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11 Nov 2008 : Column 1028W—continued
| Number of persons given a custodial sentence( 1) for possessing or supplying i llegal drugs by class, all courts, England and Wales, 1997 to 200 6 | ||||||||||
| Number of persons | ||||||||||
| Offence description | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
| (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. | ||||||||||
| Number of persons given maximum available sentence( 1) for possessing or supplying i llegal drugs by class, all courts, England and Wales, 1997 to 2006 | ||||||||||
| Number of persons | ||||||||||
| Offence description | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
| (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Source: OMS Analytical Services | ||||||||||
Electoral Administration Act 2006
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the timetable is for the commencement of section 59 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 on ending dual reporting. [233375]
Mr. Straw: Under the terms of section 59 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006, the section may not be commenced until the Electoral Commission has notified the Secretary of State that they are satisfied that they will receive the information they require in relation to holders of relevant elective office.
As my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Justice (Mr. Wills) said on 28 October 2008, Official Report, column 718, we agree that the current dual reporting requirements are unhelpful. The Committee on Standards and Privileges and the Electoral Commission have been discussing with each other and the Government the commencement of the section. I hope that the section can be commenced soon.
Electoral Register: Students
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to assist local authorities to increase the proportion of students registered to vote. [233723]
Mr. Wills:
The Ministry of Justice undertakes a number of activities to encourage young people to participate in democracy, including holding open days for schools and colleges. As part of our Ministerial Youth Outreach Programme my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Bridget Prentice) as Minister for Youth
Engagement hosted our Your Voice Counts conference on 9 October 2007, which was attended by 143 young people, 19 MPs and 41 councillors.
Section 9 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 (EA Act) placed a duty on electoral registration officers (EROs) to take all necessary steps to maintain the electoral register, including sending the annual canvass form more than once and making house to house visits.
In addition, section 69 of the EA Act requires EROs to promote registration and electoral participation within their areas. Responsibility for assisting EROs in meeting this obligation lies with the Electoral Commission which is responsible for issuing guidance ERO on encouraging electoral registration.
Guidance issued by the Commission to help increase registration levels among young people suggests EROs should work with secondary schools and sixth-form colleges to identify and make 16 and 17-year-olds aware of the electoral process. The Commission also suggests that EROs attend university ‘freshers’ weeks and establish relationships with organisations or college staff responsible for assisting with accommodation, so that student details may be obtained.
It is for each local authority to adopt an approach that is appropriate to local circumstances when encouraging students to register to vote.
Electronic Voting
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken to produce a comprehensive plan for the general operation of e-voting. [233953]
Mr. Wills: The Government are considering what the appropriate next steps are in relation to e-voting, taking account, both of the reports published by the Electoral Commission and the recent consultation on Election day which sought views on other forms of voting.
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans his Department has to commission further pilots of electronic voting kiosks at polling stations. [233954]
Mr. Wills: The Government have no plans to commission further pilots of electronic voting kiosks in polling stations.
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans his Department has to commission further pilots of electronic counting of ballot papers. [233956]
Mr. Wills: The Government have no plans to commission further pilots of electronic counting of ballot papers at this time.
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the costs and benefits of electronic counting of ballot papers taking into account the pilots carried out during the 2007 local government elections and the 2008 London Mayoral and London Assembly elections. [233957]
Mr. Wills: The Government have not yet conducted a full cost-benefit analysis for electronic counting. This is because the evidence base is still being informed by the results of pilots and other elections where e-counting is being used.
However, before any request to pilot received from a local authority is approved by Ministers, the Ministry of Justice carries out a value for money assessment, which includes an assessment of the expected costs and benefits. In addition, all pilots are evaluated by the Electoral Commission, which also considers value for money and whether realisation of expected benefits has been achieved, in its reports.
The Greater London assembly, as the body responsible for the conduct of the 2008 London Mayoral and London Assembly elections, are currently conducting a cost/benefit assessment of the use of e-counting at the 2008 election.
National Offender Management Service
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff in the Interventions and Substance Misuse Group in the National Offender Management Service have previously worked in (a) the Prison Service and (b) the Probation Service. [234146]
Mr. Hanson: Of staff currently in post in the National Offender Management Service's Interventions and Substance Misuse Group:
(a) 123 have previously worked in HM Prison Service;
(b) 18 have previously worked in National Probation Service; and
(c) two have previously worked in both HM Prison Service and the National Probation Service.
The Interventions and Substance Misuse Group was established in June 2008 following the amalgamation of National Drug Programme Delivery Unit, Offending Behaviour Programmes Unit, Interventions and Substance Abuse Unit and subsequently in November 2008, Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorders Unit. It is a NOMS headquarters group, within the Commissioning and Operational Policy Directorate, that leads on the Drug Strategy and oversees the policy and delivery of all interventions, both accredited and non-accredited addressing prisoner need across the seven re-offending pathways.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many former (a) Prison Service and (b) Probation Service staff have a permanent post in the National Offender Management Service; [234149]
(2) how many former (a) Prison Service and (b) Probation Service staff have a seconded position within the National Offender Management Service. [234150]
Mr. Hanson: All former Prison Service and National Probation Service staff now form part of the National Offender Management Service Agency. Staff formerly with a permanent contract continue to have a permanent contract and staff formerly on secondment to the Prison Service or National Probation Service continue to be on secondment.
48,333 permanent full-time equivalent staff that moved from the Prison Service (including Prison Service headquarters) and 20,894 full-time equivalent staff moved from the National Probation Service to the National Offender Management Service. Reliable information on the number of staff on secondment into the Prison and National Probation Services is not available and to obtain it would require a collection exercise across many establishments that would incur disproportionate cost.
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