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11 Nov 2008 : Column 967W—continued
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason it is proposed to reduce the number of Life in the UK test centres in the Greater London area. [233688]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 6 November 2008]: The Life in the UK testing service is provided to UKBA by the University for Industry (Ufi) via a commercial contract. Contractually Ufi are required to maintain a minimum network of 28 test centres in the Government Region of London. As at 31 October there were 30 test centres.
The number and location of test centres is under constant review by Ufi and they have put a proposal to UKBA to reduce the minimum number of centres required in London to 21. UKBA is still considering the proposal and a decision is expected by the end of November.
Ufi are seeking to reduce the network as the number of tests taken has reduced from a peak of 43,000 in June 2007 to an average of 19,000 per month for the quarter ending September 2008.
Coastal Areas: Crime
Chris Ruane:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the key crime indicators are in (a) each of the principal seaside towns in England and Wales and (b) the super output layer ward with the (i)
highest and (ii) lowest crime rates within each of those towns. [234940]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Information is not available in the form requested. The Home Office collects and publishes statistics for seven key offences for each local authority area in England and Wales. It is likely that some seaside towns will equate to the local authority area. The local authority data is available at:
Although the Home Office does not currently collect recorded crime data at super output area (SOA) level for all police forces in England and Wales, data have been collected at this level for a selection of forces. These data are available on the neighbourhood statistics website at:
The Home Office intends to extend the coverage of the SOA recorded crime data collection, with full England and Wales coverage expected to be available during 2009-10.
Crime
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the level of public fear of crime involving (a) theft of a car, (b) burglary and (c) a physical attack in each of the last 16 years. [234498]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The British Crime Survey (BCS) asks questions on worry about crime for three crime types: burglary, car crime and violent crime. The level of worry about burglary has been measured since 1992, and levels of worry about car crime and violent crime have been measured since 1998.
The latest figures from the 2007-08 BCS show that 12 per cent. of people report a high level of worry about each of burglary and car crime and 15 per cent. of people report a high level of worry about violent crime. Figures since 1992 are included in table 1 and can also be found in the Home Office statistical bulletin “Crime in England and Wales 2007/08”, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library.
| Table 1: Trends in worry about crime, 1992 to 2007-08, BCS | |||||||||||||
| Ints | |||||||||||||
| 1992 | 1994 | 1996 | 1998 | 2000 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | Statistically significant change, 2006-07 to 2007-08 | |
| (1) Unweighted bases refer to high levels of worry about burglary. Bases for violent crime will be similar but for car crime they will be slightly lower as based on those residing in households owning, or with regular use of, a vehicle only. | |||||||||||||
Crimes of Violence
Mr. Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of violence against the person were recorded (a) in total and (b) per 1,000 of the population for (i) England, (ii) the Avon and Somerset Constabulary area and (iii) Bath and North East Somerset in each year from 1997 to 2008. [231456]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The available information is given in the following tables. Bath and North East Somerset is a Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area. Data for violence against the person at CDRP level are only available from 1999-2000 onwards.
| Table 1: Offences of violence against the person recorded by the police—1997 | ||
| Number of offences | ||
| Area | Number of offences | Rate per 1,000 population |
| n/a = Not available | ||
| Table 2: Offences of violence against the person recorded by the police—1998-99 to 2001-02 | |||
| Number of offences | |||
| Area | England | Avon and Somerset | Bath and North East Somerset |
| n/a = Not available Notes: 1. The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997. 2. The data in this table are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. | |||
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