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22 Oct 2008 : Column 437W—continued
cycling on a footpath;
littering;
offences under dog control orders;
offences of disorder—there are 21 individual offences of disorder;
truancy;
excluded pupil found in a public place;
dog fouling;
graffiti and fly-posting.
Under section 46(2) of the Police Reform Act 2002, a person who resists or wilfully obstructs a designated person in the course of his duty is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to imprisonment of a term not exceeding one month or to a level 3 fine or both.
Crimes of Violence: Cornwall
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the trends in violent crime in Cornwall in the latest period for which figures are available. [221679]
Mr. Alan Campbell: A number of changes have been made to recorded crime in response to the two reviews of crime statistics. One such change is that the term ‘violent crime’ is no longer used in connection with the recorded crime statistics and we now provide figures for violence against the person.
Violence against the person figures for the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly basic command unit, from 2006-07 to 2007-08, are given in the table. These data include a percentage change between the two years and a rate per 1,000 population for 2007-08.
| Violence against the person offences recorded in the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly basic command unit, 2006-07 to 2007-08 | |
| Number/percentage | |
| (1) All crime rates are based on mid-2005 population estimates supplied by the Office for National Statistics. | |
Crimes of Violence: Detection Rates
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the violent crime detection rate in England and Wales was in each of the last 10 years. [224469]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 6 October 2008]: A number of changes have been made to recorded crime in response to the two reviews of crime statistics. One such change is that the term ‘violent crime’ is no longer used in connection with the recorded crime statistics and we now provide figures for violence against the person.
Non-sanction detections that contribute to the detection rates have fallen in recent years reflecting a significant shift by many forces away from recording detections of crime where no further action is taken. For this reason, overall detection rates over time are not fully comparable. From April 2007, the rules governing recording of non-sanction detections were revised to reduce the scope within which they can be claimed to a very limited set of circumstances.
Detection rates for violence against the person offences in England and Wales, from 1998-99 to 2007-08, are given in the tables.
| Table 1: Detection rates for violence against the person offences in England and Wales, from 1998-99 to 2001 - 02 | |
| Detection rate (Percentage) | |
| Note: Figures in this table were prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. Figures before and after that date are not directly comparable. | |
| Table 2: Detection rates for violence against the person offences in England and Wales, from 2002-03 to 2007-08 | |
| Detection rate (Percentage) | |
| Notes: 1. Figures in this table are after the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. Figures before and after that date are not directly comparable. 2. Includes the British Transport police from 2002-03 onwards. 3. It should be noted that non-sanction detections that contribute to the detection rates have fallen in recent years reflecting a significant shift by many police forces away from recording detections of crime where no further action is taken. For this reason, overall detection rates over time are not fully comparable. From 1 April 2007, the rules governing recording of non-sanction detections were revised to reduce the scope within which they can be claimed to a very limited set of circumstances. | |
Crimes of Violence: Homosexuality
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the prosecution rate for homophobic hate crime detected by the Metropolitan Police was in each of the last five years. [227396]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The information requested is not collected centrally. From the information collected on recorded crime, it is not possible to identify those offences which are homophobic hate crimes. Such crimes are not specifically defined by statute and details of the individual circumstances of offences do not feature in the recorded crime statistics. In addition, it is not possible from the recorded crime data to track individual offences through to a conclusion.
Crimes of Violence: Public Transport
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of violence against public transport staff were recorded in Greater London in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement. [225926]
Paul Clark: I have been asked to reply.
With regards to National Rail, London Underground, Docklands Light Railway and Croydon Tramlink, this information is held by the British Transport Police who can be contacted at:
British Transport Police,
25 Camden Road,
London,
NW1 9LN
Email: parliament@btp.pnn.police.uk
Incidents on other public transport in London are dealt with by the Metropolitan Police and not the British Transport Police.
