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9 Oct 2006 : Column 536W—continued
Special Advisers
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the dates of employment are of each special adviser employed in his Department. [89201]
John Reid: The dates of employment of the three Home Office Special Advisers are as follows:
Steve Bates—6 May 2006
Justin Russell—6 June 2006
Anna Macmillan—21 June 2006
Tagging
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated cost was of the electronic tags and tagging system in each year since 2001. [87209]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The annual cost of electronic monitoring in England and Wales in each financial year since 2001-2002 is shown in the table:
The current contracts, which commenced on 1 April 2005, have provided a saving of about 40 per cent. during 2005-06.
| Annual cost (£ million) | |
Thames Valley Police
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to strengthen Thames Valley Police officer numbers. [91665]
Mr. McNulty:
It is a matter for the Chief Constable in consultation with the police authority to decide the number of staff employed by the Thames Valley Police. At the end of March 2006 the force had 4,229 police
officers, an increase of 534, or 12.6 per cent. since 1997. In addition police staff numbers have increased by 930 over the same period to 2,755 in March 2006. The force also had 130 Police Community Support Officers in March.
Thames Valley Police is benefiting from additional Government funding from the Neighbourhood Policing Fund (NPF) to increase the number of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). With support from the NPF the Thames Valley Police has a target of 417 PCSOs by April 2007.
Theft Act
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department has issued to police authorities on (a) prosecuting and (b) recording incidents covered by section 3, on ‘making off without payment’, of the Theft Act 1978; and if he will make a statement. [89262]
Mr. McNulty: The Home Office Counting Rules contain the rules by which police forces in England and Wales count and classify crimes. The Rules are revised annually and the latest version was published on 1 April 2006. The current Rules include the following wording regarding the recording practice for 'making off without payment offences':
"Where a victim or their representative reports a making off without payment from a garage forecourt, the incident will be recorded in accordance with the basic principle of NCRS. Previous intelligence in respect of the vehicle or occupants, together with the current information may help to determine if, on the balance of probabilities, the making off without payment is as the result of a criminal act as defined by law."
The Crown Prosecution Service have responsibility for prosecuting these offences and make decisions in accordance with the guidance issued to Police Officers and Crown Prosecutors by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been made under section 3, on ‘making off without payment’, of the Theft Act 1978 in the Humberside Police Authority area in each of the last nine years; and if he will make a statement. [89263]
Mr. McNulty: Data from the Court Proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of defendants prosecuted at magistrates court, under section three, on ‘making off without payment’, of the Theft Act 1978 in the Humberside Police Authority, 1996 to 2004 are contained in the following table.
Statistics for 2005 court proceedings will be available in the autumn of 2006.
Trials Abroad
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support the Government have provided for the three former employees of Nat West in securing a fair trial in the United States. [90281]
Dr. Howells: I have been asked to reply.
We are offering the same level of consular support to the so-called “Nat West Three” that any other British national facing trial in the United States would receive. While our role is primarily a welfare one, we do provide information about the local legal system and lists of local lawyers. We have no reason to believe that the trial will not be conducted in accordance with international standards of fairness. We do consider making representations if a trial of a British national abroad does not meet those international standards. However, we cannot ask for any special treatment for British nationals and we cannot interfere in another country’s judicial system.
Under-age Drinking
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been for the sale of alcohol to minors in (a) licensed and (b) off-licence premises in each of the last 10 years. [90283]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The information requested is provided in the table. It is not possible to identify whether the prosecutions relate to licensed or off-licence premises as the data held centrally are not collected at that level of detail.
Data for 2005 will be available in November.
The offence of sale of alcohol to a person under 18 can attract a penalty notice for disorder (PND). The offence was added to the PND scheme on 1 November 2004, and there were 113 Penalty Notices issued for the offence in November and December of that year. Provisional data for 2005 show that a further 2,009 penalty notices were issued for the offence in 2005.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) licensed and (b) off-licence premises have lost their licences due to the sale of alcohol to minors in each of the last 10 years. [90284]
Mr. Woodward: I have been asked to reply.
This information is not held centrally.
Statistical returns recording on and off-licensed premises operating under the terms of the Licensing Act 1964 (the 1964 Act) are collated and published every three years. Accordingly, between 1996 and 2006, statistics are only available for the years 1998, 2001 and 2004. The number of on and off-licences revoked or not renewed for any reason are as follows:
| Licences revoked 1998 to 2004 | |||
| Year to 30 June | On-licensed premises | Off-licensed premises | Total |
These licences would have been revoked or not renewed by the licensing justices for a variety of reasons, including sales to persons under 18. Reasons for each decision are not recorded.
The Licensing Act 2003 came into force on 24 November 2005 and replaced on and off-licences issued under the 1964 Act with a new system of personal licences to sell alcohol and a separate licence for premises. Statistics for revocations of licences, under the new system, are not currently held centrally; information should however be available from local licensing authorities.
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