| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
23 Jun 2008 : Column 50W—continued
Veterans Day
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on making Veterans' Day a national bank holiday; and if he will make a statement. [213003]
Derek Twigg: To date I have received no formal representations on making Veterans Day a national bank holiday.
We are in the process of considering the report of the inquiry undertaken by my hon. Friend the Member for
Grantham and Stamford (Mr. Davies) into national recognition of our armed forces which recommends the creation of a British Armed Forces and Veterans Day and suggests that this would be the right solution were the Government minded to propose to Parliament the creation of another public holiday. Lead responsibility for the latter aspect lies with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR).
Warships: Weapons
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what major armaments systems have recently been removed from (a) HMS Southampton and (b) HMS Exeter; when this change in capability was carried out; when it was decided to make this information public; and if he will make a statement. [210474]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 16 June 2008]: HMS Southampton had her Sea Dart missiles offloaded in January2008 and HMS Exeter's were removed in July 2007. There was no prior decision to make this public. HMS Southampton and HMS Exeter continue to be armed with weapon system capabilities required to meet their tasking.
Justice
Alternatives to Prison: Young Offenders
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of people under the age of 21 years in prison for non-violent offences. [212375]
Mr. Hanson: The Criminal Justice Act 2003 gave sentencers more options and greater flexibility in imposing adult community sentences which provide a tough and effective alternative to custody. The Government are allocating further funds, including £40 million to probation in 2008-09, so that sentencers can be confident that the resources are in place to deliver effective community punishments. In addition the Government are also providing £13.9 million to fund at least six intensive alternative to custody projects over the next three years.
We have also revised the community sentencing structure for young people to provide disposals that offer sentencers a strong community alternative to custody. We have introduced the referral order which is the main disposal for young defendants pleading guilty and convicted for the first time, the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme which caters for serious and persistent young offenders and Intensive Fostering, both of which can be attached to community orders. Intensive fostering is being piloted by the Youth Justice Board in three areas and provides a highly intensive programme for serious and persistent young offenders whose home environment is contributing to their offending behaviour.
The Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 introduces a new generic community sentence for young people, the Youth Rehabilitation Order (YRO). The YRO is designed to increase the options available to deal with young offenders in the community with effective and tailored interventions. Under the new order intensive supervision and surveillance and intensive fostering are set out as specific alternatives to custody.
Animal Welfare
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) males and (b) females in each age group were (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted of offences in each police force area under each relevant section of (A) the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, (B) the Zoo Licensing Act 1981, (C) the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, (D) the Pet Animals Act 1951, (E) the Wild Mammals Protection Act 1996 and (F) the Deer Act 1991 in each year since 1997. [212358]
Maria Eagle: I am placing in the House Library the information requested, for the period 1997 to 2006, on the number of males and females in each age group proceeded against and found guilty of offences in each police force area under each relevant section of the following Acts;
The Protection of Badgers Act 1992, the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the Pet Animals Act 1951, the Wild Mammals Protection Act 1996 and the Deer Act 1991.
Information on the number of prosecutions under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 is not identified separately by the Ministry of Justice.
The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
Crime: Victim Support Services
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken to provide a comprehensive range of support services for victims of crime as set out in Rebuilding Lives—Supporting the Victims of Crime since the publication of that document. [213180]
Maria Eagle: Since the publication of Rebuilding Lives—Supporting Victims of Crime, the Office for Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) has piloted victim care units in three areas with the national charity Victim Support. Following the success of these pilots, OCJR has invested in Victim Support to rollout Victim Support Plus across England and Wales (£5.6 million in 2007-08 and £7 million in 2008-09).
Victim Support Plus expands and improves the way in which support services are accessed by victims. It introduces a process of support that means victims receive a telephone call from a victim care officer to assess their needs within 48 hours of referral from the police. It makes support services to victims easier to access, more consistent and practical, and tailored to victims’ needs—so the right services can be provided to victims who need them, when they need them.
