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24 Jan 2006 : Column 2038W—continued

Proceeds of Crime Act

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money was recovered in West Lancashire as a consequence of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each year since 2002. [43158]

Paul Goggins: Information is not available in the form requested. The total value of confiscation orders obtained by Lancashire constabulary under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and earlier legislation is as follows: 2002/03—£384,750 2003/04—£88,973, 2004/05—£3,475,486.

The total value of cash forfeiture orders obtained by Lancashire constabulary under the 2002 Act is as follows: 2002–03—£81,155, 2003–04—£31,980, 2004–05—£184,486. In addition the total value of confiscation orders obtained by the North West Regional Asset Recovery Team, which covers Lancashire, in 2004–05 was £251,493. Information on the value of orders obtained by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs in Lancashire is not available.

Public Order Act

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance has been issued by his Department on investigations and prosecutions under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986. [44469]

Hazel Blears: Guidance on Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 was issued to police forces and the courts in February 1987 in Home Office Circular 11/1987.

Recorded Offences (Humberside)

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded offences of
 
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(a) burglary, (b) thefts and (c) thefts from cars there have been in each division of Humberside Police in each year since 2002. [42559]

 
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Hazel Blears: The available information relates to offences recorded in basic command units in the Humberside police force area and is given in the table.
Recorded offences in Humberside 2002–03 to 2004–05

		Number of offences
Basic Command Unit	Offence	2002–03	2003–04	2004–05
East Riding of Yorkshire	Domestic burglary	1,569	1,405	1,203
	Thefts	9,423	9,200	7,695
	Of which:
	Thefts from cars	2,574	2,702	2,061
Kingston upon Hull	Domestic burglary	5,794	5,049	3,267
	Thefts	24,691	21,759	17,658
	Of which:
	Thefts from cars	7,085	5,413	4,459
North East Lincolnshire	Domestic burglary	2,358	2,151	1,966
	Thefts	11,378	12,627	11,467
	Of which:
	Thefts from cars	3,097	3,239	2,987
North Lincolnshire	Domestic burglary	2,492	1,805	1,359
	Thefts	7,950	8,482	6,540
	Of which:
	Thefts from cars	2,119	2,456	1,680

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences involving air weapons there were in each division of Humberside police in each of the last five years. [42585]

Hazel Blears: The requested data are not collected centrally.

Reoffending

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people previously in custody have reoffended in (a) Wimbledon and (b) the London borough of Merton in each year since 1997. [41708]

Fiona Mactaggart: The most recent reoffending data for adults were published in Re-offending of adults: results from the 2002 cohort" which is available through the Home Office's website (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/index.htm).

The report shows the proportion of offenders who reoffended within two years and were subsequently convicted, and separately identifies offenders given custodial and community sentences. The conviction for the offence is counted even if it occurred beyond the two year follow-up period. Results are given for 2000 and 2002.

Reconviction data for 1997 through 2000 were published in Prison statistics England and Wales 2002" and data for 2001 were published in Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2003". Both of these publications are available on the Home Office website. These series count only those convictions that were secured within the two year follow-up period.

Reconviction rates should be used with caution as a number of different factors can influence them. Reconviction rates can be adjusted to take account of the changing characteristics of offenders and these adjusted rates are published on the Home Office's website. The most recent data show that there has been a reduction in reoffending for all offenders of 0.2 per cent. against the 2000 baseline. The Home Office public service agreement target is to reduce re-offending by 5 per cent. by 2006.

Taxis

David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Department has spent on taxis in each of the last five years. [6502]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The information requested is contained in the table. Travel by taxi is allowed only in the following circumstances: for journeys for which there is no other suitable method of public transport, where heavy luggage has to be transported to or from the place of departure or arrival, or where the saving of official time is important.

The recorded cost of using taxis over the last two years are given in the following table.

	£
2000–01	133,479
2001–02	306,917
2002–03	362,905
2003–04 I	435,416
2004–05	665,764
Total	1,904,481

Terrorism (UK Airports)

Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding will be made available to the Bedfordshire police authority for 2006–07 for the provision of counter-terrorism initiatives at London Luton airport; and if he will make a statement. [42465]

Hazel Blears: The provision of police resources at an airport in the United Kingdom is an operational decision for the chief officer for each individual force.
 
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Police forces in England and Wales with responsibility for policing airports which do not hold designated status are entitled to apply for extraordinary funding to provide an appropriate policing presence in line with the current terrorist threat. Bedfordshire, in line with a number of other forces, has applied for such funding.

The level of funding awarded is determined by the Association of Chief Police Officers acting in full consultation with individual forces and the Home Office. For reasons of security we do not comment on the level of funding or which airports are in receipt of such funding.

Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations his Department plans to make to the independent review of policing at airports; and if he will make a statement. [42467]

Hazel Blears: The independent review of policing at airports is being led by Stephen Boys Smith, as announced by the Secretary of State for Transport on nine January. He has requested representations from a number of interested parties including the Home Office. These representations will be made in confidence to the review. The review's findings and recommendations are expected to be completed in late spring.

Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what level of funding was made available to each civil airport within the UK for the provision of counter terrorism initiatives in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [42468]

Hazel Blears: Provision of general security at airports within the United Kingdom is the responsibility of the operating authority for the individual airport concerned. Operational decisions about the nature and deployment of police officers on counter-terrorism duties at airports are made by chief officers of individual forces.

Since 2002–03 those police forces in England and Wales with responsibility for policing an airport which does not hold designated status under the Aviation Security Act 1982 are entitled to apply for extraordinary general funding to provide an appropriate police presence in response to the current terrorist threat. The level of funding awarded to each force is determined by the Association of Chief Police Officers in full consultation with the Home Office and the individual force. For security reasons we do not make public the level of funding provided to an individual force for this purpose.

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