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14 Dec 2005 : Column 2015W—continued
Poultry Auctions
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department's definition of higher risk events includes poultry auctions under licence. [34989]
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Mr. Bradshaw: The auction of poultry is defined as a higher risk event and is currently prohibited as are all sales from exhibitions, shows, fairs and other gatherings.
Sheep/Goats
Mr. David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the United Kingdom's derogation from EU Council Regulation 21/2004 on identifying sheep and goats will continue after December 2005. [34858]
Mr. Bradshaw: Yes, the derogation is currently due to expire on 30 April 2006.
A decision on whether the derogation will be extended will be taken by the EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health before the derogation expires.
Sugar Subsidies
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of the recent reductions of sugar subsidies by the EU on (a) encouraging trade in developing countries and (b) the overproduction and dumping of sugar. [35604]
Mr. Bradshaw: The existing EU sugar regime results in a structural surplus of around 5 million tonnes of sugar a year, much of which is disposed of on world markets with the aid of export subsidies. This depresses world prices as well as displacing other potential suppliers. It also requires the EU to limit access to its own market in order to protect its internal price structure.
Under the reformed arrangements agreed in November to take effect from July 2006, EU prices will be progressively reduced and the industry restructured to achieve a new balance of supply and demand consistent with the granting of full duty free access to all Least Developed Countries from 2009 (in addition to existing preferential access for African Caribbean and Pacific countries) and limiting exports to the new lower level of 1.27 million tonnes resulting from the recent WTO Panel ruling.
The impact of these changes is considered in detail in the Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment of options for reform of the EU Sugar Regime published by DEFRA in June 2005.
Water Reservoirs
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the water reservoirs that (a) have become operational in each year since 1990 and (b) are planned, giving the operating company in each case. [36482]
Mr. Morley:
No major public water supply reservoirs have been built since 1990 or are currently under construction. In fulfilment of their duties to maintain adequate supplies of water, several water companies
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propose to construct five new reservoirs. These proposals were set out in the 25-year water resources plans they prepared in 2004.
In each case the necessary approvals, such as planning permission, will need to be obtained.
SOLICITOR-GENERAL
Crown Prosecution Service
Mr. Amess:
To ask the Solicitor-General if he will list the complaints made by (a) members of the public, (b) hon. Members and (c) members of the House of
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Lords about the conduct of the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and what the outcome was in each case. [37372]
The Solicitor-General: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost (Code of Practice for Access to Government Information, part 2, section 9 a).
Mr. Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General how many (a) males and (b) females were employed by the Crown Prosecution Service in (i) Southend, (ii) Essex, (iii) Hertfordshire and (iv) the Metropolitan police area of London in each of the last 15 years for which figures are available. [37374]
The Solicitor-General: The number of males and females who were employed by the Crown Prosecution Service in (ii) Essex, (iii) Hertfordshire (iv) the Metropolitan police area of London for which figures are available are tabled as follows.
Southend is not a Crown Prosecution Service area but forms part of Essex area. It has not been possible to provide a breakdown for that part of the area alone.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General how many cases of person-assisted suicide the Crown Prosecution Service has taken up over the last 10 years for which information is available. [37510]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service has records of the volume of specific offences handled only since full implementation of the Compass Case Management System in April 2004. These records show that, during the year ending March 2005, two offences under s.2(l) of the Suicide Act 1961 (aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring the suicide of another) proceeded to a hearing, followed by a further three offences during the period 1 April to 8 December 2005.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General what the target staffing level is of the Crown Prosecution Service in (a) Southend and (b) Essex; and what the actual level is. [37511]
The Solicitor-General: CPS areas are required to operate within set budgets, rather than having target staffing figures.
CPS Essex is organised into four district teams. The South East Essex team has responsibility for cases arising in Southend. As at 1 December 2005, CPS Essex employed the full time equivalent of 25.4 staff in the South East team and the full time equivalent of 137.8 staff in the area as a whole. CPS Essex is currently recruiting at prosecutor level and has recently appointed two administrative witness care officers, who are due to take up their positions shortly.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General how many cases have been discontinued in the Essex Crown Prosecution Service, broken down by category of offence, in the last five years for which information is available. [37512]
The Solicitor-General: In September 2004, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) introduced a system for the recording and analysis of principal offence types for which each defendant is prosecuted. Before this date, the CPS measured only the seriousness of the offence as summary, either-way or indictable only.
Since September 2004, CPS Essex has processed a total of 30,952 defendants of whom a total of 3,700 had their cases discontinued. This figure includes cases: where a bindover was accepted; where a discontinuance
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decision was made by the prosecution; that are withdrawn with a reinstatement warning; in which no evidence is offered; and, a very small number where the indictment or prosecution was stayed.
4,601 defendants were processed under the offence type of offences against the person, of which 1,342 were discontinued.
292 defendants were processed under the offence type of sexual offences, of which 79 were discontinued.
4,418 defendants were processed under the offence type of theft and handling, of which 466 were discontinued.
254 defendants were processed under the offence type of fraud and forgery, of which 40 were discontinued.
1,706 defendants were processed under the offence type of criminal damage, of which 284 were discontinued.
974 defendants were processed under the offence type of drugs offences, of which 64 were discontinued.
1,943 defendants were processed under the offence type of public order offences, of which 351 were discontinued.
13,141 defendants were processed under the offence type of motoring offences, of which 634 were discontinued.
1,592 defendants were processed under the offence type of all other offences, of which 261 were discontinued.
The above analysis takes no account of cases which resulted in an administrative finalisation, where the defendant could not be traced by the police, had died, or been found unfit to plead.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will make a statement about the performance of the Crown Prosecution Service in (a) Southend and (b) Essex. [37513]
The Solicitor-General: CPS Essex performance data for the second quarter of 2005–06 shows improvements across a range of key indicators (measuring delivery of services to the public). The Area is achieving an overall rating of amber/green (on a scale where red indicates a negative likelihood and green indicates a positive likelihood) in relation to the likelihood of it meeting current targets. This equates to an overall performance improvement from the first quarter of 2005–06 and suggests improved delivery of Area business. These measurements relate to the Essex as a whole and do not break down to team performance within the county.
In addition, Essex CPS was designated as ready to move onto the statutory charging scheme with effect from Monday 12 December 2005. This reflects a significant achievement for the Area in relation to the provision of pre-charge advice to Essex police officers as part of the national rollout under the CPS Charging Programme.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General how many cases have been dealt with by the Essex Crown Prosecution Service by category of offence in the last five years for which information is available; and how many resulted in an (a) not guilty and (b) guilty verdict. [37514]
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The Solicitor-General: In September 2004, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) introduced a system for the recording and analysis of principal offence types for which each defendant is prosecuted. Before this date, the CPS measured only the seriousness of the offence as summary, either-way or indictable only.
Since September 2004, CPS Essex has processed a total of 30,952 defendants of which 25,228 resulted in a guilty verdict and 777 resulted in a not guilty verdict. Cases prosecuted by the CPS do not all conclude in a guilty or not guilty verdict. The figures for each principal offence code for defendants processed by CPS Essex between September 2004 and 8 December 2005 which concluded in a guilty or not guilty verdict are tabled.
18 defendants were processed under the offence type of homicide. 13 concluded in a guilty verdict and two concluded in an acquittal.
4,601 defendants were processed under the offence type of offences against the person. 2,957 concluded in a guilty verdict and 284 concluded in an acquittal.
292 defendants were processed under the offence type of sexual offences. 163 concluded in a guilty verdict and 48 concluded in an acquittal.
769 defendants were processed under the offence type of burglary. 626 concluded in a guilty verdict and 16 concluded in an acquittal.
271 defendants were processed under the offence type of robbery. 208 concluded in a guilty verdict and 14 concluded in an acquittal.
4,418 defendants were processed under the offence type of theft and handling. 3,875 concluded in a guilty verdict and 63 concluded in an acquittal.
254 defendants were processed under the offence type of fraud and forgery. 208 concluded in a guilty verdict and three concluded in an acquittal.
1,706 defendants were processed under the offence type of criminal damage. 1,376 concluded in a guilty verdict and 44 concluded in an acquittal.
974 defendants were processed under the offence type of drugs offences. 901 concluded in a guilty verdict and six concluded in an acquittal.
1,943 defendants were processed under the offence type of public order offences. 1,526 concluded in a guilty verdict and 61 concluded in an acquittal.
13,141 defendants were processed under the offence type of motoring offences. 12,316 concluded in a guilty verdict and 174 concluded in an acquittal.
1,592 defendants were processed under the offence type of all other offences. 1,268 concluded in a guilty verdict and 61 concluded in an acquittal.
The analysis takes no account of cases which resulted in an administrative finalisation (where the defendant could not be traced by the police, had died, or been found unfit to plead) or cases which were discontinued by the prosecution or discharged at committal.
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