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9 Dec 2009 : Column 462W—continued
Probation: South East
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many Probation Service staff there were in each probation area in the South East in each of the last five years; and what the ratio of offenders to such staff was in each such year. [304282]
Maria Eagle: Over the five year period, the number of qualified probation officers(1,)( )(2 )has increased by 7.3 per cent. nationally, with numbers in the south-east increasing by 7.9 per cent. The total number of staff in each probation area in the south-east region is shown in the table, together with the ratio to offenders.
Rape: Domestic Violence
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in how many cases of (a) rape, (b) attempted rape and (c) domestic violence cautions have been issued in each of the last three years. [304455]
Claire Ward: Information showing the number of offenders cautioned for offences of rape and attempted rape in England and Wales, from 2005 to 2007 (latest available) can be viewed in the table.
Data for 2008 are planned for publication at the end of January 2010.
The Ministry of Justice cannot separately identify domestic violence offences from other offences of assault and violence against the person. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) advise that domestic violence cases have to be referred by the police to a prosecutor for a charging decision in accordance with the Director's Guidance on Charging. A report of domestic violence to the police is unlikely to have been the first incident, and for that reason cautions should be rarely administered in these cases. If there is sufficient evidence of an offence, the public interest will usually mean that the decision is taken to prosecute the case in the courts.
The number of domestic violence prosecutions undertaken by the CPS has increased from 34,839 in 2004-05 to 67,094 in 2008-9. The proportion of successful cases has also risen from 55 per cent. in March 2005 to 71.9 per cent. in September 2009.
| The number of offenders cautioned( 1,2 ) for rape and attempted rape, England and Wales, 2005 to 2007( 3,4) | |||
| Offence description | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
| (1) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (2) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (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 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. (Data given includes rape/attempted rape of male and female. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice | |||
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those convicted for offences related to domestic violence had been issued with at least one caution prior to conviction in the last three years. [304476]
Claire Ward: The information requested is not available. It is not possible to identify offences involving domestic violence using the department's extract from the police national computer, which is the source of data on previous offences; domestic violence offences cannot be distinguished from other violent offences.
Remand in Custody: Ashford
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in Ashford constituency who have been remanded in custody in each year since 2005 were not convicted of the offences in respect of which they were remanded in custody; and how many days in total such people spent on remand in each such year. [304921]
Claire Ward: Information collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the number of persons remanded in custody is not available below Criminal Justice System area level.
Transsexuality
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the salary is of each person who sits on the Gender Recognition Panel. [304311]
Mr. Straw: Legal members of the Gender Recognition Panel (GRP), including the President and Deputy President are salaried First-tier Tribunal Judges within the Social Entitlement Chamber. In addition, one medical member of the GRP is a member of the First-tier Tribunal within the Social Entitlement Chamber. None of these office holders receives additional remuneration on account of their responsibilities in connection with the GRP. Fee paid medical members of the GRP are remunerated at the rate of £371 per day.
Full details of judicial salaries and fees can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people worked for the Gender Recognition Panel in each of the last three years. [304312]
Mr. Straw: The number of people who have worked for the Gender Recognition Panel for each of the last three years is shown in the following table. From May 2007 the staff also provide support to a number of tribunals.
| Period | Number of staff |
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the Gender Recognition Panel cost in each of the last three years. [304313]
Mr. Straw: The full cost for the Gender Recognition Panel for the last three financial years is shown in the following table.
| Cost (£) | |
| (1) 2008-09. The administrative element of the cost for this year is not on a similar basis due to a change in accounting procedures. This component is now recorded within the overall administrative cost of the Leicestershire Administrative Support Centre, where the Gender Recognition Panel is based. This accounts for a reduction of £14,364 between costs in 2007-08 and 2008-09. | |
Young Offenders: Location
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many young people are in the process of being relocated from Young Offenders' Institution Brinsford; how many of them will be transferred to an institution further away from their home; and if he will make a statement. [304653]
Maria Eagle: On 3 December 2009, there were 26 sentenced young people at HMYOI Brinsford. The Youth Justice Board has developed individual placement plans for each of these young people, in order to minimise any disruption to their sentence plans and to ensure that they are placed in the most suitable alternative accommodation. Of the 23 young people for whom the YJB has a valid permanent home address, 22 will be further from home as a result of the planned transfers.
On 3 December 2009, there were also 34 young people on remand at Brinsford. If sentenced, they will be placed in an alternative establishment.
Health
Alcoholic Drinks: Prices
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent steps his Department has taken to seek to reduce the availability of cheap alcoholic drinks; [304209]
(2) what research his Department has undertaken on the likely effects on the level of alcohol consumption of a minimum unit price for alcohol in the last 10 years; [304210]
(3) what recent discussions he has had with the Chief Medical Officer on restrictions on the price of alcohol. [304211]
Gillian Merron: In December 2008, the Department published an independent review on the effects of alcohol pricing and promotion from the School of Health and Related Research at the University of Sheffield. This included looking at the effects of minimum unit price on consumption
A copy of the publication "Independent review of the effects of alcohol pricing and promotion from the School of Health and Related Research at the University of Sheffield" has already been placed in the Library.
The Government recently completed a public consultation on the content of a new mandatory code of practice for alcohol retailers. The consultation includes proposals to tackle irresponsible promotions in the on-trade, and in the off-trade it explores the principle of prohibiting retailers from offering alcohol for sale at prices below the rate of duty and VAT paid on the product, a form of loss leader.
In the consultation, the Department also committed to do further work on the impact of alcohol price and promotions and in particular to look into certain key evidence gaps.
All responses will be independently analysed and a report of the consultation and the Government's response will follow in due course.
The chief medical officer regularly meets Ministers from the Department on a number of policy issues, including alcohol.
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