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20 Apr 2009 : Column 186W—continued

Lunar House

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects work to be completed on the area beneath Lunar House to provide an additional covered queuing area for customers. [268727]

Mr. Woolas: The UK Border Agency is committed to improving the public queuing area outside Lunar House. The work is intended to provide an enclosed, safe and secure queuing area for customers attending both the Public Enquiry Office and the Asylum Screening Unit. Project managers have already been appointed to consider and specify work options and provide costs for these improvements. The project managers' report is due back within the next few weeks. Once this has been received it is hoped that a decision may then be made to start works on site with a provisional completion date in early 2010. This will be subject to receiving timely landlord's consent for the works to be undertaken and planning approval from the local authority.

Malicious Communications Act 1988: Prosecutions

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions of (a) men and (b) women in each age group have taken place under the Malicious Communications Act 1988 in each
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police force area in each year since the Act came into force; and how many of those prosecutions related to anti-Semitic material. [268583]

Mr. Woolas: Data provided by the Ministry of Justice, showing the number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts under the 1988 Malicious Communications Act in England and Wales, by police force area, sex and age, from 2002 to 2007 are in the following table. Court proceedings data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009. The data provided cannot separately identify court proceedings relating to anti-Semitic material

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The statistics 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 principal offence is the offence 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.

Earlier data on prosecutions under the Act are not available because before 2002, data on this offence were reported to the Ministry of Justice as a part of a miscellaneous group which could not be separated.

