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18 Dec 2006 : Column 1662W—continued
Bluewater
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans have been considered for building Government-funded CCTV into the Bluewater shopping mall estate security. [106764]
Mr. McNulty: I am not aware of any such plans.
Child Sex Offenders
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average (a) sentence and (b) time served by convicted child sex offenders in England and Wales was in each of the last 10 years. [107964]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The information requested on the average custodial sentence length imposed on persons sentenced for sexual offences against children in England and Wales is shown in the table. Also shown are the total number of persons receiving immediate custodial sentences for these offences and those who received life or indeterminate sentences. All sexual offences in which it is possible to determine from the wording of the statute that the victim was a child have been included and that covers offences of buggery, indecent assault, sexual assault, unlawful sexual intercourse, indecency, rape, sexual activity, incest, familial sexual offences, procuration, exploitation of prostitution, abduction, abuse of children through prostitution and pornography, abuse of trust and gross indecency.
The time served by prisoners convicted of sexual offences against children is not available because the codes contained on the Prison IT system do not have sufficient detail to enable identification of all such offences.
| Persons sentenced to immediate custody and average custodial sentence length( 1) for sexual offences against children, England and Wales, 1996 to 2005 | |||
| Persons sentenced to immediate custody | Of which, sentenced to life or indeterminate sentence | Average custodial sentence length( 1) (months) | |
| (1) Excluding life and indeterminate sentences. Note: Although care is taken in collating and analysing the returns used to compile these figures, the data are of necessity subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. Consequently, although figures are shown to the last digit in order to provide a comprehensive record of the information collected, they are not necessarily accurate to the last digit shown. Source: RDS-NOMS, Home Office | |||
Communication Networks
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the vulnerability of the UK’s critical national infrastructure of communication networks; and if he will make a statement. [106942]
Mr. McNulty: The Government work closely with partners in the public and private sectors, as well as their international counterparts, to help safeguard the UK’s electronic communications critical national infrastructure (CNI). This includes on-going assessment of the CNI’s resilience to the range of hazards and threats that the UK faces—including its capability to respond to and recover from emergencies—and the provision of advice to stakeholders.
Computer-assisted Fraud
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate he has made of the cost to public funds of computer assisted fraud; and if he will make a statement. [105252]
Mr. Coaker: This information is not held centrally and collecting it would involve disproportionate costs.
Most recent credible figure for the cost of fraud comes from research by consultants National Economic Research Associates (NERA) published in 2000.
This estimated fraud to cost the public sector a total of £4.1 billion-£9.3 billion in 1998-99. It did not, however, separately identify computer-assisted fraud.
Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to the letter dated 23 October 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Ms Fatima Begum. [106396]
John Reid: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 5 December.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 27 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Ms Ndey Yama Mbye. [107991]
John Reid: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 7 December 2006.
Crime Statistics
Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed in the Sunderland city council area in (a) 1997 and (b) the most recent year for which figures are available. [110063]
Mr. McNulty: The available information relates to the Sunderland crime and disorder reduction partnership (CDRP) area. Data at CDRP level is not available prior to 1999-2000. There were 28,429 offences recorded by the police in the Sunderland CDRP in 2005-06.
Cyber-terrorism
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what early warning system the National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre uses in relation to potential cyber-terrorism. [108702]
Mr. McNulty: The National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre (NISCC) uses a range of channels—public and confidential—to warn and inform the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) about potential cyber attacks.
Domestic Disturbance Calls
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average response time was for the police in Tamworth constituency in relation to domestic disturbance calls in each of the past two years. [105739]
Mr. McNulty: The Home Office does not routinely collect this data. However, Staffordshire Police have provided average response times for the police in Tamworth in relation to domestic disturbance calls for each of the past two years: 17.91 minutes in 2004-05; and 18.44 minutes in 2005-06. These data are for all incidents (not just 999 calls), and include those which have been re-classified, such as responses to neighbours reporting incidents.