Crimes of Violence: Convictions
Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions there were for (a) murder, (b) rape and (c) violence against the person in Crown courts in England and Wales since 1997 broken down by (i) year and (ii) age of defendant. [212128]
Maria Eagle: The number of defendants found guilty at all courts for offences relating to (a) murder, (b) rape and (c) violence against the person in Crown courts in England and Wales since 1997 broken down by (i) year and (ii) age of defendant can be viewed in the following table.
These data are on the principal offence basis. The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal
offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
Court proceedings data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
| N umber of defendants found guilty at Crown courts, for offences relating to murder, rape, and violence against the person, by age groups, England and Wales, 1997 to 2006( 1, 2, 3) | ||||||
| Murder | Rape | Violence against the person | ||||
| 10-17 | 18 and over | 10-17 | 18 and over | 10-17 | 18 and over | |
| (1) Data are on the principal offence basis. (2 )Data include the following statutes and corresponding offence descriptions, or offences comprising : Common Law. Offences against the Person Act 1861 Sec 1, 9, 10. Murder of persons aged one year or over. Murder of infants under one year of age. Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.I Rape of a female aged under 16. Rape of a female aged 16 or over. Rape of a male aged under 16. Rape of a male aged 16 or over Sexual Offences Act 2003 S. 5 Rape of a female child under 13 by a male Rape of a male child under 13 by a male Violence against the person includes: Murder Attempted Murder Manslaughter, etc Aggravated vehicle taking Wounding or other act endangering life Endangering railway passenger Endangering life at sea Other wounding etc. Cruelty or neglect of children Abandoning children under two years Child abduction Procuring illegal abortion Concealment of birth (3) 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. (4 )Staffordshire police force were only able to supply a nine per cent. sample of data for magistrates courts proceedings covering one full week in each quarter for 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data and to contribute to national totals, these data are not robust at a detailed level and are not included in this analysis. Source: Court proceedings data held by CJEA—Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice. | ||||||
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2008, Official Report, column 351W, on Ministerial policy advisers, to which former special advisers his Department has (a) granted and (b) withheld approval to take up an outside appointment on leaving post since May 2005. [211105]
Mr. Wills: I refer to the answer given on 19 June 2008, Official Report, columns 1190-91W, by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Edward Miliband).
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many permanent staff of (a) his Department and (b) its agencies are not assigned to a permanent post. [211111]
Mr. Wills:
The Ministry of Justice was created on 9 May 2007, bringing together the Department for
Constitutional Affairs, Her Majesty’s Court service and Associated Offices, the National Offender Management Service, the Prison and Probation Services, and the Office for Criminal Justice Reform.
The Ministry of Justice and its agencies cannot provide information on the number of permanent staff who are not assigned to a permanent post. This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
Departmental Security
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which public sector organisations have notified data security breaches to the Information Commissioner since November 2007. [210958]
Mr. Wills: The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is an independent body created by statute. One of their responsibilities is the handling of complaints made under the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA). The ICO has provided the answer to this question.
The Commissioner encourages organisations to report serious data breaches to his Office, although there is no legal obligation on them to do so. Because of the subjective criteria used by organisations when deciding whether to notify, the severity and impact of the breaches vary.
As notification of breaches is voluntary and to protect the confidentiality of the information provided, the Information Commissioner does not disclose details of individual breaches. However, he has broken down the number of notifications as:
| Notifications since November 2007 | |
Departmental Trade Unions
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which trades unions represent members of staff in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies. [212478]
Mr. Wills: The Ministry of Justice has in place formal arrangements that recognise the following trade unions and employee representative bodies:
FDA
General Municipal Boilers (GMB)
National Association of Probation Officers (NAPO)
Prospect
Prison Officers Association (POA)
Prison Governors’ Association (PGA)
Public and Commercial Services (PCS)
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |