House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 18 Apr 2006 (pt 89)

18 Apr 2006 : Column 368W—continued

UK Residents (Overseas Questioning)

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there are circumstances under which residents of the UK may be transferred to another country for questioning in relation to terrorist offences committed in the UK. [48620]

Mr. Charles Clarke: There are no circumstances under which the UK Government would transfer residents of the UK to another country for the purpose of questioning in relation to terrorist offences committed in the UK without their consent. Section 47 of the Crime (International Co-operation) Act 2003 provides for the transfer of prisoners to another country for the purpose of assisting there in the investigation of an offence with their consent or with the consent of a person appearing to the Secretary of State to be an appropriate person to act on the prisoner's behalf.

Under-age Drinking

Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there were for under-age drinking in (a) Lancaster and Wyre and (b) Lancashire in the last year for which figures are available. [61323]

Hazel Blears: Under-age drinking is covered by a number of offences on the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. Information on these offences is provided in the following table, which gives the number of defendants aged 10–17 years who were proceeded against in magistrates Courts in Lancashire police force area, for selected offences related to alcohol in 2004 broken down by individual court. It is not possible to separate prosecutions in Lancaster and Wyre as the data are not broken down to that level of detail. Statistics for 2005 will be available in the autumn.
Number of defendants aged 10–17 years proceeded against at magistrates courts in Lancashire police force area for offences relating to under-aged drinking in 2004⁽¹⁴²⁾

Court Being found drunk in a highway or other public place⁽¹⁴³⁾ Being guilty while drunk of disorderly behaviour⁽¹⁴⁴⁾ Drunk in, or when entering a designated sports event⁽¹⁴⁵⁾ Person under 18 buying or attempting to buy or consuming intoxicating liquor in licensed premisis⁽¹⁴⁶⁾

Fylde Coast — 6 — —

Blackpool and Fylde — 4 — —

Chorley — 4 — —

Lancaster — 7 — —

Ormskirk — 1 — —

Preston 1 28 — —

South Ribble — 11 — 1

Fleetwood — 6 — —

Hyndburn — 7 — —

Blackburn, Darwen and Ribble Valley — 29 — —

Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale 1 19 — —

Lancashire police force area 2 122 — 1

⁽¹⁴²⁾ These data are provided on the principal offence basis
⁽¹⁴³⁾ S. 12 Licensing Act 1872
⁽¹⁴⁴⁾ S.91 Criminal Justice Act 1967
⁽¹⁴⁵⁾ S.2(2) Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985
⁽¹⁴⁶⁾ S.169C(1)&E(1) Licensing Act 1964; Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983 S.3 Sch para 4(2)

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Court	Being found drunk in a highway or other public place⁽¹⁴³⁾	Being guilty while drunk of disorderly behaviour⁽¹⁴⁴⁾	Drunk in, or when entering a designated sports event⁽¹⁴⁵⁾	Person under 18 buying or attempting to buy or consuming intoxicating liquor in licensed premisis⁽¹⁴⁶⁾
Fylde Coast	—	6	—	—
Blackpool and Fylde	—	4	—	—
Chorley	—	4	—	—
Lancaster	—	7	—	—
Ormskirk	—	1	—	—
Preston	1	28	—	—
South Ribble	—	11	—	1
Fleetwood	—	6	—	—
Hyndburn	—	7	—	—
Blackburn, Darwen and Ribble Valley	—	29	—	—
Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale	1	19	—	—
Lancashire police force area	2	122	—	1

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there were for under-age drinking in (a) Ribble Valley and (b) Lancashire in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [63657]

Paul Goggins: The specific offence of an individual aged under 18 knowingly consumes alcohol on relevant premises" was introduced in the Licensing Act 2003 which came into force on 24 November 2005. Statistics for 2005 will be available in autumn 2006. Before 2005 there was no specific offence for under-age drinking.

The court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform hold information on other offences relating to drunkenness. The table gives figures for defendants aged 10–17 prosecuted for these offences in Lancashire police force area, and Blackburn, Darwen, and Ribble Valley PSA (petty sessional area). It is not possible to identify which prosecutions were for Ribble Valley as the data is not broken down to this level of detail.

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These offences may also be dealt with under the penalty notice for disorder (PND) scheme. The scheme was introduced in England and Wales in 2004 to provide the police with a swift and efficient means of dealing with minor offences. The table gives data on the number of PNDs issued to juveniles aged 16–17 years old for alcohol related offences in Lancashire police force area for 2004 and provisional data for 2005. It is not possible to identify which PNDs were issued in Ribble Valley as the data is not broken down to this level of detail.
Number of penalty notices for disorder issued to under 18s for drinking offences in Lancashire police force area, 2004 and 2005 provisional data

Drunk and disorderly Drunk in highway Consumption of alcohol by under 18 in licensed premises⁽¹⁴⁷⁾

2004 207 5 —

2005 (provisional data) 344 5 4

⁽¹⁴⁷⁾ offence added to PND scheme from 1 November 2004

Number of defendants aged 10 to 17 years old, prosecuted at magistrates courts for offences relating to underaged drinking, in Lancashire police force area and Blackburn, Darwen, and Ribble Valley petty sessional area (psa) 1997 to 2004⁽¹⁴⁸⁾

