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7 Nov 2005 : Column 68W—continued
National Offender Management Service
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he expects that some probation areas will cease to function under the National Offender Management Service proposals. [23542]
Fiona Mactaggart [holding answer 31 October 2005]: Under the proposals set out in the consultation paper 'Restructuring Probation to Reduce Re-offending', probation 'trusts' will become one of a number of possible providers of probation services. Their continued existence will depend on their ability to contribute to the reduction of re-offending and thereby win business.
This is about finding the best provider for the job, whether from private, voluntary and community or public sector.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the probation boards will be retained under the National Offender Management Service designer model. [23543]
Fiona Mactaggart [holding answer 31 October 2005]: As we have set out in our consultation paper 'Restructuring Probation to Reduce Re-offending', we propose that probation boards cease to exist in their present form and be reconstituted as new bodies, provisionally termed 'trusts', with whom the Secretary of State may contract for probation services.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff who have been transferred to the National Offender Management Service since January 2004 have subsequently transferred back. [23544]
Mr. Charles Clarke [holding answer 31 October 2005]: In April 2005 28 staff who had transferred to the National Offender Management Service since January 2004 were loaned back at the request of the Prison Service to work on a Prison Service project.
There have been no other large scale transfers of staff back to either the Prison Service or national probation directorate although some individual staff may have chosen to transfer back through normal vacancy advertising procedures. We do not hold central records on individual career moves.
Non-custodial Sentences
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people convicted of crimes received a non-custodial sentence since 1997, broken down (a) by ethnicity and (b) by offences for which they were convicted. [23481]
Fiona Mactaggart:
Information taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings database on the number of
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people convicted for crimes who received a non-custodial sentence, by offence type, England and Wales, 1997–2003 is shown in the table.
Court statistics for 2004 will be available in late November.
The available information on the number of non-custodial sentences for indictable offences at the Crown Court, broken down by ethnicity, England and Wales for 2003 is as follows:
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| Number | |
|---|---|
| White | 16,134 |
| Black | 1,590 |
| Asian | 1,224 |
| Other | 561 |
| Unknown | 9,569 |
| Total | 29,081 |
Ethnicity data for magistrates courts is not available. Data for the Crown Court prior to 2003 is also not available.
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(13) These data are based on the principal offence basis.
Offences Against the Person Act
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the operation of sections (a) 58 and (b) 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861; [20094]
(2) if he will make a statement about the operation of sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. [20628]
Fiona Mactaggart: Section 58 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 makes it an offence to administer drugs or any noxious substance, or to use an instrument or other means with the intention of causing a miscarriage. It is also an offence for a pregnant woman to administer a noxious thing to herself or to use other means to cause herself to miscarry.
The maximum penalty is life imprisonment.
Under section 59 of the 1861 Act it is an offence to supply or procure any noxious thing or instrument knowing it is intended to be used to cause a woman to miscarry her pregnancy.
The maximum penalty is five years imprisonment.
Under section 5(2) of the Abortion Act 1967, any medical practitioner who acts in accordance with the Abortion Act will not commit an offence under the 1861 Act.
There has been one case under section 58 of the 1861 Act in the last five years.
Passports
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will return the passport of Mr. M.J. of Wendover, Buckinghamshire, (case reference J1124857; IA/02413/2005). [22430]
Mr. McNulty
[holding answer 31 October 2005]: Mr. M.J.'s passport was returned to him with notice of the decision to refuse his application on 21 June 2005. A letter has been sent to Mr. M.J. on 27 October
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requesting that he return his passport to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND), following the decision of the adjudicator to allow his appeal against the refusal. Once IND receive Mr. M.J.'s passport it will be endorsed appropriately and returned to him within one week.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of requests for return of documents resulted in the issuing of a loss of passport letter by the Home Office passport unit in (a) 1997–98, (b) 2001–02, (c) 2002–03, (d) 2003–04, (e) 2004–05 and (f) 2005 to date; and if he will make a statement. [18972]
Andy Burnham: The immigration and nationality directorate general group processes all applications for variation of leave to remain from in-country applicants. It also considers all applications for Home Office travel documents from non-British nationals, and issues travel documents where it is appropriate to do so. Please see the table for management information.
Prior to 2001–02 information on lost passport letters issued by General Group was not collected. Information on the proportion of requests for return of documents which subsequently result in the issue of a loss of passport letter is only available from April 2005. From April to September 2005, the Home Office Passport Unit received 6,239 requests for return of documents. In the same period 378 lost passport letters were issued, a proportion of 6.06 per cent.
(14) Plus 530 Royal Mail losses.
(15) Plus 0.09 per cent. Royal Mail losses.
(16) April-September 2005
(17) Plus 275 Royal Mail losses
(18) Plus 0.10 per cent. Royal Mail losses.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many loss of passport letters were issued by the Home Office Passport Unit in (a) 1997–98, (b) 2001–02, (c) 2002–03, (d) 2003–04, (e) 2004–05 and (f) 2005 to date; and if he will make a statement. [18973]
Andy Burnham: Immigration and nationality directorate general group processes all applications for variation of leave to remain from in-country applicants. It also considers all applications for Home Office travel documents from non-British nationals, and issues travel documentation where it is appropriate to do so.
Management information provided by General Group is in the following table. Prior to 2001–02 information on lost passport letters issued by General Group was not collected.
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(19) Plus 530 Royal Mail losses.
(20) Plus 0.09 per cent. Royal Mail losses.
(21) April to September 2005.
(22) Plus 275 Royal Mail losses.
(23) Plus 0.10 per cent. Royal Mail losses
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in Northern Ireland have a valid British passport. [21242]
Andy Burnham: The UK Passport Service does not hold this information. However between October 2004 and September 2005, 142,101 British passports were issued to persons with addresses in Northern Ireland.
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