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30 Oct 2006 : Column 127W—continued
| (b) Magistrates courts opened since 1995 | |
| Courthouse opened | |
Non-able-bodied Judges
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many non-able-bodied judges have been appointed in England and Wales since 1997. [97302]
Ms Harman: The current judicial database indicates that since 1 January 1997, 2.4 per cent. of new appointees to the judiciary have declared they have a disability. This figure may not fully represent the number of disabled judges appointed since 1997 as it is for the individual to decide whether or not to make a declaration of disability.
When the first judicial database came into existence in 1999 all available data on Judicial Office Holders was inputted onto the system. However information on judges appointed in 1997 but who subsequently left office before the creation of the database was excluded.
Pensions
Mr. Laws: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what the (a) present and (b) future retirement age arrangements are for each public sector pension scheme for which her Department has responsibility; and if she will make a statement; [96031]
(2) what the current (a) accrual rate and (b) normal retirement age is for each public sector pension scheme for which her Department is responsible; and if she will make a statement. [96034]
Ms Harman: The current accrual rates for the judicial pension schemes are set out in the Judicial Pensions Act 1981 and the Judicial Pensions and Retirement Act 1993.
A judge is normally required to retire at the age of 70, subject to the transitional provisions in the Judicial Pensions and Retirement Act 1993.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what savings estimate she has made of the effect on costs of the reforms to public sector pensions agreed with trades unions in 2005 in each year between 2006-07 and 2050-51; and if she will make a statement; [96035]
(2) what the current estimate is of the unfunded liability, in present value terms, of each public sector pension scheme for which her Department is responsible; and on what assumptions for (a) discount rate and (b) longevity the estimate is based; [96057]
(3) what recent estimate she has made of the (a) rate and (b) annual cost of employer contributions in each public sector pension scheme for which her Department has responsibility; and if she will make a statement. [96066]
Ms Harman: I refer the hon. Member to my previous answer of 23 October 2006, Official Report, column 1653W.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what the current rate of ill-health retirement is for each public sector pension scheme for which her Department is responsible; and if she will make a statement;. [96056]
(2) what the arrangements are for the payment of pensions to people who retire early through ill-health for each pension scheme for which her Department is responsible; what the incidence of ill-health retirement was as a percentage of all retirement for such schemes for each year since 1988-89; and if she will make a statement. [96018]
Ms Harman: The judicial pension schemes make provision for the immediate payment of accrued pension benefits to judges who are required to retire on grounds of ill health. Under the 1993 Judicial Pension Scheme there is an enhancement of service in the event of ill-health retirement prior to the age of 65. According to the available information, about 9.7 per cent. of judicial retirements in the period between 1992-93 and 2005-06 have been on health grounds. In the first six months of 2006-07 the corresponding figure has been 8.8 per cent.
PFI Projects
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much has been spent by her Department on Private Finance Initiative projects postponed pending further consideration or stopped in the last 12 months. [96804]
Ms Harman: Court building projects typically span more than one spending round. There are 12 PFI schemes whose funding over the next spending round will not be determined until the settlement is reached and consequently are positioned awaiting financial confirmation. £1.4 million has been spent on development and proprietary work for these projects in the last 12 months.
Home Department
Antisocial Behaviour
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2006, Official Report, columns 1033-34W, on anti-social behaviour, if he will take steps to record incidents of graffiti separately from incidents of criminal damage. [96594]
Mr. McNulty
[holding answer 24 October 2006]: British Crime Survey (BCS) respondents who have
been victims of criminal damage are asked about the nature of such damage. However, it is not possible to publish robust estimates of the number of incidents of graffiti due to the relatively low incidence and thus high variability of the estimates.
Criminal damage measures from the BCS are published in line with those from recorded crime, and thus will be reviewed if any changes are made to police statistics. We will explore whether police recorded crime returns could be amended to include the information requested, without placing an undue burden on police forces. The reviews of crime statistics (Statistics Commission and Smith, forthcoming) may also affect how measurements of criminal damage and graffiti are made in future years of the BCS and police recorded crime statistics.
Anti-terrorism
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of institutional racism in the police force on anti-terrorism strategies in the community. [94906]
Mr. McNulty: The police service has a duty to carry out its operations in a manner which does not discriminate against particular communities on the grounds of race or faith. All counter-terrorist policies and strategies are assessed for impact on racial groups, in accordance with the Race Relations Act 1976 (as amended). In addition, major counter-terrorist operations are subject to community impact assessments to ensure that potentially adverse impact is identified and measures taken to reduce or negate it.
Biometric Passports
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provisions he has made for people to register biometric passports. [84904]
Joan Ryan: I understand that you no longer wish to pursue this PQ.
Burglary
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many burglaries there were in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05 and (c) 2005-06 to date in (i) North Yorkshire, (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber Region and (iii) England and Wales in (A) domestic and (B) commercial properties. [97310]
Mr. McNulty: The available information is given in the following table. Statistics specifically for commercial premises are not available. Such offences are included in the ‘Burglary in a building other than a dwelling’ offence classification and cannot be separately identified.
| Offences of burglary recorded by the police | |||
| Number of offences | |||
| Period | |||
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | |
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many burglaries there have been in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05 and (c) 2005-06 to date in (i) Chorley and (ii) Lancashire and the North West in (A) domestic and (B) commercial properties. [98045]
Mr. McNulty: The available information is given in the following table. Statistics specifically for commercial premises are not available. Such offences are included in the ‘Burglary in a building other than a dwelling’ offence classification and cannot be separately identified.
| Offences of burglary recorded by the police | |||
| Number of offences | |||
| Period | |||
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | |
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