| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
30 Oct 2007 : Column 1152W—continued
Court proceedings data for 2006 will be available in the autumn of 2007.
I am placing a copy of this letter in the Library of the House of Commons.
| The number of persons found guilty at all courts for sexual offences against children in England and Wales for the years 19 80 to 1994( 1, 2, 3, 4) | |
| Found guilty | |
| (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (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 those data are used. (3) 128 offences have been used In this table and include sections of the following statutes: Sexual Offences Act 2003, Sexual Offences Act 1956, Sexual Offences Act 1956 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sexual Offences Act 1956 as amended by Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000, Sexual Offences Act 1956 as amended by the Sexual Offences Act 1967. (4) Some offences have been omitted as the vast majority of data will be against adults, and a minority will be against children. Source: Court proceedings database—Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice. | |
Sexual Offences: Eastern Region
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people on the Sex Offenders Register are in (a) the east of England and (b) Suffolk; and how many of these are being supervised by the probation service. [161608]
Maria Eagle: The number of sex offenders who are subject to notification requirements in (a) the east of England and (b) Suffolk who are managed through the multi-Agency public protection arrangements is given in the following table.
| Registered sex offenders (RSOs) | ||
| Number | ||
We do not collect data centrally to distinguish the number of offenders who are both subject to notification requirements and who are under the supervision of the probation service. This information would be available only at a disproportionate cost.
Sexual Offences: Monitoring
Mr. Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many high-risk sex offenders are being monitored by satellite tracking; and if he will make a statement. [161847]
Maria Eagle: There are no offenders currently being monitored by satellite tracking. The satellite tracking pilots ran from September 2004 until June 2006, during which time 59 sex offenders were subject to tracking. The pilots were subject to an independent evaluation and the final report was published online on 2 August 2007. A copy was placed in the House of Commons Library.
Mr. Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make a statement on his plans to increase public awareness of how sex offenders are housed in the community. [161848]
Maria Eagle: In England and Wales, a proportion of convicted sex offenders living in the community are housed in approved premises (formerly probation and bail hostels). Approved premises provide for enhanced supervision and for restrictions on offenders that would not be possible were such offenders to be dispersed into alternative accommodation in the community.
Earlier this year, the Government published the report of their review of the protection of children from sex offenders. The report reaffirmed using approved premises to supervise certain sex offenders on release from custody. It also advocated a number of measures designed to increase public awareness of the way that sex offenders are managed in the community. All of those recommendations were accepted and are in the process of being introduced.
In Scotland, the Scottish Executive’s approach to housing sex offenders in the community is set out in the national strategy on the accommodation of sex offenders, published in 2007.
Sudbury Prison: Prisoner Escapes
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many inmates have absconded from Sudbury open prison since the beginning of the year; how many of these were convicted murderers; and what further steps he is taking to ensure that persons sent to prison remain in custody. [159660]
Mr. Hanson: The information requested is being collated and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available.
Substantive answer from David Hanson to Greg Knight:
I recently undertook to write to you following your parliamentary question of 23 October. The information that you requested has now been collated by the prison service.
Between 1 April and 30 September 2007 28 prisoners absconded from Sudbury open prison compared to 50 absconds for the same period in 2006. Two of these 28 prisoners were convicted for murder. Six of the 28 prisoners are still at large including one of the two murderers. A wide range of measures are in force to prevent absconds including rigorous intelligence systems to identify prisoners likely to abscond. In addition, HMP Sudbury is collaborating successfully with the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure prosecution of absconders, acting as a further deterrent.
Terrorism: Asylum
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those arrested on suspicion of terrorist offences since the events of 11 September 2001 have at some point claimed asylum. [161581]
Mr. McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Communities and Local Government
British Waterways Board: Finance
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department plans to make a financial contribution to British Waterways; whether she has had discussions with British Waterways on funding; and if she will make a statement. [160721]
Mr. Dhanda: DEFRA is the single Government sponsor of British Waterways in England and Wales. It provides core funding towards the upkeep of its waterways. Other Government Departments have the flexibility to fund the inland waterways direct where they can deliver specific policy requirements, e.g. through grants for regeneration and freight projects where funds are provided to reflect the contribution of inland waterways to Departmental objectives.
My Department has had no direct discussions with BW on funding. However I understand that DEFRA and BW are working closely together on planning for the comprehensive spending review 2007 period in the context of the Department’s overall priorities and financial pressures. DEFRA is also working with BW on a new long term strategy for a sustainable network that delivers wider Government priorities including regeneration, protection of historic and natural environment, well being and freight.
British Waterways Board: Grants
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department or its predecessors provided grants to British Waterways since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [161567]
Mr. Dhanda: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which organisations were included in her Department's consultation prior to the preparation of the second compliance report under the European framework convention for the protection of national minorities; and how these organisations were selected. [161690]
Mr. Dhanda:
The Department for Communities and Local Government took over responsibility for the preparation of the UK’s second compliance report under the framework convention for the protection of national minorities from the Home Office in May 2006. The Department prepared a draft report drawing on contributions from other Government Departments and the Administrations in Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland. The draft report was then sent for comment to those Departments and Administrations, as well as to the Commission for Racial Equality, the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and a range of non-governmental organisations. Annex A to the second compliance report lists the non-governmental bodies to whom the draft report was sent. The list was based on that used by the Home Office for the first compliance report, along with other organisations who had requested copies of the draft report since then. The second compliance report was transmitted to the Council of Europe in February 2007. Copies of the report were placed in the Libraries of both Houses. It can also be viewed on the Council of Europe’s website at:
Council Housing: Construction
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many council houses were built in each of the last 30 years. [147888]
Yvette Cooper: The numbers of local authority dwellings built in each year since 1976 are tabulated as follows. Also included are the numbers of registered social landlord “social for rent” new build completions and total completions. The figures do not include social housing acquisitions which also increase the stock. In total in 2007-08 there will be 30,000 additional social housing units increasing to 45,000 additional social housing units by 2010-11. The Green Paper includes ways for more councils to build social housing.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |