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22 Apr 2008 : Column 1935W—continued

Asylum: Children

Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to meet local authority representatives to discuss grant payments for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. [165417]

Mr. Byrne [holding answer 20 November 2007]: I met with representatives of local authorities last month to discuss this matter. In the meantime, there is on-going dialogue between my officials and local authorities on a number of funding issues in respect of the support provided by local authorities to unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

Cannabis

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions took place of individuals found to be supplying cannabis seeds via internet websites in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [200035]

Mr. Coaker: I have been informed by the Ministry of Justice that there have been no such prosecutions. This is because the sale of cannabis seeds is not illegal in the UK.


22 Apr 2008 : Column 1936W

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the links between home-grown cannabis and organised crime; and whether these links have changed since January 2004. [200036]

Mr. Coaker: The Serious Organised Crime Agency produced the 2008-09 UK Threat Assessment of Serious Organised Crime at the beginning of April. The Threat Assessment recognises that while cannabis continues to be imported into the UK in significant quantities commercial cultivation in the UK, mainly by organised criminals, is on the increase, particularly the high potency form of cannabis known as ‘skunk’.

Cocaine: Misuse

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the prevalence of cocaine abuse in the 15 to 25 year age group in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [200002]

Mr. Coaker: The British Crime Survey (BCS) provides information on the prevalence and trends of illicit drug use among 16 to 59-year-olds in England and Wales and reports prevalence of cocaine use in the last year for young people aged 16 to 24.

Figures in the following table show prevalence of cocaine use (including crack cocaine and cocaine powder) over the last five years using the 2002-03 to 2006-07 BCS. The BCS shows that cocaine use among young people has remained stable during this period.

BCS: P roportion of 16 to 24-year-olds reporting use of cocaine in the last year
Percentage
Drug 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 Statistically significant change2002-03 to2006-07( 1) Statistically significant change2005-06 to2006-07( 1)

Any cocaine

5.2

5.4

5.1

5.9

6.1

Cocaine powder

5.1

5.2

5.1

5.9

6.0

Crack cocaine

0.5

0.4

0.1

0.4

0.4

Unweighted base

4,227

5,351

6,796

5,892

5,706

(1) A statistically significant increase at the 5 per cent. level would be denoted by ‘up arrow character’. A statistically significant decrease at the 5 per cent. level would be denoted by ‘down arrow character.’.
Source:
British Crime Survey

Crime

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will assess research on the principal variables which affect levels of crime in order to assess their relative significance. [196825]

Jacqui Smith: The Home Office has no current plans to undertake such an evaluation. We already make use of the body of criminological and economic research evidence around a number of socioeconomic variables that impact on crime (including, for example, the economy, the impact of the police and criminal justice system, and demographic changes). However, given the complex way in which these factors interact, a conclusive judgment on their relative importance is extremely difficult to make. Furthermore, what comprises key factors may vary significantly between different types of crime and over time.

Crime: Bus Services

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed on buses in each year since 1997. [200250]

Mr. Coaker: The information requested is not available centrally. Offences committed in relation to buses cannot be separately identified in the recorded crime series.


22 Apr 2008 : Column 1937W

Crime: Young People

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of those arrested for robbery in (a) the East of England and (b) Suffolk in 2006 were aged 17 and under. [162591]


22 Apr 2008 : Column 1938W

Mr. Coaker: Information on arrests collected by the Ministry of Justice provides data on persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, by age group, gender, ethnicity, and main offence group. The available information is given in the following table. Data for 2006-07 will be available later in the year.

N umber of persons aged 17 and under arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences) within the ‘robbery’ offence group, by area, 2005-06 (latest available).
Total
Age 17 and under All ages and age note known Percentage of age 17 and under

East region

990

2,061

48

Suffolk police force area

60

191

31

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 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.

Crimes of Violence

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of incidents of violence against the person involved a (a) knife, (b) hitting implement, (c) glass or bottle, (d) stabbing implement, (e) firearm, (f) stone or stones, (g) syringe and (h) other implement in each police force area in England and Wales in each year since 1997. [195598]

Mr. Coaker: The information requested is not available centrally. It is not possible to determine the implement used in crimes of violence against the person from the recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office.

