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24 Feb 2009 : Column 714W—continued
Electoral Register
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many and what percentage of people eligible to vote in each (a) constituency and (b) ward of each constituency were registered to vote in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2008; [257318]
(2) what percentage of those eligible to vote were registered to vote in each local authority in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in each of the last 12 years; [257320]
(3) how many electors there were in each ward of (a) the Vale of Clwyd and (b) Denbighshire in each of the last 12 years. [257319]
Mr. Wills:
Figures in relation to the percentage of people eligible to vote in each (a) constituency and (b) ward of each constituency were registered to vote in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2008 and the percentage of those eligible to vote were registered to vote in each local authority in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in each of the last 12 years are not available. This is because the Office for National Statistics (ONS) does not hold data for the population eligible to vote in parliamentary elections, which includes British citizens resident overseas and excludes foreign citizens (from
outside the British Commonwealth and Republic of Ireland) resident within England and Wales.
In addition, it is not known how many electors there were in each ward of (a) the Vale of Clwyd and (b) Denbighshire in each of the last 12 years. However, I am aware that in response to a recent parliamentary question 17 June 2008, Official Report, column 889 ONS provided the actual number of electors registered in each ward during this period.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what assessment he has made of the likely levels of compliance with requirements for individual voter registration by members of different social groups; [257463]
(2) what assessment he has made of the likely effect of individual voter registration on (a) levels of voter registration and (b) the accuracy of the register; and if he will make a statement. [257713]
Mr. Wills: As my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Bridget Prentice) explained in answer to similar questions from the hon. Gentleman on 3 July 2008, Official R eport, column 1096W, and 24 June 2008, Official Report, column 242W, the Government have not made any assessment of the impact that individual voter registration is likely to have on the levels of registration and the accuracy of the register. We are aware that any new system of electoral registration in Great Britain would need to be tailored to current circumstances, and in particular would need to address the challenge of under-registration.
The Government are committed to the principle of individual registration. But this would be a far-reaching reform, and it would need to be undertaken with great care—both to make sure a new system is robust, and to ensure that it properly tackles the problem of under-registration.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what estimate he has made of the number of people eligible but not registered to vote in each of the last 11 years, broken down by region; [257708]
(2) what the average rate of voter registration is in the 100 (a) least and (b) most deprived wards; what assessment he has made of the effects of individual voter registration on the rate of registration in such wards; and if he will make a statement. [257722]
(3) what assessment he has made of the effects of individual voter registration on the level of voter registration. [257743]
Mr. Wills: As my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Bridget Prentice) explained in answer to these questions from the hon. Gentleman on 16 June 2008, Official Report, column 887W, the Government have not made any estimate of the number of people eligible but not registered to vote in each of the last 11 years, as such information is not available. However, the Electoral Commission estimated that 3.5 million eligible electors were not registered to vote in their report, ‘Understanding Electoral Registration’, which was published in 2005.
It is not known what the average rate of voter registration is in the 100 (a) least and (b) most deprived wards, as this information is not collected by Government. However, any new system of electoral registration in GB would
need to be tailored to current circumstances, and in particular would need to address the challenge of under-registration.
Electoral Register: Local Government
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what assessment he has made of trends in the annual expenditure of local authority electoral registration officers over the last 10 years; [257464]
(2) if he will assess the merits of ring-fencing funds allocated to local government for registration of voters. [257718]
Mr. Wills: As my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Bridget Prentice) explained in answer to a similar question from the hon. Gentleman on 24 June 2008, Official Report, column 241W there are no current plans to ring-fence funding for electoral registration activities. Funding is included in the local authority formula grant issued by central Government. Once these funds are allocated, decisions on how it is utilised are a matter for the local authorities concerned. There is also a parallel protocol which states that unless there is an exceptional reason to do so, money provided to local authorities for discharging their statutory responsibilities should not be ‘ring-fenced’.
