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24 Jun 2009 : Column 922W—continued
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners convicted of each category of offence are aged over 70. [281578]
Maria Eagle: The following table gives the number of sentenced prisoners aged 70 and over in prison establishments in England and Wales by offence group, as at 30 April 2009:
| Number | |
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people aged 70 years and over were sentenced to immediate custody on conviction for each category of offence in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [281580]
Claire Ward: The requested information is shown in the following table.
| Number sentenced to immediate custody by offence type, for those aged 70 and over 1997-2007 | |||||||||||
| Offence type | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2006 | 2008 | 2007 |
| Notes: 1. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. 2. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Source: OMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice | |||||||||||
The data shows the number of offenders aged 70 and over sentenced to immediate custody for each offence type, in the last 10 years. This data is presented on the principal offence basis, where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.
Prisoners Release: Reoffenders
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 20 April 2009, Official Report, column 346, on prisoners release: re-offenders, when he expects to have re-offending data in respect of offenders who are subject to a home detention curfew. [280017]
Mr. Straw: I apologise to the hon. Member that the audit process has taken longer than anticipated. The data will be available before summer recess, when I will write to the hon. Member, placing a copy of the reply in the Library.
Prisoners: Offender Assessment System
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many prisoners aged over 70 have been assessed under OASys as (a) high risk and (b) very high risk; [281577]
(2) how many prisoners aged over 70 held in closed prisons have been assessed as suitable for open prison conditions. [281579]
Maria Eagle: During the period 1 April 2008 until 31 March 2009, 42 prisoners aged over 70 were assessed as presenting a high or very high risk of serious harm. The assessment of risk of serious harm was made through the Offender Assessment System (OASys). The OASys data are drawn from administrative IT systems and are subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale assessment and recording system.
The information regarding suitability for open prisons could be obtained only at disproportionate cost as it would involve contacting every prison which would then have to consult the records of individual prisoners.
There has been no relaxation of security categorisation standards and public protection remains paramount when undertaking the categorisation process.
Prisons: West Lancashire
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2009, Official Report, columns 82-3W, on prisons: construction, by what process (a) the National Offender Management Service and (b) his Department were made aware of the potential site for a Titan prison at Scarisbrick; which location in Scarisbrick was identified as a potential site; what information his Department holds on the present owner of the site; on what date his Department designated the site at Scarisbrick as a potential location for a Titan prison; and by whom that decision was taken. [281771]
Mr. Straw: In early 2008, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) commissioned site search agents to identify potential sites for “Titan” prisons in various parts of the country, including the North West.
Among the sites identified in the North-West was a 200 acre golf course at Southport Road, Scarisbrick, L40 8HB. This site was identified on 13 May 2008 by our site search agents but was considered unsuitable by them, an assessment that was subsequently endorsed by NOMS on 16 May 2008. The reason for this was that a golf course in a rural location did not meet the specific requirement for a site close to an urban conurbation with good transport links.
We do not hold information on the current owners of the site as it was rejected at a very early stage of the assessment process.
Probation
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases the Probation Service handled in each region in each of the last three years; and how many staff were employed by the Probation Service in each region in each such year. [280835]
Mr. Straw: The total caseload of offenders supervised by the Probation Service in each region of England and Wales as at 31 December in each of the last three years was as follows:
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