Statistics are published on the number of homicides by the apparent method of killing. Figures for 1996 to 2006-07 are given in the following table.


22 Apr 2008 : Column 1939W

22 Apr 2008 : Column 1940W
Table 1.03 Offences currently( 1) recorded as homicide by apparent method of killing and sex of victim: England and Wales, 1996 to 2006-07
Recorded crime
Apparent method 1996 1997 1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

Male victims

Sharp instrument

139

133

137

151

153

156

194

182

183

187

162

185

Blunt instrument

49

48

47

41

44

49

36

26

53

49

40

33

Hitting, kicking, etc.

64

76

79

76

82

86

120

110

111

110

89

126

Strangulation(2)

20

10

12

29

20

84

17

20

18

16

14

23

Shooting(3)

38

52

45

42

52

63

91

55

61

60

38

53

Explosion(4)

2

1

1

2

3

2

4

2

24

1

Burning

13

15

15

13

9

9

15

7

19

18

16

13

Drowning(5)

4

7

5

3

3

7

8

4

20

9

3

7

Poison or drugs(6)

15

12

12

24

20

21

20

66

11

18

20

24

Motor vehicle(7)

2

11

12

11

10

11

15

17

16

16

11

3

Other

30

24

26

26

25

46

24

29

21

28

17

28

Not known

6

9

12

28

9

17

22

41

39

49

51

Total

376

395

400

430

449

543

557

542

554

552

483

547

Female victims

Sharp instrument

58

67

65

50

60

57

67

83

59

72

57

73

Blunt instrument

19

23

21

24

26

27

24

22

20

17

19

8

Hitting, kicking, etc.

17

23

24

13

13

16

25

38

26

16

20

14

Strangulation(2)

57

54

49

49

36

63

60

46

49

48

41

31

Shooting(3)

9

6

7

4

9

9

6

20

6

10

11

6

Explosion(4)

1

1

29

Burning

11

14

13

19

4

9

14

15

9

15

11

15

Drowning(5)

5

1

3

3

2

4

2

4

4

1

1

Poison or drugs(6)

13

5

5

23

33

11

14

135

9

9

10

1

Motor vehicle(7)

1

1

3

1

8

5

4

7

6

2

4

Other

15

13

12

17

16

22

14

21

15

13

7

15

Not known

6

8

10

11

24

5

14

25

18

20

34

19

Total

210

214

208

216

226

229

248

411

222

230

242

187

Total victims

Sharp instrument

197

200

202

201

213

213

261

265

242

259

219

258

Blunt instrument

68

71

68

65

70

76

60

48

73

66

59

41

Hitting, kicking, etc.

81

99

103

89

95

102

145

148

137

126

109

140

Strangulation(2)

77

64

61

78

56

147

77

66

67

64

55

54

Shooting(3)

47

58

52

46

61

72

97

75

67

70

49

59

Explosion(4)

2

1

1

2

4

2

1

4

_

2

53

1

Burning

24

29

28

32

13

18

29

22

28

33

27

28

Drowning(5)

9

7

6

6

6

9

12

6

24

13

4

8

Poison or drugs(6)

28

17

17

47

53

32

34

201

20

27

30

25

Motor vehicle(7)

2

12

13

14

11

19

20

21

23

22

13

7

Other

45

37

38

43

41

68

38

50

36

41

24

43

Not known

6

14

19

23

52

14

31

47

59

59

83

70

Total

586

609

608

646

675

772

805

953

776

782

725

734

(1) As at 12 November 2007; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available.
(2 )Including asphyxiation. Year 2000-01 includes 58 Chinese nationals who collectively suffocated in a lorry en route into the UK.
(3 )These figures may not agree with those in the firearms chapter because (a) figures include cases where the firearm was used as a blunt instrument and (b) homicide figures include shooting by crossbows and are compiled at a later date and take into account the results of police and court decisions.
(4 )Year 2005-06 includes 52 victims of the 7 July London bombings.
(5 )Year 2003-04 includes 20 cockle pickers who drowned in Morecambe Bay.
(6 )Year 2002-03 includes 172 victims of Dr. Shipman.
(7 )Excluding death by careless/dangerous driving and aggravated vehicle taking.

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