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30 Mar 2009 : Column 994W—continued
National Offender Management Service: Consultants
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the policy of the National Offender Management Service is on appointing consultants from firms not approved by the Office of Government Commerce. [266413]
Mr. Straw:
The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) Catalist frameworks are the frameworks of choice for National Offender Management Service and new consultancy requirements are satisfied largely via
competitions within the appropriate frameworks. Non-OGC Catalist suppliers are utilised only in cases where Catalist is deemed not to be able to satisfy the specialist nature of a requirement or, in a few limited cases, where the continued provision of services from a non-Catalist supplier is required for proven business continuity. In all instances, the commercial route is vetted and approved by qualified Procurement Directorate staff.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of consultancy contracts initiated by the National Offender Management Service were awarded to ASE Consulting Ltd in (a) 2006, (b) 2007 and (c) 2008. [266414]
Mr. Straw: Centralised historical data are not available before the financial year 2007-08, as the Department has only had a centralised consultancy contracting team since April 2008. Several reorganisations within the Departments making up the National Offender Management Service have also seen responsibility for data collection and retention shift. A current register of contracts is held which includes data for the period April 2008 to current date only. To investigate periods outside this range would therefore incur significant disproportionate costs.
During the period April 2008 to date, 341 contracts and contract extensions were awarded, of which five were with ASE Consulting Ltd.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will review the processes by which the National Offender Management Service appoints consultants to ensure efficiency. [266415]
Mr. Straw: A mandatory process that governs the use and procurement of consultants and specialist contractors was introduced to the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) in April 2008. This process requires adherence to clear policy and procedure in respect of the engagement of consultants and specialist contractors and includes a clear approvals and assurance process.
All requirements are reviewed and the commercial route approved by a dedicated and qualified procurement team in the Ministry of Justice Procurement Directorate to ensure compliance with internal policy and EU Public Procurement Regulations. The same team deliver subsequent contractual requirements.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the National Offender Management Scheme spent on consultants in (a) 2006, (b) 2007 and (c) 2008. [266416]
Mr. Straw: Centralised historical data are not available before the financial year 2007-08, as the Department has only had a centralised consultancy contracting team since April 2008. Several reorganisations within the Departments making up the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) have also seen responsibility for data collection and retention shift. A current register of contracts is held which includes data for the period April 2008 to current date only. To investigate periods outside this range would therefore incur significant disproportionate costs.
Consultancy expenditure across NOMS in the financial year 2007-08 was £3.4 million.
National Offender Management Service: Finance
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the planned resource budget of (a) the National Offender Management Service headquarters, (b) HM Prison Service and (c) the National Probation Service is for 2009-10. [264669]
Mr. Straw: The allocation of the resource budget for the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is not yet finalised. The main estimates which will provide the funding for the three funding streams of NOMS headquarters, operations and probation boards, will be laid before Parliament in June.
National Offender Management Service: Manpower
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what change is planned in the full-time equivalent headcount of (a) the National Offender Management Service, (b) the National Probation Service and (c) HM Courts Service by the end of 2009-10. [264665]
Mr. Straw: The Ministry of Justice is committed to delivering £1 billion of saving by March 2011 and establishing a modern and efficient justice system that delivers the best possible service to our customers and the public.
Budgets for 2009-10 have been agreed. Detailed work force plans for next financial year are being developed across headquarters; by Regional and area directors in HM Courts Service; and by Directors of Offender Management, Governors and Chief Officers of Probation for National Offender Management Service, including the level of estimated exits due to natural wastage. This work has yet to be completed and the Department will continue to consult with trade unions as the plans develop. I will write to the hon. and learned Gentleman with the figures when they are available, which I expect to be by the end of June 2009.
Offences against Children
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders aged 21 years or over received a caution for sexual activity with a child under 13 years in each year since 2004. [258332]
Maria Eagle: Information on the number of offenders aged 21 and over cautioned for sexual activity with a child under 13 in England and Wales in each year from 2004 to 2007 (latest available) is shown in the following table.
