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Suicide Prevention Strategy

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will consider whether any revision of legislation is required to assist the work of the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England; and if he will make a statement. [198902]

Maria Eagle: We are considering whether the law in this area could sensibly be strengthened or clarified and will announce our conclusions shortly.

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases of successful prosecution for online promotion of suicide there have been; and if he will make a statement. [198903]

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for North Wiltshire (Mr. Gray) on 26 February 2008, Official Report, column 1521W.

Data collected on prosecutions for assisting or attempting to assist suicide does not differentiate between online and off-line actions but the overall number of prosecutions for these offences is low.

Supervisions Orders: Costs

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the average cost of a supervision order was in England and Wales in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available; [192584]

(2) what the average cost of a supervision order was with (a) one, (b) two and (c) three or more conditions in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available. [192585]

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.

These data are not collected centrally.

Voting Behaviour

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans his Department has to (a) consider, (b) consult on and (c) conduct research into compulsory voting; and if he will make a statement. [198983]

Mr. Wills: There are currently no plans to consider compulsory voting. However, we are considering the factors that motivate people to exercise their right to vote and how we can promote the act of voting as a civic duty tied to the rights and responsibilities we all share as citizens. I will be making further announcements on this in due course.

Young Offenders: Custodial Treatment

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department collects on the academic achievement of young people in custody; and if he will make a statement. [174266]

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.

The Department does not hold central records on the achievements of young people in custody. Under the Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS), rolled out across England in August 2006, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) collects data on the academic achievements of young people in Young Offender Institutions. The LSC records literacy, numeracy, ICT and vocational training qualifications separately as well as GCSEs and AS/A level and any personal and social skills qualifications. However, for young people in custody still registered at learning providers in the community,
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their achievements will be attributed to the learning provider with which they are registered, rather than the custodial establishment’s LSC provider. Therefore the LSC figures do not provide records of ‘all’ of the academic achievements of ‘all’ young people in YOIs. The LSC figures also do not include the academic
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achievements of young people in Secure Children’s Homes or Secure Training Centres. However, in the context of the Green Paper a settlement was announced in the Children's Plan. We are examining how the academic projects and attainment of all young people in custody can be collected and monitored.


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