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19 Jan 2006 : Column 1574W—continued
Departmental Objectives
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress towards his Department's strategic objective 2. [41055]
Fiona Mactaggart: Strategic objective 2 (more offenders are caught, punished and stop offending, and victims are better supported) is underpinned by our public sector agreement (PSA) targets:
The latest performance against these targets and the Standard was published in the Home Office autumn performance report 2005 Cm6707 on 19 December 2005 and is available on the Home Office website.
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More information is available in the Home Office departmental report Cm6528 which was published in June 2005 and is also available on the Home Office website. The next Home Office department report will be published shortly after the end of the 2005–06 financial year.
DNA Database
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to bring the number of British citizens whose DNA is kept on record down to the EU average. [43285]
Andy Burnham: There are no plans to bring the number down. The relatively large number of people on the British National DNA Database means there is a greater chance of matching DNA found at the scene of a crime to a suspect. The Database provides the public with a vital intelligence tool, providing around 3,000 intelligence matches per month. There has been a four-fold increase in the number of detections obtained through the use of DNA between 1999 and 2005.
Drug Addicts (Treatment)
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the scheme of giving drug addicts who commit non-violent offences treatment in the community rather than short prison terms; and whether there are plans to expand the scheme to include those who commit non-violent offences under the influence of alcohol. [39591]
Fiona Mactaggart: The Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) aims to make the most of opportunities provided by the criminal justice system to direct drug misusing offenders out of crime and into treatment and break the destructive cycle of drugs, offending and prison.
Key elements of the Programme are delivered in all areas of England while the intensive" elements of the Programme are currently operational in 97 areas with high levels of acquisitive crime. This includes testing individuals for Class A drugs who are charged with a trigger offence. Testing on Arrest is currently operational in three areas of England and will commence in all other DIP intensive areas in England on 31 March 2006. The results of the tests are also used to inform court decisions on bail and sentencing. It is a matter for the courts to determine the most appropriate sentence according to the offence committed.
From October 2000 until the introduction of the community order of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 in April 2005, drug treatment was delivered as a requirement of a community sentence through the Drug Treatment and Testing Order (DTTO). The DTTO is gradually being replaced by the Drug Rehabilitation Requirement (DRR) of the community order for offenders aged 18 or over.
There are no plans to extend DIP to include those who commit offences under the influence of alcohol. An Alcohol Treatment Requirement (ATR) is available to courts as a non-custodial sentencing option for offences linked to alcohol use.
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Drugs Act
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the change in the numbers of people who will be (a) arrested, (b) brought to court and (c) imprisoned in the next three years as a result of the Drugs Act 2005. [41698]
Paul Goggins: The regulatory impact assessment drawn up in connection with the implementation of the Drugs Act 2005 focussed on the additional number of convictions and offenders imprisoned on an annual basis. The figures were 2,294 and 287 respectively. No estimate was put on numbers of arrests and prosecutions.
Drugs Rehabilitation Programme
Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what response the Government have made to requests for funding for the detoxification and rehabilitation programme operated by RADAR in conjunction with Coldturkey UK. [41421]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 16 January 2006]: Ihave been asked to reply.
We have no record of having received any formal bid to central Government for the funding of any drug services operated by The Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation (RADAR).
However, the Department's currently funds RADAR through the section 64 general scheme as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 86,400 |
| 2004–05 | 95,000 |
| 2005–06 | 95,000 |
This core funding is for RADAR's central administrative costs, and covers their objectives to work towards change enabling disabled people to control their own lives, by promoting regulation, good practice and equality of opportunity, advocating the removal of physical and attitudinal barriers: informing disabled people, disability organisations and others on matters affecting disabled people, and supporting disability organisations.
Golden Jubilee Medal
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will extend HM the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal awarded to prison officers or armed forces personnel who had five years of service by February 2002 to officers working in private prisons. [36288]
Fiona Mactaggart:
Prison Custody Officers (PCO) currently working in contracted sector prisons who had completed five years of service in the public sector Prison Service by February 2002 and who fall within the set eligibility criteria are eligible for the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal. There are no plans to extend the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal to any other staff employed within the contracted prison sector.
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Highways Act
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) males and (b) females were (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted during 2004 of an offence under section 132(1) of the Highways Act 1980. [41012]
Fiona Mactaggart: Persons proceeded against and found guilty at the magistrates courts of offences under section 132(1) of the Highways Act 1980 cannot be separately identified on the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform as they form part of a miscellaneous group which cannot be analysed.
Home Detention Curfew Scheme
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences have been committed by those released on home detention curfew, broken down by offence. [30808]
Fiona Mactaggart: As at 31 October 2005 over 119,000 offenders had been released on to the home detention curfew scheme since it was introduced in January 1999. As of 31 October 2005, the Home Office had been notified of 4,095 offenders (or 3.4 per cent. of the total) who had been convicted, cautioned or were awaiting prosecution for 7,437 further offences committed or allegedly committed while they were subject to the scheme. The following table breaks down this figure by further offences.
Independent Monitoring Boards
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the size is of the independent monitoring board for each (a) prison and (b) Immigration Removal Centre establishment; what the membership is of each board; and if he will make a statement. [16380]
Fiona Mactaggart:
The complement of each prison and immigration removal centre Independent Monitoring Board is shown the following table together with the number of members in each Board as on 3 October 2005.
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(32)New board complements were issued, as a guide to Boards, in spring 2005. Minimum and maximum board sizes were set at 10 and 20 Board members respectively and recommended complements are being achieved though natural wastage.
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Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications were submitted to join the Independent Monitoring Board for each prison and immigration removal centre establishment in each of the last five years; what proportion were successful; and if he will make a statement. [16382]
Fiona Mactaggart: The information is provided in the following tables.
(33)Included a transfer.
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