For such indictable only offences, the decision to prosecute is taken by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), based on the seriousness of the offence, the evidence before them and the public interest. In the majority of cases a caution would not be appropriate for this type of offence. However in exceptional circumstances the police and CPS may decide that it is in the best interests of the victim not to prosecute. Issuing a caution in such circumstances for an offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 ensures that the offender will be placed on the sex offenders register. The
caution forms part of their criminal record. The caution may also be cited in court in any subsequent proceedings and can be made known to a prospective employer.
| Number of offenders aged 21 years and over cautioned for offences relating to sexual activity with a child aged under 13( 1) , England and Wales, 2004 to 2007( 2,)( )( 3) | |
| Aged 21 and over | |
| (1) Includes the following statutes under the Sexual Offences Act 2003; Sections 5, 6, 7, 8 (1) (2) and (3), 9 (1)(a)(b)(c)(ii) and (2) and (3), 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)(ii) and (3), 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d)(ii) and (2), 12 (1)(a)(b)(c)(ii) and 2, 25 (1)(e)(ii) and (2)-(4)(a)(b), 49 (l)(a)(b)(ii) and (2). (2) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (3) 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 courts and police forces. 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. Source: Evidence and Analysis Unit—Office for Criminal Justice Reform. | |
Offensive Weapons: Sentencing
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders received (a) a caution, (b) immediate custody, (c) a fine, (d) a community sentence, (e) an absolute or conditional discharge and (f) another disposal for unlawful possession of a knife in the last year for which data are available. [263846]
Mr. Straw: The requested information is shown in the following table. Statistics published by the Ministry of Justice in the first quarterly knife crime sentencing bulletin (on 12 March) showed:
More offenders are being sent to jail (23 per cent.): the number of offences resulting in immediate custody rose from 1,125 in the last quarter of 2007 to 1,386 in the same period of 2008. On average there was a 40 per cent. increase in the number of prisoners serving a sentence for possession of an offensive weapon between the same periods.
Fewer cautions being issued: the number fell 31 per cent. over the same period (1,706 in the last quarter of 2008 compared to 2,455 in the same period of 2007).
More use of tougher community sentences: the number of offences resulting in community sentences rose 16 per cent. (from 1,861 in the last quarter of 2007 to 2,151 in the same period of 2007).
Longer sentences: the average immediate custodial sentence has risen by 38 per cent. (from 133 days in the last quarter of 2007 to 184 days in the same period of 2008).
The proportion of all possession offences resulting in immediate custody rose to 21 per cent. in the last
quarter of 2008 from 17 per cent. in the same period of 2007. The proportion of offences resulting in a caution decreased from 36 per cent. in the last quarter of 2007 to 25 per cent. in the last quarter of 2008.
The statistics also show a decline in the total number of offences involving possession of a knife or other offensive weapon (6,704 offences were dealt with between October and December last year, compared to 6,808 in the same period of 2007).
The figures presented are taken from the Ministry of Justice’s publication “Knife Crime Sentencing: Quarterly Brief” published on 12 March 2009 and available from:
These figures have been drawn from the police’s administrative IT system, the police national computer (PNC), which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
PNC data have been used here rather than court data, which are the usual source of published sentencing statistics, as the PNC provides more up-to-date figures ahead of the finalised annual court data.
| Offences involving the possession of a knife or offensive weapon resulting in a caution or sentence( 1, 2) , England and Wales, 2008 | |
| Number | |
| (1) As recorded by the police on the police national computer. (2) The figures are a count of offences rather than offenders. Where an offender has been sentenced for several possession offences, each sentence has been counted. Data Source and Quality These figures have been drawn from the police’s administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police. Source: OMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice. | |
Office for Criminal Justice Reform: Finance
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the budget for each major area of expenditure of the Office for Criminal Justice Reform has been in each year since its establishment. [265888]
Maria Eagle: The following table shows the budget for each major area of expenditure of the Office for Criminal Justice Reform each year since its establishment.
| £ million | ||||||||
| Admin Pay | Admin Other | Admin Total | Programme | Total Resources | Capital | Total Budget | ||
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