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7 Nov 2005 : Column 166W—continued
Hearings in Chambers
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance she has provided to the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to representation at hearings by justices in chambers. [20743]
The Solicitor-General: I have been asked to reply.
When the police arrest a suspect and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) makes a decision to charge the suspect, the custody officer will decide whether to detain or to admit the suspect to post-charge bail until the first court hearing.
At court, the magistrates will consider the issue of bail afresh, following a bail recommendation by the Crown prosecutor and bail representations by the defence.
Following the introduction of statutory charging, the police now have an additional power to release a suspect on pre-charge bail to obtain a charging decision from a Crown prosecutor.
On 21 May 2004, the Director of Public Prosecutions issued guidance to police officers and Crown prosecutors under section 37A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. The guidance sets out the cases which must be referred to prosecutors for charging decisions and the circumstances in which a release on bail before charge may be appropriate in accordance with the amendments to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, introduced by the Criminal Justice Act 2003. Further guidance was issued in April 2005 to the CPS and the police on the use of pre-charge bail.
Unsecured Debts
Dr. Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether she plans to bring forward proposals to increase enforcement powers for financial institutions seeking to recover unsecured debts; and if she will make a statement. [24552]
Ms Harman: My Department set out proposals to reform the civil enforcement process in the White Paper Effective Enforcement", published March 2003.
The introduction of our proposals, which are subject to the availability of parliamentary time for new legislation, seek, among other things, to streamline the charging order process as opposed to increasing powers. In addition, in looking to address the issue of vulnerable debtors and unscrupulous lenders, the proposals aim to tighten the licensing procedure for those involved in enforcement to tackle some of the difficulties experienced within the lending sector. My Department and other Government Departments continue to liaise closely on this.
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While looking to protect vulnerable debtors the Government also recognise that responsible creditors who are owed money and having gained valid judgments through the courts should have the right to enforce that judgment by the most appropriate means available.
Voter Registration
Ms Abbott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what measures she has taken to increase the registration on the electoral register of black and ethnic minorities. [19682]
Ms Harman: The Electoral Commission published its report Understanding Electoral Registration in September this year. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of registration rates and a detailed analysis of non-registration by ethnic group.
The report shows that on 15 October 2000—the date on which the report's analysis is based—the level of non-registration among the eligible all ethnic minority in England and Wales was 17 per cent. My Department is actively working with representatives from black and ethnic minorities groups such as Operation Black Vote, Blink 1990 Trust, The Muslim Council of Britain, Muslim Public Affairs Committee, Hindu Council of Britain, Hindu Forum of Britain to increase awareness on voter registration. My Department is also co-hosting a seminar on under-registration in London and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Convention on Tibet (Edinburgh)
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government will be represented at the International Parliamentary Convention on Tibet in Edinburgh in November. [26190]
Mr. Straw: No. We are aware of the meeting. It is not an official event. The Government have no involvement in it and will not be represented at it.
Our position in respect of Tibet is long-standing and is unchanged.
Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply to the letter of 7 September from the right hon. Member for Manchester Gorton with regard to Mr. Siddak Ali. [24413]
Dr. Howells: My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman of Tottenham) replied to my right hon. Friend on 2 November.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply to the letter of 26 September from the right hon. Member for Manchester Gorton with regard to Mrs. Tahira Hussain. [24414]
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Dr. Howells: My right. hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary replied on 25 October.
Custodial Sentences (Overseas)
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British nationals are serving custodial sentences outside the UK, broken down by category of offence. [23699]
Dr. Howells: Records on numbers of British nationals serving custodial sentences overseas broken down by every offence are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, on 31 March 2005, British consular staff were aware of 2,764 British nationals in detention overseas. 1,266 British nationals were detained for drugs-related offences, and 118 for child sex-related offences. These figures include detainees on remand, as well as those serving custodial sentences.
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British nationals are serving custodial sentences outside the UK, broken down by country. [23700]
Dr. Howells: Records on numbers of British nationals serving custodial sentences overseas are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, on 31 March 2005, British consular staff were aware of 2,764 British nationals in detention overseas. The breakdown is shown in the following table. This figure includes detainees on remand, as well as those serving custodial sentences.
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Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British nationals have served custodial sentences outside the UK in each year for the last 10 years. [23701]
Dr. Howells: Records on the numbers of British nationals serving custodial sentences overseas are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the following table provides a figure for the number of new cases of British nationals detained overseas each year for the last nine years. These figures include both those detained and released without charge or acquitted, and those who went on to serve custodial sentences.
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 5,639 |
| 1997 | 6,039 |
| 1998 | 6,159 |
| 1999 | 6,501 |
| 2000 | 8,758 |
| 2001 | 7,861 |
| 2002 | 6,501 |
| 2003–04 | 6,744 |
| 2004–05 | 5,975 |
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