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13 Jan 2009 : Column 701W—continued
Crimes of Violence: North West
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded incidents of violent crime there were in (a) Stockport Metropolitan Borough, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) the North West in each of the last five years. [246074]
Mr. Alan Campbell: A number of changes have been made to recorded crime in response to suggestions in 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.
The available information relates to offences recorded by the police and is given in the following table.
| Offences of violence against the person recorded by the police, 2003-04 to 2007-08 | |||||
| Number of offences | |||||
| Area | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
Departmental Contracts
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with how many faith-based organisations her Department has contracts to provide public services. [244839]
Mr. Woolas: In making contracts for the provision of public services, my Department only selects organisations that meet the proper criteria and have the most relevant expertise and experience to offer. The extent to which such organisations are faith-based is not evident in every case. An accurate total or comprehensive list could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Equality
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the (a) sex, (b) ethnicity, (c) age, (d) disability, (e) sexual orientation and (f) religion or belief of its staff; and what assessment she has made of her Department's performance against its targets relating to diversity in its workforce. [246019]
Mr. Woolas: The department publishes annually its employment monitoring report for its workforce covering all the areas in the parliamentary question. Copies of the report can be found at:
Departmental Pay
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it her policy to ensure that those temporary and permanent employees at the same grade in her Department who are paid at an hourly rate are paid at the same rate. [244390]
Mr. Woolas: All staff employed directly by my Department, whether permanent or temporary, are on similar terms and conditions including those which determine their pay.
Deportation
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) immigrants and (b) asylum seekers who have been returned to their country of origin in each of the last five years (i) have had severe health problems, (ii) have had mental illnesses and (iii) were pregnant. [243671]
Mr. Woolas: The information requested could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
Deportation: Peterborough
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals who had no legal basis to remain in the UK and who were normally resident in the Peterborough City Council area have been deported since May 2005; and if she will make a statement. [246150]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 12 January 2009]: The information requested could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
Detention Centres
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of detainees held at Oakington immigration removal centre are eligible for legal aid-funded advice. [245314]
Mr. Malik: I have been asked to reply.
Detainees at Oakington are eligible for legal aid on the same basis as other individuals. Provided their case is within the scope of the legal aid scheme, and they pass the statutory test of means and merits, legal aid will be available. It is not possible to say what percentage of the detainees at Oakington will meet these criteria.
The Legal Services Commission contracts with a single not-for-profit agency to provide on-site legal services at Oakington. Between April and November 2008 (inclusive)—1,448 asylum and 508 non-asylum matters were started for eligible detainees.
In addition on-site legal advice surgeries provide up to 30 minutes advice without reference to means or merits to any individual who does not have a legal adviser
Domestic Violence
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the level of domestic violence in (a) England, (b) Merseyside and (c) Halton. [244207]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The most recent assessment of the level of domestic violence is from the British Crime Survey (BCS) 2007-08 published in the annual ‘Crime in England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, copies of which are in the House of Commons Library.
The latest figure from the 2007-08 BCS for the number of domestic violence incidents per 10,000 adults in England is 78.
Figures from the BCS for the number of incidents of domestic violence per 10,000 adults in Merseyside or Halton are not reported due to the variability of these figures at police force area level or below.
Domestic Violence: North East
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps the Government have taken to prevent domestic violence, with particular reference to the North East. [245870]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The Government are committed to tackling and preventing domestic violence. We have a cross-Government National Domestic Violence Delivery plan which provides a strategic framework to address domestic violence to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice whilst providing the best possible help for victims and their children. The plan ensures agencies work together to identify, track and risk assess domestic violence cases and better share information so that more offenders are brought to justice, victims are protected and better supported; and further violence is prevented.
Initiatives in the North East of England include the expansion of the Specialist Domestic Violence Court programme (SDVC); the roll-out of multi-agency risk
assessment conferences (Northumberland and Durham have one MARAC to cover the county area); and supporting the establishment of Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (currently working in all SDVC areas and also Newcastle, South Tyneside and Northumberland). The Government have also supported regional awareness raising events such as the launch of the “Choice” helpline and the “Honour Network” helpline for survivors of “honour” based violence and forced marriage.
Driving Offences: Insurance
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cars were seized for being uninsured in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available. [245886]
Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 12 January 2009]: The police seizure power is in respect of a vehicle being driven by someone who is not insured to drive it, rather than the insurance status of the vehicle itself. 153,822 vehicles were seized under this power in 2007. So far in 2008 returns by police forces indicate that 138,373 vehicles have been seized. This number is likely to rise considerably because not all returns have yet been made and there will be further seizures in the rest of December.
Drug Seizures
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much (a) heroin and (b) crack cocaine has been seized in each of the last 10 years. [245947]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The latest available data on drug seizures are for 2006-07 and can be found in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin series “Seizures of Drugs in England and Wales 2006/07”. The quantity of heroin and crack cocaine seized in each of the last 10 years, in England and Wales, is provided in the following table.
| Number and quantity( 1) of seizures of class A drugs by drug type and year, England and Wales | ||
| Number of seizures and quantity seized | ||
| Class A (weighed kg)( 2) | ||
| Drug type | Crack | Heroin |
| (1) Drugs can be seized in a variety of forms or preparation types. In this table, quantities of drugs have been converted to weights (kg). In order to convert seizures to comparable units, conversion factors are applied to estimate the overall quantity for that drug. New conversion factors were introduced in 2005, in consultation with the Forensic Science Service. (2) Seizures of unspecified quantities are not included. (3) Reporting of drugs seizures have been moved to a financial year basis from 2006-07 to be comparable with other crime publications. (4) Prior to 2006-07 data included seizures made by the National Crime Squad (NCS). This organisation was merged on 1 April 2006 into the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). SOCA figures are not included due to concerns over double counting. Whereas many joint operations between the NCS and police forces were attributed to the NCS, the majority of SOCA seizures are credited to a local police force when one has been involved. | ||
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 and HM Revenue and Customs. 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.
Drugs: Prices
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the street price of (a) heroin and (b) cocaine. [245948]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Street prices for drugs vary considerably and are dependent on a number of factors, including purity and quality. The following prices are based on data collected from police forces and the Serious Organised Crime Agency:
(a) Heroin - from £25 to £100 per gram, with the most common prices being £40 and £50 per gram.
(b) Cocaine - from £20 to £80 per gram, with the most common price being £40 per gram.
Drugs: Smuggling
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vessels have been intercepted in British waters by the cutter fleet operated by the UK Border Agency in each of the last five years; and what quantity of drugs have been seized in such operations. [245956]
Mr. Woolas: From April 2008 the UK Border Agency took on responsibility for maritime operations, which had previously been undertaken by HM Revenue and Customs and were formerly the responsibility of HM Customs and Excise.
The mobile and flexible cutter fleet, work regularly in support of operations by other law enforcement agencies, in order to target illicit imports of drugs, weapons and other prohibited and restricted goods. Information as to how those vessels have been deployed cannot be disclosed, as this would provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention of crime.
Entry Clearances
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when her Department expects to issue Mr. Emiljano Beqo (FCO number 22920) with a visa via the British Embassy in Athens. [245958]
Mr. Woolas: Visa officials at the British embassy in Athens are in contact with Mr. Beqo and expect to issue him with a visa when he returns from Albania in early January.
Firearms: Crime
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the extent to which (a) legally held firearms and (b) illegally held firearms were used to commit crimes in each of the last five years. [246850]
Mr. Alan Campbell: It is not possible to determine how many of the firearms used in recorded crimes are licensed firearms and how many are illegally held. It is not always possible to categorise the type of weapon used in an offence.
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