House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 01 July 2009 (pt 0005)

1 July 2009 : Column 258W—continued

Call charges to customers are dependent on the tariff arrangements they have with their service provider, the device they use for the call and the location from which they call.

Callers to HMRC either enter the queuing system or, if the queue is full, are played a busy message. The vast majority of callers enter the queue through an initial interactive voice recognition (IVR) service. Some IVR options will advise customers to call back later if HMRC expects to be particularly busy, for example during a peak period. It is not possible to identify the number of callers who receive this specific type of recorded message.

Welfare Tax Credit: Repayments

Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have been required to make repayments as a result of overpayments of their tax credits in Milton Keynes in the last 12 months. [283682]

Mr. Timms: The latest estimates of the number of families with tax credit awards, including information on overpayments by constituency, based on final family circumstances and incomes are given in the HMRC publication, “Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics
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Finalised Annual Awards. Supplement on Payments Geographical Analyses”, for 2006-07. This publication is available at:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-statshtm

Information for 2007-08 is not yet available at parliamentary constituency level. The geographical finalised awards publications have been delayed following a problem identified with the delivery of geographical information, although this does not affect the UK level statistics which were published on 19 May 2009. More information can be found on the HMRC website at:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tc-delay-07-08.htm

Justice

Crimes against Property: Fines

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were fined for offences relating to damage to or destruction of property in each year since 2003. [282977]

Claire Ward: The number of persons issued with a fine at all courts for offences of criminal damage in
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England and Wales for the years 2003 to 2007 (latest available) can be viewed in table 1.

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.

Under the Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND) Scheme, the police can issue a fixed penalty notice of £80 for the offence of destroying or damaging property (Section 1 (1) of the Criminal Damage Act 1971) where the value of damage caused is under £500. The number of PNDs issued in England and Wales for the years 2004-07 (latest available) can be viewed in table 2: the offence was added to the Scheme in November 2004.

The PND scheme was made available to all 43 forces in England and Wales from April 2004.

PND data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.

Table 1: N umber of persons issued with a fine at all courts for offences relating to 'damaging or destroying property' in England and Wales, 2003 - 07^{( 1,)}^{( )}^{( 2)}
Statute	Offence description	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Criminal Damage Act 1971 Sec. 1(2) and (3).	Arson endangering life	1	—	—	—	—
Criminal Damage Act 1971 Sec.1(1) and 3	Arson not endangering life	36	25	22	22	21
Criminal Damage Act 19/1 Sec. 1(2). Explosive Substances Act 1883 Sec 2, Sec 3(l)(a). Malicious Damage Act 1861 Secs 35, 36, 47	Other criminal damage endangering life excluding arson	6	17	18	4	8
Criminal Damage Act 1971 Sec 1(1) as added by Crime and Disorder Act 1998 S.30 (1) and (2)	Racially aggravated other criminal damage	21	22	21	18	17
Criminal Damage Act 1971 Sec. 1(1) as added by Crime and Disorder Act 1998 Sec30(l) and (2).	Religiously aggravated other criminal damage	—	2	—	—	3
Criminal Damage Act 1971 Sec. 1(1) as added by Crime and Disorder Act 1998 Sec30(l) and (2)	Racially or religiously aggravated other criminal damage (any amount)	3	7	4	2	3
Criminal Damage Act 19/1 Sec. 1(1). Magistrates' Courts Act 1980 S.22 as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994	Criminal damage, value £5,000 or less	7,370	7,129	6,519	5,655	5,634
⁽¹⁾ The figures given in the table on court proceedings 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 it 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

Table 2: Number of penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) issued to offenders aged 16 and over for the offence 'Criminal Damage (under £500)' in England and Wales, 2004 to 2007^{( 1,2)}
Offence	2004	2005	2006	2007
Criminal Damage (under £500)	1,190	12,168	20,620	19,946
⁽¹⁾ 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 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. ⁽²⁾ The Penalty Notice for Disorder Scheme commenced in 2004. Source: Evidence and Analysis Unit - Office for Criminal Justice Reform, Ministry of Justice

