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16 May 2007 : Column 808W—continued
Mr. Coaker:
The British Crime Survey (BCS) defines violence at work as all assaults or threats, which occurred while the victim was working, that were perpetrated by members of the public. It is not possible
for the BCS to provide estimates for the specific groups asked about due to small sample sizes but the latest available estimates for broader occupational groupings are shown in Table 1.
| Table 1: Risk of violence at work, by occupation, 2003-04 and 2004-05 BCS interviews | ||||
| Percentage victims once or more | Assaults | Threats | All violence at work | Unweighted |
| (1) Protective service occupations include NCOs and other ranks, police officers, fire service officers, prison service officers and protective service associate professionals n.e.c. (2) Transport and mobile machine drivers and operators include heavy goods vehicle drivers, van drivers, bus and coach drivers, taxi, cab drivers and chauffeurs, driving instructors, rail transport operatives, seafarers, barge, lighter and boat operatives, air transport operatives, transport operatives n.e.c., crane drivers, fork-lift truck drivers, agricultural machinery drivers and mobile machine drivers and operatives n.e.c. (3) Health and social welfare associate professionals include nurses, midwives, paramedics, medical radiographers, chiropodists, dispensing opticians, pharmaceutical dispensers, medical and dental technicians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, Speech and language therapists, therapists n.e.c., youth and community workers and Housing and welfare officers. (4) Health professionals include medical practitioners, psychologists, pharmacists/pharmacologists, ophthalmic opticians, dental practitioners and veterinarians. (5) Sales occupations include sales and retail assistants, retail cashiers and check-out operators, telephone salespersons, collector salespersons and credit agents, debt, rent and other cash collectors, roundsmen/women and van salespersons, market and street traders and assistants, merchandisers and window dressers and sales related occupations n.e.c. (6) <0.1 denotes a value under 0.05. Indicates there were no cases in the sample. Source: Table A.2.7 from supplementary tables to Home Office online report 04-04 Violence at Work: Findings from the 2002-03 British Crime Survey. | ||||
Violence
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to develop a strategic framework to address violence against women. [135281]
Mr. Coaker: The Government takes a strategic approach to addressing violence against women, through linked Plans on domestic violence (including forced marriage and honour-based violence), sexual violence and trafficking. Strategic work on sexual and domestic violence will be further integrated over the coming year, with a view to developing a co-ordinated community response to these crimes.
Weapons
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) confiscations of handguns and (b) convictions for the possession of handguns there were in each police authority area in each of the last eight years. [133308]
Mr. Coaker: Due to the way in which offences have been categorized, it is not possible to separately identify those firearm offences that specifically relate to handguns.
Written Questions
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to answer Question 129914, on education in prisons, tabled on 22nd March by the hon. Member for Taunton. [134388]
Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
A response was issued to the hon. Member on 10 May 2007, Official R eport, column 439W.
Defence
Afghanistan: Peace Keeping Operations
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Afghanistan. [136628]
Des Browne: The security situation in Afghanistan remains stable if fragile in places. UK forces as part of the wider ISAF mission are actively engaged in operations to extend the authority of the Government of Afghanistan across Helmand province.
Armed Forces: Airports
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will undertake a comprehensive airfield review. [136700]
Mr. Ingram: The number and operation of military airfields is under review to ensure that the best use is made of the defence estate for our armed forces.
Armed Forces: Housing
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Forest of Dean of 7 March 2007, Official Report, column 1981W, on armed forces housing, which Housing Directorate regions collected and managed the information in respect of maintenance and refurbishment of properties leased from Annington Homes in each year since 5 November 1996. [136340]
Derek Twigg: When the Defence Housing Executive (DHE) was formed in 1995, it was arranged into 25 areas, 23 of which were in England and Wales, the area covered by the Annington Homes Ltd contract. When DHE became a Ministry of Defence agency in 1999, the number of areas reduced to 19 and they were grouped into nine regions, eight of them in England and Wales.
As an agency, DHE's annual reports and accounts were published and a copy of each placed in the Library of the House. The reports included details of the regions in existence at that time, in England and Wales there were Northern, West, Central, Anglia, London, South West, South and South East.
In April 2004, DHE merged with Defence Estates (DE), another MOD agency and, as of 1 April 2007, the number of regions in England and Wales reduced from eight to six to match the regions of the Housing
Prime Contract—the contract to maintain service families accommodation in England and Wales.
Each of the six regions is served by DE housing information centres, located in Warminster, Aldershot, High Wycombe, Thetford, Telford and York. Details of these regions are not included in DE's annual report and accounts.
Armed Forces: Mass Media
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the independently-led review of media access to serving personnel referred to in his oral statement of 16 April and his written statement of 24 April (a) has been requested and (b) has given any indication that it intends (i) to establish and (ii) to publish the details of the circumstances in which identified individuals took the decision to allow some sailors to sell their stories to the media. [137055]
Des Browne [holding answer 14 May 2007]: As I set out in my statements on 16 and 24 April, the independently-led review is designed to be forward-looking, identifying lessons and making recommendations drawing on relevant experience. I have also made clear that the review is not intended to be a witch hunt, and that I accept responsibility for this particular case.
In order to identify lessons and make recommendations for the future, the review will clearly need to consider the circumstances concerned in this and other cases.
I expect to publish the review’s report once it is available.
Armed Forces: Training
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of training exercises were cancelled in 2006-07. [137141]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 15 May 2007]: During the period 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007, 9.38 per cent. of training events recorded on the Defence Exercise Programme were cancelled.
Armed Forces: Weapons
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) SA-80 rifles, (b) 105 mm light guns and (c) armoured vehicles, broken down by type are (i) required and (ii) available for training. [137351]
Mr. Ingram: Officials are currently compiling information from a range of sources and this will take some time to complete. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
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