
|
(31) Aiding, abetting, causing or permitting accident offences under the RTA88 s. 170(4)
(32) Includes sentences of Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and Unsuspended sentence of imprisonment.
Table D1: Proceedings at magistrates courts for accident offences(33) within England and Wales by result, 19992000
Number of offences
|
---|
| Total proceedings | Charges withdrawn/dismissed (34) | Total findings of guilt | Immediate custody (35) | Fine
|
1999 | 27,259 | 8,956 | 16,208 | 562 | 9,503
|
2000 | 26,692 | 9,211 | 15,512 | 518 | 8,917
|
2001 | 28,105 | 10,150 | 15,624 | 518 | 8,573
|
2002 | 28,394 | 10,059 | 15,912 | 513 | 8,320
|
2003 | 29,549 | 10,290 | 16,691 | 540 | 8,813
|
(33) Aiding, abetting, causing or permitting accident offences under the RTA88 s. 170(4)
(34) Includes cases under Magistrates' Courts Act 1980 s9 (when court, after hearing the evidence, decide the defendant is not guilty).
(35) Includes sentences of Secure Training Order, Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and Unsuspended sentence of imprisonment.
Table D2: Proceedings at the Crown court for accident offences(36) within England and Wales by result, 19992000
Number of offences
|
---|
| Total proceedings for trial | Acquitted | Total findings of guilt | Immediate custody (37) | Fine
|
1999 | 321 | 98 | 220 | 9 | 17
|
2000 | 348 | 62 | 284 | 51 | 19
|
2001 | 342 | 63 | 274 | 25 | 18
|
2002 | 465 | 84 | 372 | 29 | 22
|
2003 | 558 | 115 | 400 | 27 | 27
|
(36) Aiding, abetting, causing or permitting accident offences under the RTA88 s. 170(4)
(37) Includes sentences of Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and Unsuspended sentence of imprisonment.
Source:
RDS-OCJR (PQM&SDC15105)
Table E: Hit and run accidents by area and severity: 19992004
| Year of accident
|
| 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004
|
Local authority (district): Southend-on-Sea | |
|
Fatal | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0
|
Serious | 7 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 10
|
Slight | 67 | 67 | 77 | 74 | 89 | 91
|
Total | 74 | 77 | 88 | 87 | 100 | 101
|
| | | | | |
|
County: Essex | | | |
|
Fatal | 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2
|
Serious | 49 | 72 | 75 | 93 | 126 | 86
|
Slight | 507 | 571 | 602 | 730 | 683 | 683
|
Total | 557 | 648 | 681 | 826 | 811 | 771
|
| | | | | |
|
Police force code: Metropolitan police | | |
|
Fatal | 26 | 15 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 20
|
Serious | 376 | 507 | 629 | 680 | 617 | 470
|
Slight | 3,104 | 3,718 | 4,691 | 5,121 | 4,732 | 3,870
|
Total | 3,506 | 4,240 | 5,347 | 5,831 | 5,378 | 4,360
|
| | | | | |
|
Country: England and Wales | | | |
|
Fatal | 131 | 100 | 126 | 148 | 137 | 131
|
Serious | 1,936 | 2,184 | 2,275 | 2,600 | 2,537 | 2,091
|
Slight | 17,736 | 20,160 | 22,448 | 23,734 | 23,484 | 21,127
|
Total | 19,803 | 22,444 | 24,849 | 26,482 | 26,158 | 23,349
|
Source:
Department for Transport.