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Number of persons proceeded against under the 1988 Malicious Communications Act, broken down by police force area, sex and age, England and Wales, 2002 to 2007( 1,)( )( 2)
Force	Sex	Age	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Avon and Somerset	Male	10 to 17	—	—	—	—	2	1
		18 and over	1	3	—	5	6	8
		Total	1	3	—	5	8	9
	Female	10 to 17	—	—	—	1	2	1
		18 and over	—	—	1	—	2	4
		Total	—	—	1	1	4	5
	Total		1	3	1	6	12	14
Bedfordshire	Male	18 and over	—	3	3	—	—	—
		Total	—	3	3	—	—	—
	Total		—	3	3	—	—	—
Cambridgeshire	Male	18 and over	—	—	—	—	2	1
		Total	—	—	—	—	2	1
	Female	18 and over	—	—	—	—	1	1
		Total	—	—	—	—	1	1
	Total		—	—	—	—	3	2
Cheshire	Male	18 and over	—	1	—	1	3	4
		Total	—	1	—	1	3	4
	Female	18 and over	—	—	—	—	2	—
		Total	—	—	—	—	2	—
	Total		—	1	—	1	5	4
City of London	Male	18 and over	—	1	—	—	—	1
		Total	—	1	—	—	—	1
	Total		—	1	—	—	—	1
Cleveland	Male	18 and over	—	—	2	1	2	—
		Total	—	—	2	1	2	—
	Total		—	—	2	1	2	—
Cumbria	Male	10 to 17	—	—	—	—	—	1
		18 and over	1	1	2	1	4	2
		Total	1	1	2	1	4	3
	Female	10 to 17	1	—	—	—	—	—
		18 and over	2	1	—	2	—	1
		Total	3	1	—	2	—	1
	Total		4	2	2	3	4	4
Derbyshire	Male	18 and over	—	1	—	1	2	6
		Total	—	1	—	1	2	6
	Female	10 to 17	—	1	—	—	1	—
		18 and over	—	—	—	—	—	1
		Total	—	1	—	—	1	1
	Total		—	2	—	1	3	7
Devon and Cornwall	Male	10 to 17	—	—	—	1	2	2
		18 and over	2	3	3	1	5	9
		Total	2	3	3	2	7	11
	Female	10 to 17	—	—	—	1	—	1
		18 and over	1	1	3	3	—	1
		Total	1	1	3	4	—	2
	Total		3	4	6	6	7	13
Dorset	Male	10 to 17	—	—	—	—	—	1
		18 and over	—	—	—	—	—	1
		Total	—	—	—	—	—	2
	Female	18 and over	—	—	—	1	—	—
		Total	—	—	—	1	—	—
	Total		—	—	—	1	—	2
Durham	Male	18 and over	—	—	—	—	1	3
		Total	—	—	—	—	1	3
	Female	18 and over	—	—	—	—	—	1
		Total	—	—	—	—	—	1
	Total		—	—	—	—	1	4
Essex	Male	10 to 17	—	—	—	—	1	—
		18 and over	1	2	1	4	7	2
		Total	1	2	1	4	8	2
	Female	18 and over	1	—	—	—	—	2
		Total	1	—	—	—	—	2
	Total		2	2	1	4	8	4
Gloucestershire	Male	18 and over	3	—	1	1	1	1
		Total	3	—	1	1	1	1
	Total		3	—	1	1	1	1
Greater Manchester	Male	10 to 17	—	1	—	1	1	1
		18 and over	1	3	3	3	7	7
		Total	1	4	3	4	8	8
	Female	18 and over	—	—	—	1	2	2
		Total	—	—	—	1	2	2
	Total		1	4	3	5	10	10
Hampshire	Male	10 to 17	—	—	—	—	1	1
		18 and over	—	1	3	1	2	7
		Total	—	1	3	1	3	8
	Female	10 to 17	—	—	1	—	—	—
		18 and over	—	—	—	1	—	—
		Total	—	—	1	1	—	—
	Total		—	1	4	2	3	8
Hertfordshire	Male	10 to 17	—	1	—	1	—	4
		18 and over	1	5	1	3	10	9
		Total	1	6	1	4	10	13
	Female	10 to 17	—	—	—	1	—	—
		18 and over	—	—	—	—	1	3
		Total	—	—	—	1	1	3
	Total		1	6	1	5	11	16
Humberside	Male	10 to 17	—	—	—	1	1	—
		18 and over	1	1	—	5	3	4
		Total	1	1	—	6	4	4
	Total		1	1	—	6	4	4
Kent	Male	10 to 17	—	—	—	1	—	—
		18 and over	—	2	1	1	—	2
		Total	—	2	1	2	—	2
	Female	18 and over	—	—	—	—	1	—
		Total	—	—	—	—	1	—
	Total		—	2	1	2	1	2
Lancashire	Male	10 to 17	—	—	—	1	—	—
		18 and over	1	2	2	—	2	6
		Total	1	2	2	1	2	6
	Female	18 and over	1	—	—	—	—	1
		Total	1	—	—	—	—	1
	Total		2	2	2	1	2	7
Leicestershire	Male	10 to 17	—	—	1	—	—	—
		18 and over	—	2	2	7	13	1
		Total	—	2	3	7	13	1
	Female	18 and over	—	1	1	1	—	—
		Total	—	1	1	1	—	—
	Total		—	3	4	8	13	1
Lincolnshire	Male	18 and over	1	—	1	1	5	4
		Total	1	—	1	1	5	4
	Female	10 to 17	—	—	—	—	1	—
		18 and over	—	—	—	—	3	1
		Total	—	—	—	—	4	1
	Total		1	—	1	1	9	5
Merseyside	Male	18 and over	—	1	—	—	—	5
		Total	—	1	—	—	—	5
	Total		—	1	—	—	—	5
