House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 02 Nov 2006 (pt 0014)

2 Nov 2006 : Column 613W—continued

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many category C prisoners have been transferred to Ford prison in each month since 1 January; and how many of these have subsequently absconded. [94782]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Ford is an open prison and only category D prisoners are transferred there.

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national prisoners removed from Ford prison on 26 May (a) have been transferred back to Ford prison and (b) are due to be returned to Ford prison. [94786]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The position as of 17 October is as follows. Following thorough individual risk assessments, 19 of the 142 foreign national prisoners who were moved from Ford prison on 26 May 2006 have been returned there, and one is awaiting transfer. Three others assessed as suitable to return to Ford were released on completion of their sentence before the transfer could be effected. A further five prisoners were transferred to other open prisons.

Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2006, Official Report, columns 2030-31W, on prisons, if
2 Nov 2006 : Column 614W
he will make it his policy to collect centrally information on discharges from HM prisons. [95525]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The new National Offender Management Service computer system being rolled out across the prison estate in England and Wales by the end of 2008 will provide this facility. It will also assist in providing central identification of prisoners who return to custody having been unlawfully at large.

Probation Service

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will extend the term of office of members of probation boards in areas where it has not been possible to recruit replacements for those members whose term of office has ended; and if he will make a statement. [98119]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The application period for chairsand members of probation boards closed on 9 and16 October 2006 respectively and the numbers received were for chair, 719 and for members, 2,300. As the respective vacancies stand at 30 and 296 this is an excellent result, which we anticipate will produce sufficient quality candidates to fill the chair and board member vacancies. At this stage I do not, therefore propose to extend the term of office of any chairs or board members. However if after the interview stage there remains a shortfall in either category I will consider amending the relevant statutory instruments.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications he has received to serve as a member of the Hampshire Probation Board. [98120]

Mr. Sutcliffe: We have received 47 applications for chair of the Hampshire Probation Board and 91 for members.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are serving on the Hampshire Probation Board; when the term of office of each person serving ends; how many vacancies there are on the board; and if he will make a statement. [98121]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The number of members serving onthe Hampshire Probation Board totals 13 including the chair; of these 11 members’ terms expire on the 31 March 2007 and two members of the boardwere appointed from 31 January 2006 and can serve to 30 January 2009 before seeking reappointment for a second and final term. The 13 serving members exclude the judge (appointed by the Department for Constitutional Affairs) and the chief officer who serves on the board ex officio.

Road Safety

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many road accidents there have been in each of the last five years where one of the cars involved did not have its headlights switched on. [96895]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The information is not collected centrally by my Department.

2 Nov 2006 : Column 615W

Romania/Bulgaria

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to prevent those involved in criminal activities in Romania and Bulgaria receiving entry clearance to the UK when those countries join the EU in January 2007; and if he will establish a system of information-sharing with the Romanian and Bulgarian police to this end. [95209]

Mr. Byrne: Upon accession to the European Union, Bulgarian and Romanian nationals will enjoy the same free movement rights as other EEA nationals across the EU, and therefore will no longer need a visa to enter the United Kingdom. The UK, like other member states, can refuse admission to EEA nationals on public policy, public security and public health grounds, as defined by directive 2004/38/EC.

2 Nov 2006 : Column 616W

UK law enforcement agencies are working closely with their Romanian and Bulgarian counterparts to share information, to ensure that we can swiftly and effectively tackle any impact that Bulgarian and Romanian accession may have on crime in the UK.

Safety Cameras

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of successful convictions were made in each year since 1997 for speeding offences on the basis of successfully recorded photographs. [95986]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Data from 1997-2004 (latest available) are given in the table.

2005 data will be available early in 2007.