Criminal Records
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of people have a criminal record, broken down by (a) age, (b) sex and (c) ethnicity. [228248]
Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
Figures on the proportions of the population with a criminal history in England and Wales can be found in “Criminal careers of those born between 1953 and 1978” at
The bulletin gives figures for offenders who have had a court conviction for a 'standard list' offence. 'Standard list' offences include all indictable and certain of the more serious summary offences. The publication follows those born in the years 1953, 1958, 963, 1968, 1973 and 1978.
Customs Officers: Lancashire
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many customs officers are located at (a) Fleetwood, (b) Blackpool and (c) Glasson Dock in Lancashire. [223699]
Mr. Woolas: Neither the UK Border Agency nor HMRC release the numbers of front line Customs staff that they deploy at a local level as this would provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent HM Revenue and Customs’ controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention and detection of crime.
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which organisations have received (a) free and (b) discounted room hire from (i) her Department and (ii) its agencies in each of the last five years; and what the commercial value of the discount was in each case. [221581]
Mr. Woolas: Where supply of accommodation is included within the terms of service contracts, the commercial value is secured through better service provision and reduced tender prices. Otherwise only on exceptional occasions, in the public interest, are rooms provided free or at discounted cost. No central records are kept of such exceptional events.
Departmental Cleaning Services
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what contracts her Department has with cleaning services providers; and what the hourly rate of pay for cleaners working in her Department is. [223873]
Mr. Woolas: The Home Department does not have direct contracts with any of the cleaning contractors listed; however two of those contractors (ISS and GBM) do provide cleaning services to Home Office properties as subcontractors employed by our facilities management contractors.
The hourly rate of pay for cleaners varies from minimum wage up to £6.92 per hour depending on location and skills.
Departmental Computers
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of her Department's (a) computers and (b) laptops have been stolen in 2007; and what the value of those items was. [168588]
Mr. Woolas: In 2007 there were:
(a) No Home Office computers recorded as stolen.
(b) 12 laptops recorded as stolen.
The estimated value of these laptops is £8,200. This includes the cost of ensuring that the laptops meet the security standard required by the business process they support.
Departmental NDPBs
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding has been agreed with each of her Department's non-departmental public bodies for the period 2008 to 2011. [229145]
Mr. Woolas: Home Office NDPBs are funded through grant in aid. Details of funding for 2008-09 can be found in the Home Office 2008-09 Main Estimate (HC 479) and on HM Treasury's website, available at:
Indicative figures for 2009-10 and 2010-11 can be found in Table 5.1 of the 2008 Departmental Report in Cm 7396 and on the Home Office website at:
Departmental Public Expenditure
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on (a) new furnishings, (b) art and (c) new vehicles by her Department in each of the last three years. [213528]
Mr. Woolas: The information is as follows:
(a) Figures for the purchase of furniture and fittings are available for 2005-06 (£4.767 million) and 2006-07 (£4.358 million).
(b) Art—I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill (Mr. Byrne) on 20 May 2008, Official Report, column 226W.
(c) My Department does not generally purchase vehicles as leasing provides a more cost-effective option. By sourcing through a Ministry of Justice contract leasing provides competitive costing arrangements while ensuring that the relatively small Home Office fleet is maintained to a high standard of serviceability to minimise carbon emissions and maximise economy.
Departmental Written Questions
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day her Department has answered on the due date in the current session of Parliament to date. [226890]
Mr. Coaker: Details of how many and what proportion of named day parliamentary questions the Home Office has so far answered in the 2007-08 Session is given in the following table:
| Session 2007-08( 1) | Number/percentage |
| (1) To 16 October 2008 (2) All questions not answered substantively on the named day receive a holding answer. | |
Drugs: Crime Prevention
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crack house closure orders have been issued in England and Wales in each year since their introduction. [225218]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 8 October 2008]: The available data are given in the following table.
| Crack house closure orders issued by police forces, England and Wales, 2003-04 to 2006-07 | |
| Crack house closure orders | |
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