There has been no assessment of the trends in the annual expenditure of local authority electoral registration officers over the past 10 years. However, as part of its work in developing Performance Standards for electoral services, the Electoral Commission launched its financial information survey across Great Britain on 10 September 2007. Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers were asked to complete the survey and return it by 31 July 2008. The Commission is currently analysing this information in conjunction with CIPFA (the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants) and will publish results in due course.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding of local authority registration officers in relation to their objectives to increase voter registration; what assessment he has made of the relationship between additional funding and increased voter registration; and if he will make a statement; [257709]
(2) how much of the funding allocated to local authorities for registration for elections taking place in 2008-09 has been spent on voter registration. [257719]
Mr. Wills: As my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Bridget Prentice) explained in answer to this question from the hon. Gentleman on 24 June 2008, Official Report, column 242W, as part of the development of the Electoral Administration Act 2006, which included a new duty to undertake work to ensure all eligible people were registered to vote, a need for additional resources was identified. Monies were made available to support this work as part of the funding provided for the implementation of the Act.
Section 67 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 allows the Electoral Commission to set and monitor performance standards for electoral services. As part of
its work in developing performance standards for electoral services, the Commission launched its financial information survey across Great Britain on 10 September 2007. Electoral registration officers and returning officers were asked to complete the survey and return it by 31 July 2008. The Commission is currently analysing this information in conjunction with CIPFA (the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants) and will publish results in due course. It will be for the Commission to decide whether it wishes to collect and publish financial information in relation 2008-09.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for any variation in levels of electoral registration between different local authorities; [257726]
(2) if he will commission research on the effects on electoral registration rates of levels of functional illiteracy in the population; [257710]
(3) what estimate he has made of the number of those eligible to vote but not registered to do so in each parliamentary constituency. [257724]
Mr. Wills: As my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Bridget Prentice) explained in answer to similar questions from the hon. Member on 18 June 2008, Official Report, columns 1000-01W, the Government have not made an assessment of the reasons for variations in the levels of electoral registration between different local authorities. There are no plans at present to commission research on the effects of functional illiteracy in the population on electoral registration rates. The Government have not made any estimate of the number of people eligible but not registered to vote in each parliamentary constituency. Whatever the reasons for shortfalls, the Government are determined to take all practicable measures to increase levels of registration. Since 2006. the numbers of those registered to vote have increased by 679,439 for parliamentary elections and 976,394 for local government elections.
The Electoral Administration Act includes a provision for the Electoral Commission to introduce new performance standards for Electoral Registration Officers. The Electoral Commission published its Performance Standards for Electoral Registration Officers in Great Britain in July 2008. A copy of these standards has been laid before the House and the information obtained from local authorities as a consequence will enable us to get a better understanding of the actions taken to increase registration. The Commission intends to produce a report on performance against the standards during spring 2009.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what (a) duties and (b) powers local electoral registration officers have to promote electoral registration. [257988]
Mr. Wills:
The Government have taken a number of steps to help Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) promote and increase electoral registration rates. Section 9 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 (EA Act) placed a new duty on EROs to take all necessary steps to maintain the electoral register, including sending the annual canvass form more than once, making house-to
house-inquiries and inspecting records that an ERO is permitted to inspect. These records are those held by the local authority and include council tax, land and property, housing benefit and educational where available. It is for each ERO to decide on the best steps to use in conjunction with their local knowledge to ensure that requirements for making contact with persons and maintaining the register are complied with.
Section 69 of the EA Act imposes a duty on EROs to promote local participation within their areas. Assisting EROs in meeting this obligation falls within the Electoral Commission's remit, as does issuing guidance to electoral registration officers more generally.
The Act also included a provision for the Electoral Commission to introduce a new performance standards framework for electoral services. The Commission published a final set of performance standards for Electoral Registration Officers in Great Britain in July 2008, details of which have been laid before the House. The Commission will publish the results of EROs' self-assessments against these standards in spring 2009.
Fraud: Financial Institutions
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases of financial abuse by partners (a) have been reported to the police, (b) have been prosecuted and (c) resulted in a conviction in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [252445]
Mr. Alan Campbell: I have been asked to reply.
The Government do recognise the financial and economic impact that happens within domestic violence relationships. We are working with stakeholders and the British Banker's Association to ensure that both domestic violence victims and their advisers are more fully informed of their options. We will be considering this issue when developing our delivery plan in the future and recently produced a leaflet including some advice on this issue. From the information received on domestic violence cases we are not able to identify the financial abuse aspect.