Number and proportion of total findings of guilt^{( 1)} at magistrates courts for speed limit offences^{( 2)} , England and Wales, 1997-2004
Number of offences
	Speed limit offences^{( 2)}		Of which: Detected by camera^{( 3,4)}
	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage
1997	132,800	100	43,800	33
1998	153,500	100	59,100	39
1999	153,600	100	68,300	44
2000	141,400	100	96,700	68
2001⁽⁵⁾	135,600	100	121,800	90
2002	124,600	100	86,500	69
2003	140,000	100	106,200	76
2004	143,200	100	102,000	71
⁽¹⁾ Includes cases where fixed penalty notices were originally issued but not paid and subsequently referred to court. ⁽²⁾ Offences under the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 and Motor Vehicles (Speed Limits on Motorways) Regulations 1973. ⁽³⁾ Estimated from combining data from OCJR’s Court Proceedings Database and separate data from the police. ⁽⁴⁾ Automatic cameras until 1998, all camera types from 1999. ⁽⁵⁾ Following successful pilots the safety camera programme was rolled out nationally from August 2001. By the end of 2004, 39 police forces had joined the scheme. Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when these data are used.

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what proportion of speed camera tickets were issued to drivers under the age of 25 years in the last period for which figures are available; [95509]

(2) how many fixed penalty notices were issued for speeding offences caught by (a) speed cameras and (b) traffic officers in each year since 1997; how many fixed penalty notices were paid in relation to speeding offences; how many court proceedings were started in relation to speeding offences; and how many (i) guilty and (ii) not guilty verdicts were reached in relation to speeding offences. [95511]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Data collated centrally on fixed penalty notices issued do not identify the age of offenders.

Fixed penalty notices issued for speeding offences by detection method is provided in Table A. This shows the number of ‘substantive’ fixed penalty notices issued i.e. where a conditional offer is accepted (paid).

Information on fixed penalty notices not paid is collected centrally by type of notice (endorsable or non-endorsable) only and not by type of offence.

Court proceedings data on speed limit offences by result are given in Table B. 2005 data will be available early in 2007.

2 Nov 2006 : Column 617W

2 Nov 2006 : Column 618W

Table A: Fixed penalty notices issued^{( 1)} for speed limit offences^{( 2)} by detection method, England and Wales, 1997-2004
Number of offences
Detection method	Detected by camera^{( 3)}	Not by camera^{( 4)}	Total
1997	288,600	424,200	712,800
1998	338,800	442,200	781,000
1999	423,000	382,500	805,500
2000	599,200	342,500	941,700
2001	877,500	273,600	1,151,100
2002	1,135,400	271,900	1,407,300
2003	1,670,000	224,800	1,894,800
2004	1,786,000	138,400	1,924,400
⁽¹⁾ Paid i.e., no further action. ⁽²⁾ Offences under the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 and Motor Vehicles (Speed Limits on Motorways) Regulations 1973. ⁽³⁾ Automatic cameras until 1998, all camera types from 1999. ⁽⁴⁾ By traffic police observation. Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when these data are used.

Table B: Number of proceedings^{( 1)} at magistrates courts for speed limit offences^{( 2 )} by outcome, England and Wales, 1997-2004
Number of offences
	Total proceedings^{( 1)}	Proceedings discontinued^{( 3)}	Charge withdrawn^{( 4)}	Charge dismissed^{( 5)}	Findings of guilt
1997	143,400	700	8,000	700	132,800
1998	166,200	800	9,200	900	153,500
1999	168,100	800	11,500	900	153,600
2000	154,700	700	11,000	900	141,400
2001	150,300	800	12,000	1,300	135,600
2002	144,200	900	17,100	1,000	124,600
2003	165,500	1,100	22,300	1,700	140,000
2004	172,300	1,200	26,000	1,600	143,200
⁽¹⁾ Includes cases where fixed penalty notices were originally issued but not paid and subsequently referred to court. ⁽²⁾ Offences under the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 and Motor Vehicles (Speed Limits on Motorways) Regulations 1973. ⁽³⁾ Discontinuance of proceedings under S23(3) Prosecution of Offences Act 1985. ⁽⁴⁾ No evidence offered, not proceeded against or charge withdrawn. ⁽⁵⁾ Information dismissed under S9 Magistrates' Courts Act 1980. Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when these data are used.

Next Section

Index

Home Page