Domestic Forced Labour
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will assess the (a) categories and (b) levels of domestic forced labour in England and Wales. [109176]
Mr. Coaker: The national action plan on combating human trafficking, which will be published early in 2007, will contain proposals on how we intend to combat trafficking for labour exploitation. This will include research proposals aimed at developing our knowledge of this particular aspect of trafficking.
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support his Department provides to victims of domestic forced labour in England and Wales. [109177]
Mr. Coaker: We currently have very little knowledge on trafficking for the purposes of labour exploitation and there is no support offered specifically on the basis of being a victim of trafficking for labour exploitation.
It is thought that the greater problem in the UK is those who have been smuggled into the country and end up working in exploitative conditions rather than victims of trafficking. However, we recognise the need for greater knowledge of the extent and scope of the problem. To this end we are looking at what research is needed as part of the UK Action Plan to combat trafficking which will be published early in 2007, and which will contain proposals specific to trafficking for labour exploitation.
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will commission research into (a) forced labour and (b) forced domestic work in England and Wales. [109178]
Mr. Coaker: Plans for research into these areas are currently being considered as part of the National Action Plan to combat trafficking which will be published in early 2007.
Drugs
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children of school age have been cautioned for drug-related offences in each year since 2002. [107419]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 7 December 2006]: Available information relates to the number of persons aged 18 cautioned and persons aged under 18 receiving reprimands or warnings for principal drug offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
The decrease in 2004 coincides with the introduction of formal warnings for cannabis possession in January 2004 that can be applied to those aged 18 and over.
| Persons aged under 19 cautioned( 1) for principal drug offences, England and Wales, 2002 to 2004 | |
| Number | |
| (1) Includes warnings and reprimands for under 18s. (2) Excludes police formal (“street”) warnings for cannabis possession, introduced in January 2004, which are not counted as police cautions. | |
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders are on drugs rehabilitation courses in prisons; and what estimate he has made of the number of drug users in prison. [106684]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The following table shows the numbers engaging in drug treatment in prisons in the last financial year.
Information on the number of drug users in prison is not collated centrally.
Prisons rely on epidemiological surveys to determine levels of substance dependence. Studies show that around 55 per cent. of those received into custody report a serious drug problem—with 80 per cent. reporting some misuse; in certain prisons, up to 80 per cent. test positive for opiates on reception. Based on an annual throughput of 130,000 offenders, this equates to 70,000 drug-misusers passing through custody in the course of a year, with 39,000 present at any one time.
| Clinical Management( 1) | CARATs( 2) Initial assessments | Programme entrants | |
| (1) Includes maintenance, detoxification and alcohol detoxification (2) Counselling, assessment, referral, advice and throughcare service (3) Includes 8,709 by YPSMS (Young Persons Substance Misuse Service)—the substance misuse service for under 18s. | |||
Emergency Refuge Accommodation
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to increase the provision of emergency refuge accommodation; and if he will make a statement. [106724]
Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
Through a capital investment of over £30 million since 2003-04 we have increased the provision of emergency accommodation for people fleeing domestic violence by 511 bed spaces nationally. Decisions around the provision of emergency refuge accommodation rest with each local authority and this should be based on local need.
We have also committed £90 million over three years to 2008 to improve the quality of emergency hostel accommodation. This investment is more focused on improving the quality and effectiveness of the accommodation than about increasing the number of bed spaces.
We and the LGA will shortly publish joint guidance on ‘Options for Setting Up a Sanctuary Scheme’ which shows local authorities how to set up effective sanctuaries for victims of domestic violence. The scheme allows the victim (and their children) to remain in their own accommodation, where it is their choice and where it is safe for them to do so.
Ethics and Integrity Code
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the proposed EU development of a code of conduct on ethics and integrity for public officials; and what its legal base is. [108063]
Mr. Hoon: I have been asked to reply.
We are not aware of any proposals to amend the regulations governing the conduct of staff at the EU institutions.
European Citizens' Initiative
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the proposed EU legislation for a European Citizens' Initiative; and what its legal base is. [108074]
Mr. Hoon: I have been asked to reply.
There is no proposed EU legislation for a “citizens' initiative procedure”.
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