Lancashire police force area
Blackburn, Darwen and Ribble Valley petty sessional area

Being found drunk in a highway or other Public place whether a building or not, or a licensed premises⁽¹⁴⁹⁾ Any person who in any public place is guilty, while drunk, of disorderly behaviour⁽¹⁵⁰⁾ Person under 18 buying or attempting to buy or consuming intoxicating liquor. Person under 18 buying or consuming intoxicating liquor in Licensed premises⁽¹⁵¹⁾ Being found drunk in a highway or other Public place whether a building or not, or a licensed premises⁽¹⁴⁹⁾ Any person who in any public place is guilty, while drunk, of disorderly behaviour⁽¹⁵⁰⁾ Person under 18 buying or attempting to buy or consuming intoxicating liquor. Person under 18 buying or consuming intoxicating liquor in Licensed premises⁽¹⁵¹⁾

1997 nil 79 nil nil 15 nil

1998 3 107 nil nil 19 nil

1999 4 160 nil nil 31 nil

2000 4 182 nil nil 38 nil

2001 6 204 nil 2 37 nil

2002 7 194 1 nil 33 nil

2003 nil 209 nil nil 50 nil

2004 2 122 1 nil 29 nil

⁽¹⁴⁸⁾ These data are on the principal offence basis.
⁽¹⁴⁹⁾ Licensing Act 1872 Sec 12.
⁽¹⁵⁰⁾ Criminal Justice Act 1967 Sec.91.
⁽¹⁵¹⁾ Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983 Schedule (Sec 3) para 4(2). Licensing Act 1964 Sec 169(2).

	Drunk and disorderly	Drunk in highway	Consumption of alcohol by under 18 in licensed premises⁽¹⁴⁷⁾
2004	207	5	—
2005 (provisional data)	344	5	4

	Lancashire police force area	Blackburn, Darwen and Ribble Valley petty sessional area
	Being found drunk in a highway or other Public place whether a building or not, or a licensed premises⁽¹⁴⁹⁾	Any person who in any public place is guilty, while drunk, of disorderly behaviour⁽¹⁵⁰⁾	Person under 18 buying or attempting to buy or consuming intoxicating liquor. Person under 18 buying or consuming intoxicating liquor in Licensed premises⁽¹⁵¹⁾	Being found drunk in a highway or other Public place whether a building or not, or a licensed premises⁽¹⁴⁹⁾	Any person who in any public place is guilty, while drunk, of disorderly behaviour⁽¹⁵⁰⁾	Person under 18 buying or attempting to buy or consuming intoxicating liquor. Person under 18 buying or consuming intoxicating liquor in Licensed premises⁽¹⁵¹⁾
1997	nil	79	nil	nil	15	nil
1998	3	107	nil	nil	19	nil
1999	4	160	nil	nil	31	nil
2000	4	182	nil	nil	38	nil
2001	6	204	nil	2	37	nil
2002	7	194	1	nil	33	nil
2003	nil	209	nil	nil	50	nil
2004	2	122	1	nil	29	nil

Vehicle Registration

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many road traffic offences were committed by vehicles that were registered at false or incorrect addresses in Ribble Valley constituency in each of the last five years; what offences were involved; what the estimated cost is of unpaid fines following such offences; and how many multiple offences were committed by the same vehicles in that period. [61640]

Hazel Blears: The information is not collected centrally.

Witness Attendance

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of (a) summary trials and (b) trials on indictment in England and Wales in the latest year for which figures are available was not effective because of non-attendance of Crown witnesses; and what percentage of those trials was ineffective due to (i) witnesses not having been warned and (ii) witnesses having been warned but not attending. [62524]

Fiona Mactaggart: In 2004–05, 3.7 per cent. of all Crown court trials and 6.4 per cent. of all magistrates courts trials in England and Wales were ineffective due to the non-attendance of prosecution witnesses. Those data are collected from all courts but are not currently broken down by summary and indictable trials, nor are data collected for the reasons for witness non-attendance.

The Government have introduced Witness Care Units as part of the No Witness, No Justice programme to support all prosecution witnesses from the point at which a defendant has been charged and to ensure that more witnesses attend court. An independent evaluation of the pilot project found that witness attendance at court improved by nearly 20 per cent. and that there was an overall increase of 6 per cent. in victim and witness satisfaction.

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There are now 165 Witness Care Units in place, with full coverage in every criminal justice area, and they have already demonstrated their effectiveness. In those cases handled by the units, the witness attendance rate has increased from 78.5 per cent. in the three months before units went live to 84 per cent. in August 2005.

Witness Care Units, jointly staffed by the Crown Prosecution Service and the police, ensure that witnesses receive a more thoughtful and tailor-made service, with their individual needs considered from the time a statement is first taken by the police. If the case proceeds to court, witnesses will have a single point of contact to keep them up to date on how the case is proceeding, if and when they are required to give evidence and what the final outcome is.

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