Metropolitan Police	Male	10 to 17	—	1	2	1	—	1
		18 and over	14	14	20	16	15	26
		Total	14	15	22	17	15	27
	Female	10 to 17	—	—	—	1	—	—
		18 and over	4	3	2	3	—	1
		Total	4	3	2	4	—	1
	Total		18	18	24	21	15	28
Norfolk	Male	10 to 17	—	—	—	—	—	1
		18 and over	1	3	—	—	3	—
		Total	1	3	—	—	3	1
	Total		1	3	—	—	3	1
North Yorkshire	Male	18 and over	1	1	—	—	—	10
		Total	1	1	—	—	—	10
	Female	10 to 17	1	—	—	—	—	—
		18 and over	—	—	—	—	—	1
		Total	1	—	—	—	—	1
	Total		2	1	—	—	—	11
Northamptonshire	Female	18 and over	—	—	2	—	—	—
		Total	—	—	2	—	—	—
	Total		—	—	2	—	—	—
Northumbria	Male	10 to 17	—	—	—	—	—	2
		18 and over	1	1	2	3	5	10
		Total	1	1	2	3	5	12
	Female	10 to 17	—	—	—	1	—	—
		18 and over	—	—	—	—	2	5
		Total	—	—	—	1	2	5
	Total		1	1	2	4	7	17
Nottinghamshire	Male	10 to 17	—	—	—	—	3	—
		18 and over	1	1	3	4	1	4
		Total	1	1	3	4	4	4
	Female	18 and over	—	—	—	—	—	1
		Total	—	—	—	—	—	1
	Total		1	1	3	4	4	5
South Yorkshire	Male	18 and over	—	—	—	2	1	3
		Total	—	—	—	2	1	3
	Total		—	—	—	2	1	3
Staffordshire	Male	18 and over	—	1	3	4	3	3
		Total	—	1	3	4	3	3
	Female	18 and over	—	—	1	—	—	—
		Total	—	—	1	—	—	—
	Total		—	1	4	4	3	3
Suffolk	Male	10 to 17	—	—	—	1	—	2
		18 and over	2	—	3	—	5	3
		Total	2	—	3	1	5	5
	Female	10 to 17	—	—	—	—	—	1
		18 and over	—	—	1	1	—	—
		Total	—	—	1	1	—	1
	Total		2	—	4	2	5	6
Surrey	Male	18 and over	—	—	2	—	5	3
		Total	—	—	2	—	5	3
	Total		—	—	2	—	5	3
Sussex	Male	18 and over	—	—	—	—	—	1
		Total	—	—	—	—	—	1
	Female	18 and over	—	—	—	—	1	2
		Total	—	—	—	—	1	2
	Total		—	—	—	—	1	3
Thames Valley	Male	18 and over	—	6	9	5	5	6
		Total	—	6	9	5	5	6
	Female	18 and over	—	—	2	1	1	2
		Total	—	—	2	1	1	2
	Total		—	6	11	6	6	8
Warwickshire	Male	18 and over	1	—	—	—	2	2
		Total	1	—	—	—	2	2
	Female	10 to 17	—	—	—	—	1	—
		Total	—	—	—	—	1	—
	Total		1	—	—	—	3	2
West Mercia	Male	18 and over	1	2	3	4	—	9
		Total	1	2	3	4	—	9
	Female	18 and over	—	1	1	1	—	—
		Total	—	1	1	1	—	—
	Total		1	3	4	5	—	9
West Midlands	Male	10 to 17	—	1	—	1	—	1
		18 and over	7	3	5	5	10	7
		Total	7	4	5	6	10	8
	Female	18 and over	—	—	—	2	2	1
		Total	—	—	—	2	2	1
	Total		7	4	5	8	12	9
West Yorkshire	Male	18 and over	3	—	1	—	6	11
		Total	3	—	1	—	6	11
	Female	18 and over	—	—	—	1	—	2
		Total	—	—	—	1	—	2
	Total		3	—	1	1	6	13
Wiltshire	Male	10 to 17	—	—	—	—	—	1
		18 and over	—	—	—	1	—	5
		Total	—	—	—	1	—	6
	Female	18 and over	—	—	1	—	1	—
		Total	—	—	1	—	1	—
	Total		—	—	1	1	1	6
Dyfed-Powys	Male	10 to 17	—	—	—	—	—	1
		18 and over	2	—	—	2	1	1
		Total	2	—	—	2	1	2
	Female	18 and over	—	—	—	—	1	—
		Total	—	—	—	—	1	—
	Total		2	—	—	2	2	2
Gwent	Male	10 to 17	—	—	—	—	—	1
		18 and over	1	—	—	3	3	5
		Total	1	—	—	3	3	6
	Female	18 and over	—	—	—	1	—	—
		Total	—	—	—	1	—	—
	Total		1	—	—	4	3	6
North Wales	Male	18 and over	1	—	1	1	3	2
		Total	1	—	1	1	3	2
	Female	18 and over	2	—	—	—	2	—
		Total	2	—	—	—	2	—
	Total		3	—	1	1	5	2
South Wales	Male	10 to 17	—	—	1	—	—	—
		18 and over	4	2	1	1	1	—
		Total	4	2	2	1	1	—
	Female	18 and over	—	—	1	1	—	—
		Total	—	—	1	1	—	—
	Total		4	2	3	2	1	—
England and Wales	Male	10 to 17	—	4	4	9	11	21
		18 and over	53	66	78	87	144	194
		Total	53	70	82	96	155	215
	Female	10 to 17	2	1	1	5	5	3
		18 and over	11	7	16	20	22	33
		Total	13	8	17	25	27	36
	Total		66	78	99	121	182	251
(1 )The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence 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. (2) 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

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