Judges: Public Appointments
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he last met Baroness Prashar to discuss judicial appointments. [256676]
Mr. Straw: I routinely meet Baroness Prashar to discuss all matters relating to her role as chairman of the Judicial Appointments Commission. Our most recent meeting was on 10 February 2009.
Offenders
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in which prison establishments an offender supervisor is allocated to each inmate; and if he will make a statement. [258182]
Mr. Hanson:
The national offender management model does not require every offender to have an offender supervisor. The implementation of the model has been phased to give priority to those offenders serving community orders or on post-release licences; adult offenders serving a determinate sentence of 12 months or more assessed
as posing a high or very high risk of serious harm, or who have been identified as prolific or other priority offenders; and those sentenced to imprisonment for public protection.
Offenders: Databases
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what mechanisms are in place to ensure that information held by a prison about an offender is made available to a community offender manager on the offender's release from custody; and if he will make a statement. [258183]
Mr. Hanson: The National Standards for the Management of Offenders (2007) require offender managers to maintain contact with the offender and the offender supervisor sufficiently frequently during custody to ensure both the implementation of the sentence plan and the smooth, safe and effective transition from custody to the community. On release from custody the electronic offender assessment record (OASys) is transferred from the Prison Service to the National Probation Service.
Offenders: Ex-servicemen
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the cost of (a) the veterans in custody support programme at HM Prison Everthorpe and (b) extending the programme across the custodial estate; and whether he has had discussions with (i) the Ministry of Defence, (ii) the Department of Health, (iii) HM Prison Service and (iv) the National Offender Management Service on the (A) funding and (B) timetable for an extension of the programme; and if he will make a statement. [258181]
Mr. Hanson: To date, no formal estimate has been made of the cost of the HM Prison Everthorpe veterans in custody support programme. However, we are aware that a prison officer in the establishment devotes about one day a week to attend to referrals and a further three hours a month to facilitate a veterans’ forum. It will not be possible to estimate the cost of a national roll-out of this programme, until we have some reliable research to better determine the numbers of veterans offending. We anticipate that this information will be available to us by September 2009.
Prison In-Reach, a cross departmental non-executive working group, led by the Ministry of Defence, brings together representation from The National Offender Management Service and public sector prisons in addition to third sector partners. This provides an excellent opportunity for collaborative working and the pooling of resources. The Department of Health is a key partner of both the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Justice in the provision of health care services to veterans and the general offender population. Once the research is available, it may be possible to discuss the delivery of specific interventions to meet the needs of veterans.
The group is currently preparing a guidance pack for prison officers, working with veterans. This will provide a useful resource for prisons wishing to develop a service similar to that delivered at Everthorpe. We anticipate that this will be ready for distribution and introduction during the second quarter of this year.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what mechanisms are in place to ensure that account is taken of the needs of offenders who are former members of the armed forces in the preparation of (a) an assessment outcome and (b) a resettlement plan by the (i) offender supervisor and (ii) offender manager; and if he will make a statement. [258184]
Mr. Hanson: The Offender Assessment System (OASys) is the mechanism by which the risks posed by an offender and the needs associated with offending behaviour are assessed. There is no separate system for assessing the needs of serving or former members of the armed forces but OASys has a broad scope and includes the assessment of the offender's accommodation, financial management and emotional well-being, for example. It provides the opportunity to record relevant matters relating to an offender's military history.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to assist offender managers in identifying offenders who have served in the armed forces; and if he will make a statement. [258187]
Mr. Hanson: The Offender Assessment System (OASys) prompts an offender manager to review an offender's employment history and work related skills. Offenders are also encouraged to use a self-assessment questionnaire to highlight information that is important to them and is relevant to their offending behaviour.
Offensive Weapons: Convictions
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were convicted for (a) possessing and (b) distributing prohibited (i) weapons and (ii) ammunition in each police force area in 2007-08. [256691]
Maria Eagle: Information on the number of persons found guilty at all courts of offences for possessing or distributing prohibited weapons or ammunition in England and Wales, by police force area for the year 2007 (latest available) can be found 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 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
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