Departmental Information Officers

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to his Department of press office staff other than press officers has been in each year since his Department was established. [283074]

Mr. Wills: Since its inception on 9 May 2007, the Ministry incurred the following expenditure on press office staff other than press officers:

Financial year	£
2008-09	150,337
2007-08	76,167

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Press Office staff other than press officers are interpreted as being secretarial and administrative staff. The increase in expenditure has occurred because it was recognised that, in the transition from the Department of Constitutional Affairs to the Ministry of Justice, the press office function needed to be enhanced to satisfactorily meet the demands placed upon it from all forms of media. As a major Department of state, the Ministry touches the lives of all citizens, and it is important that the public understands how taxpayers money is being used and the services that it provides. The Ministry’s support and administrative staff working in the press office are an integral part of the team, helping with daily operations and the smooth running of the area.

Departmental Pay

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which of his Department’s (a) agencies and (b) non-departmental public bodies have submitted bids for efficiency savings to be used for pay improvements in 2009 pay offers. [283033]

Mr. Wills: Agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) within the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) have not submitted any bids for efficiency savings to be used for pay improvements in 2009 pay offers. Efficiency savings were removed from budgets before funding was allocated to MoJ agencies and NDPBs. Individual budget managers are required to live within their funding allocation.

Harassment: Fines

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many people were fined for offences of using threatening words or behaviour likely to cause
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alarm, harassment or distress under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 in each year since 2003; [282975]

(2) how many people were fined for offences of intentionally harassing or scaring people in each year since 2003. [282976]

Claire Ward: The number of persons issued with a fine at all courts for the offences of using threatening words or behaviour likely to cause alarm, harassment or distress and intentionally harassing or scaring people in England and Wales for the years 2003-07 (latest available) is shown in table 1.

Court proceedings data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.

Under the penalty notice for disorder (PND) scheme, the police can issue a fixed penalty notice of £80 for the offence of ‘Using words, conduct likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress’ (S5 of the POA 1986). The number of PNDs issued in England and Wales for the years 2004-07 (latest available) can be viewed in table 2. PNDs are not available for offences committed under section 4A.

The PND was made available to all 43 forces in England and Wales from April 2004.

PND data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.

Table 1: Number of persons issued with a fine at all courts for offences relating to ‘Causing harassment, alarm and distress’, in England and Wales, 2003- 07^{( 1,)}^{( )}^{( 2)}
		Fine
Statute	Offence description	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Public Order Act 1986 Sec 4A as amended by Crime and Disorder Act 1998 Sec.31(l)(b),(4)	Racially Aggravated causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress	97	94	91	87	134
Public Order Act 1986 Sec 4A as amended by Crime and Disorder Act 1998 Sec.31(1)(b),(4)	Religiously aggravated causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress	0	4	0	2	1
Public Order Act 1986 Sec 4A as amended by Crime and Disorder Act 1998 Sec.31(1)(b),(4)	Racially or religiously aggravated causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress	15	24	21	22	34
Public Order Act 1986 Sec 5	Harassment, alarm or distress	9,932	10,296	9,972	10,235	10,832
Public Order Act 1986 Sec 5 as amended by Crime and Disorder Act Sec.31(1)(b),(5)	Racially Aggravated Harassment, alarm or distress	551	642	724	866	970
Public Order Act 1986 S.5 as amended by Crime and Disorder Act 1998 S.31(1) (c) and 5	Religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress	6	6	5	14	18
⁽¹⁾ The figures given in the table on court proceedings 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 it 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, Ministry of Justice.

Table 2: Number of penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) issued to offenders aged 16 and over for the offence ‘Causing harassment, alarm and distress’ in England and Wales , 2004- 07^{( 1,2)}
	Number
2004	28,790
2005	64,007
2006	82,235
2007	77,827
⁽¹⁾ 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 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. ⁽²⁾ The penalty notice for disorder scheme commenced in 2004. Source: Evidence and Analysis Unit—Office for Criminal Justice Reform, Ministry of Justice

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