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7 Dec 2009 : Column 126W—continued
Please note that drug-related offences includes offences for importing and exporting drugs, for production and supply of drugs, and for drugs possession and small scale supply. There may be a range of offences that have a drug-related element which are not included in these data, but are contained within another offence group.
The table does not show reoffending rates for all drug-related crime as offenders only enter the cohort when they were convicted for their drug-related offence.
Further information on the one-year rates of reoffending can be found at:
The figures for reoffences include offences of all types. An offender whose original offence was drug-related and who reoffended, may not have committed any more drug-related offences.
Sentencing
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many prisoners sentenced to a custodial term of three months served (a) three months, (b) six weeks or less and (c) one week or less in each year since 1997; [302312]
(2) how many prisoners sentenced to a custodial term of six months served (a) six months, (b) three months or less and (c) six weeks or less of their sentence in each year since 1997. [302313]
Claire Ward: Automatic release at the halfway point of sentence was introduced by the Criminal Justice Act 1991. Prisoners who are sentenced to three months therefore normally serve six weeks in prison and prisoners who are sentenced to six months normally serve three months in prison. Adult prisoners sentenced to less than 12 months are not subject to supervision by the probation service on release from custody. However, they are 'at risk' of return to custody by the courts, to serve the unexpired portion of the sentence, if they commit an imprisonable offence before the expiry date of the original sentence. Young offenders (those under the age of 22 released from a term of detention in a YOI) are subject to a minimum of three months supervision. Juvenile prisoners sentenced to a detention and training order are supervised as part of the conditions of these sentences.
The actual amount of time served in prison, following sentence, will depend on a number of factors, including time spent as a remand prisoner or credit for time spent on tagged bail if directed by the court, any added days and release on either home detention curfew or end of custody licence.
Data for 1997 and 1998 are not available.
For those prisoners discharged between 1999 and 2008 having been sentenced to three months, the amount of time served is shown in the following table.
| One week or less | Six weeks or less | Over six weeks and less than three months( 1) | Three months | Total | |
| (1) Around 90 per cent. of prisoners in the over six weeks and less than three months category have served within two to three days of exactly six weeks. | |||||
For those prisoners discharged between 1999 and 2008 having been sentenced to six months, the amount of time served is shown in the following table.
| Six weeks or less | Over six weeks and up including to three months | Over three months and less than six months | Six months | Total | |
Numbers below 1,000 have been rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers over 1,000 have been rounded to the nearest 100.
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.
Young Offenders: Education
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on the provision of educational courses for offenders serving custodial sentences in the latest 12 month period for which figures are available. [303775]
Maria Eagle: Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) in England on 31 July 2006. OLASS funds the delivery of skills for offenders (aged 15 and over) held in English Public Sector prisons for both sentenced prisoners and those held on remand.
The allocation for the provision of education for prisoners aged 15 to 17 in public sector young offender institutions in England in the academic year 2008/09 was £19.4 million. The allocation for adult prisoners (post 18) held in English Public Sector prisons for the academic year 2008/09 was £142 million.
In Wales, from April 2006, commissioning responsibilities for offender learning and skills provision became the responsibility of Director of Offender Management in Wales. The allocation for adult prisoners held in Welsh Public Sector prisons for the academic year 2008/09 was £2.3 million. Responsibilities for learning and skills provision for those in custody in Wales transferred to the Welsh Assembly Government with effect from 1 April 2009.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what language courses are offered to offenders serving custodial sentences. [303776]
Maria Eagle: Courses in French, German, Spanish, British Sign Language and English for speakers of other languages are offered through the Learning and Skills Council's Offender Learning and Skills Service to offenders in English Public Sector prisons. During the last 12 months, offenders in custody have studied Open University courses in French, German, Spanish and Italian.
In Wales, taught courses are available in English Literature and Language, along with Welsh, French and German in some prisons. Self study and distance learning are also available for a variety of languages as requested.
The central aim of the Offenders' Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) is to improve each offender's chances of gaining sustainable employment, thus contributing to a reduction in re-offending rates. Having the right skills and qualifications has a positive impact on offenders' well-being and ability to adopt a positive role in society. Learning also has an intrinsic value in its own right-and some learning has the effect of stimulating and encouraging participation and further learning. Language teaching and learning has this engaging and progression supporting effect-and in some cases direct employability impacts.
Young Offenders: Sentencing
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on (a) custodial and (b) community sentences for people under the age of 18 years resident in each Youth Offending Team area in the last five years for which figures are available. [303589]
Maria Eagle: The Youth Justice Board (YJB) has responsibility for purchasing all the places within the secure estate for children and young people. The requested information is not recorded centrally by YOT area.
Community sentences for those aged under 18 are provided by Youth Offending Teams (YOTs). YOTs are funded from a range of central and local sources and data are not collected centrally on what proportion of this funding is spent on community sentences
Youth Custody
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children aged 10 to 17 years were given a custodial sentence after pleading guilty to a first time offence in each of the last three years. [303452]
Maria Eagle: The following table shows the number of offenders under 18, with no previous reprimand, warning or conviction, who received an immediate custodial sentence in the three years 2006-07 to 2008-09. Data on guilty pleas in relation to first offenders are not available. These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, 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.
| First-time under-18 offenders receiving custodial sentence | |
Energy and Climate Change
Caparo Group
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department holds any contracts with any of the companies forming part of the Caparo Group. [302866]
Joan Ruddock: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not hold any contracts with any of the companies forming part of the Caparo Group.
Carbon Sequestration
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what projects to deploy carbon capture and storage technology are taking part in the competition for funding for this technology. [303394]
Joan Ruddock: There are two projects taking part in the current competition launched in 2007 to support a commercial-scale demonstration of carbon capture and storage technology on a coal fired power station. Eon and Scottish Power are each leading the project.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many projects to deploy carbon capture and storage technology have expressed an interest to his Department in being part of the competition for funding for this technology. [303395]
Joan Ruddock: There were nine bids in the pre-qualification stage in the current demonstration competition launched in 2007.
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