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28 Apr 2009 : Column 1180W—continued
Smoke Alarms
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department’s campaign to promote smoke alarm installation. [271632]
Mr. Khan: Provisional figures show that in 2007 there were 193 accidental dwelling fire deaths in England, down 17 per cent. from the 2006 figure of 233 accidental dwelling fire deaths. This is the lowest figure for accidental dwelling fire deaths in England since 1981.
It has been our policy for some time that smoke alarms have a vital role to play in saving lives as they provide the vital early warning of fire and therefore help people to escape. Since 1987, the Government have conducted high profile national and regional television campaigns promoting smoke alarms which have proved very successful. Ownership has increased from 9 per cent. in 1987 to the current level of 80 per cent. and we are seeking to raise it further as evidence suggests that those without alarms are often in those groups who are most at risk from fire. The Government are committed to running further smoke alarms ownership and maintenance campaigns as part of this years programme.
Furthermore, in 2004, Communities and Local Government invested £25 million pump priming capital over four years in the Home Fire Risk Check initiative. This funding resulted in just under 2 million Home Fire Safety Checks by fire and rescue services in England, installing over 2.4 million smoke alarms. Research into the impact of the Home Fire Risk Check initiative showed it was responsible for 57 per cent. of the fall in accidental dwelling fire deaths. The research also concluded that the Home Fire Risk Check grant was responsible for 13,670 fewer fires and 888 fewer non-fatal casualties. The value placed on these figures showed a total benefit of £926 million to £ 1,943 million to the economy.
Travelling People: South East
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria the South East England Regional Assembly uses to determine the admissibility of submissions to the Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Show People Review. [268837]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Government encourages members of the public to make their views known on planning issues. However, representations must be made on material planning matters relevant to the issue being considered. It is for the body considering the responses to make the judgment on whether responses are material. The Regional Assembly held the consultation into the partial review of the Regional Spatial Strategy and took decisions on how to treat responses. They have not yet submitted the outcome to the Secretary of State.
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many responses the South East England Regional Assembly received to its consultation on Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Show People; how many it returned on the basis that they contained discriminatory views; on what advice that decision was taken; and who gave the Assembly that advice. [271738]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Government encourage members of the public to make views known in relation to any planning issues. However, representations must be made on material planning matters relevant to the issue being considered.
In exercising their planning responsibilities, all public bodies must ensure that they fulfil their duties under the Race Relations Act 1976 to actively seek to eliminate unlawful discrimination and promote good race relations.
In this case, the regional assembly, the then regional planning body, was responsible for the consultation into the partial review of the regional spatial strategy in relation to Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Show People and it was the assembly that took decisions on how to treat responses.
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Crime
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) off-licences and (b) on-licences have been convicted for offences related to the sale of alcohol in each of the last five years. [266813]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Information showing the number of defendants found guilty at all courts for offences relating to the sale of alcohol in England and Wales from 2003-07 (latest available) is in table 1. From data collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice, it is not possible to separately identify the number of off-licences from the number of on-licences. Data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
The penalty notice for disorder (PND) scheme was rolled out to all police forces in England and Wales in 2004 under the provisions of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001. Information showing the number of penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) issued relating to the sale of alcohol is shown in table 2.
| Table 1: Number of defendants, by persons and other defendants, found guilty at all courts for offences related to the sale of alcohol( 1) , England and Wales, 2003-07( 2, 3) | |||
| Persons | Other defendants( 4) | Total | |
| (1) Includes the following offences and statutes: 14203: Selling intoxicating liquor to persons under 18 for consumption on the premises (Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983 Schedule (Sec 3) para 4(1). Licensing Act 1964 Sec 169(1)). 14352: Wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18. (Licensing Act 1964 Sec 181 A(1) as added by Licensing Act 1988 Sec 17). 14353: Wholesaler allowing a person under 18 to sell intoxicating liquor without the specific approval of the wholesaler or an adult acting on his behalf. (Licensing Act 1964 Sec 181 A(2) as added by Licensing Act 1988 Sec 17). 14374: Sale of alcohol to a person who is drunk. (Licensing Act 2003 S.141) 14379: Sale of alcohol to person under 18. (Licensing Act 2003 S.146) 14380: Allowing sale of alcohol to person under 18. (Licensing Act 2003 S.147) 14398: Persistently selling alcohol to children (Licensing Act 2003 as added by the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006). (2) 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. (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. (4) Other offenders include companies and public bodies. Source: Evidence and Analysis Unit, Office for Criminal Justice Reform. | |||
| Table 2: Number of persons issued with a penalty notice for disorder relating to the sale of alcohol( 1) , in England and Wales, 2004-07( 2, 3) | |
| Number | |
| (1) Includes the following offences: Sale of alcohol to a person who is drunk. (Licensing Act 2003 S.141): introduced on 4 April 2005. Sale of alcohol to person under 18. (Licensing Act 2003 S.146): introduced on 1 November 2004. (2) Sale of alcohol to a person who is drunk was introduced to the PND scheme on 4 April 2005. (3) Sale of alcohol to person under 18 was introduced to the PND scheme on 1 November 2004. | |
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) pubs, (b) night clubs, (c) off-licences and (d) individuals in each police force area have been prosecuted for selling alcohol to people aged under 18 in each of the last five years. [270663]
Mr. Alan Campbell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 3 February 2009, Official Report, column 1025W.
Data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
Pubs, nightclubs and off-licences are included within “other defendants” but cannot be separately identified.
Antisocial Behaviour: Greater London
Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many dispersal orders have been issued in each London borough in each of the last five years. [271416]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Between January 2004 and 31 March 2006, the police have used the power in section 30 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 to disperse unruly groups in over 1,000 designated areas. Figures are not available broken down by year. Figures for 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2008 by police force area are due to be published shortly.
Asylum: North East
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers in each local authority area in the North East have been supported by the National Asylum Support Service in each quarter of each year since 2005. [270916]
Mr. Woolas: The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) no longer exists, although its functions continue to be exercised within the UK Border Agency.
Information on the number of asylum seekers that have applied for support in the North East by local authority area over a period is not collated centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Since the second quarter of 2008, statistics on the numbers of asylum seekers in receipt of support at the end of the quarter are published in tables 5 and 6 of the quarterly bulletin “Control of Immigration”. Earlier published figures are available in the quarterly bulletin “Asylum Statistics”, tables 9 and 10.
These statistics are broken down by Government Office Region and local authority.
Copies of these publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
Further breakdowns by parliamentary constituency are available from the Library of the House.
Crimes of Violence: Firearms
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many violent crimes involving a gun were committed in (a) Ribble Valley constituency and (b) England in each of the last 10 years. [270713]
Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 27 April 2009]: Available information relates to violence against the person crimes recorded by the police in England in which firearms (excluding air weapons) were reported to have been used from 1998-99 up to and including 2007-08.
Firearms are taken to be involved in a crime if they are fired, used as a blunt instrument, or used as a threat.
Criminal Records: Databases
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken to ensure that notices served under section 27 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 are not collated or recorded on a database that allows for an automatic retrieval. [270083]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The Home Office does not require notices served under section 27 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act to be collated or recorded on a database. The guidance issued by the Home Office on section 27 ‘Giving Directions to Individuals to Leave a Locality' indicates that each police force should determine how information relating to these notices should be gathered and recorded. The guidance can be found by accessing the following web link:
Departmental Air Travel
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials from her Department of each (a) grade and (b) directorate have flown by British Airways on official business in each of the last five years; what the (i) destination and (ii) cost of the ticket was in each case; what her policy is on the use of British Airways by her Department's officials; and if she will make a statement. [270591]
Mr. Woolas: The Department's accounting system does not hold the information at the requested level of detail. An answer could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
All travel is undertaken in accordance with the guidance set out in the ministerial code, the civil service management code and departmental staff handbooks.
Departmental Sick Leave
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many days sick leave were taken on average by staff (a) in her Department and (b) in the Criminal Records Bureau in 2008-09. [269702]
Mr. Woolas:
The Home Office, which comprises headquarters, UK Border Agency, Identity and Passport
Service, and Criminal Records Bureau, lost, on average, 9.29 working days per staff year to sick absence in 2008-09 financial year.
11.31 average working days per staff year were lost to sick absence in the Criminal Records Bureau during the same period.
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