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10 Dec 2009 : Column 616W—continued
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in each region of England have been convicted of (a) a motoring offence that resulted in a fatality and (b) careless driving in each of the last two years. [305008]
Claire Ward: Data on the number of persons found guilty at all courts for offences of causing death by driving and for careless driving, by English Government office region, for 2006 and 2007 (latest available) are given in Tables 1 and 2.
Data for 2008 are planned for publication on 28 January 2010.
| Table 2: The number of persons found guilty at all courts for offences of careless driving( 1) , by Government Office Region in England, 2006 and 2007( 2,3) | ||
| 2006 | 2007 | |
| (1) Includes offences of use of hand held mobile phone while driving. Tough new penalties for using a hand-held mobile phone while driving and for failing to have proper control of a vehicle came into effect on 27 February 2007. (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. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice | ||
Drugs: Sussex
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been found guilty of offences of drug (a) possession and (b) dealing in (i) Sussex and (ii) Lewes constituency in each year since 1997. [304276]
Mr. Straw: The number of persons found guilty at all courts in the Sussex police force area for offences of possession, and supplying or offering to supply, a controlled drug, from 1997 to 2007 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table.
Data are not available at parliamentary constituency level.
Data for 2008 are planned for publication on 28 January 2010.
Elections: Armed Forces
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements have been made to enable members of the armed forces to participate in the 2010 general election through (a) campaign contact by candidates (i) in person and (ii) through literature and (b) voting in (A) the UK, (B) other European Union member states and (C) overseas beyond the EU; and if he will make a statement. [306053]
Mr. Wills: With respect to campaign contact by candidates, the Queen's Regulations prohibit all forms of political activity, including political meetings and speeches, in service establishments. Canvassers may visit at the discretion of the commanding officer, but no material issued by or on behalf of a political party may be distributed in service institutions. There is good internet access in service establishments, including those overseas, and personnel may access campaign information in this way. They may also access television election broadcasts. Campaign literature may be sent to those electors who have a UK address on the electoral register.
The Government are committed to supporting electoral participation by service personnel and their families. Service personnel may vote in person, by post or by proxy. The declaration period for service voters is to be extended from three years to five as soon as parliamentary time allows, which will increase convenience for these voters. However, service voters face unique challenges in exercising their vote. I recently met armed forces families' representatives and MPs to discuss service voting and a range of suggestions were made to further assist service personnel and their families. I have also set up a working group to consider possible improvements to the current system for this election and to identify a more comprehensive solution to be taken forward in the next Parliament.
Fines
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 8 June 2009, Official Report, columns 768-70W, on fines, for what reason the publication of data for 2008 on penalty notices for disorder will not take place before the end of January 2010; and if he will make a statement. [305066]
Claire Ward: 'Criminal Statistics, England and Wales' is an annual national statistic publication covering a range of pre-court disposals (including penalty notices for disorder), court proceedings and outcomes. The publication is normally scheduled for late autumn of the following year to which it refers. The length of time from end of the year to publication is due to the extensive validation checks that are carried out to ensure where possible individual data are consistent with both legislation and the actual outcome at court. This requires direct liaison with court staff to confirm the accuracy of these data.
The Ministry of Justice had pre-announced, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, that the publication covering data for the calendar year of 2008 would be released in November 2009. Since announcing this date, data quality issues were encountered. To allow sufficient time to resolve these issues the publication was delayed. An update on the delay of this publication was released on the Ministry of Justice website on 9 October 2009.
The publication of Criminal Statistics is planned for publication on 28 January 2010.
Freedom of Information: Network Rail
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reason Network Rail was not made subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 as a result of his recent review of the scope of the Act. [305620]
Mr. Straw: On 16 July 2009, the Government published their response to the consultation on extending the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) to cover additional bodies by way of a section 5 order. The Government response proposed an initial, focused section 5 order and noted their intention to consult Academies, ACPO, Financial Ombudsman Service and UCAS on their possible inclusion in such an order.
The Government made clear that this was an initial step and further consideration would be given to how other bodies, for example, Network Rail might also be brought within the scope of the freedom of information regime. In certain cases, it may be more appropriate to use primary legislation rather than a section 5 order.
Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications were received for the position of (a) chairperson and (b) board member of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority; how many applicants were shortlisted; and when he expects further appointments of board members to be made. [301058]
Mr. Straw: As set out in the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009, the appointment of members to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) is a matter for Mr. Speaker, the Speaker's Committee for the IPSA and the House itself.
Information Commissioner's Office: Secondment
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of people working in the Information Commissioner's Office are secondees from (a) his Department, (b) the Cabinet Office and (c) other Government Departments. [305725]
Mr. Wills: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the independent authority responsible for enforcing the Freedom of Information Act.
There are currently no secondees working for the ICO from the Cabinet Office, one from the Ministry of Justice, two from HM Revenue and Customs, and one from the Department of Health. These secondees represent 1.2 per cent. of the total equivalent full-time staff working for the ICO.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in work group six in the Information Commissioner's Office are secondees from the (a) Cabinet Office and (b) Ministry of Justice. [305728]
Mr. Wills: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the independent authority responsible for enforcing the Freedom of Information Act.
The ICO is supported by four secondees from Government Departments. Within work group six in the ICO, there is currently one secondee from the Ministry of Justice and no secondees from the Cabinet Office.
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