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10 Dec 2009 : Column 621W—continued
Judiciary: Criminal Records
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of members of the judiciary have a criminal record; and how many members of the judiciary have been dismissed for committing a criminal offence in each of the last 10 years. [305785]
Mr. Straw: No record is kept of the number or proportion of the judiciary who have a criminal record.
The judicial appointment process requires candidates to be of good character. Applicants are required to declare their criminal records, which are checked with the Criminal Records Bureau and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, and for serving judges being recommended to a different post, with the Office for Judicial Complaints. All but the most minor convictions will normally disqualify someone from being appointed.
Post appointment, judicial office holders are required to report any criminal caution or charge to their senior judge and keep him or her informed of the progress and outcome of the case.
Information regarding the number of judiciary who have been dismissed for committing a criminal offence has only been collated centrally from 2004. The information is as follows:
2004: Two magistrates
2005: Six magistrates
2006-07: Three magistrates
2007-08: Two magistrates
2008-09: Two magistrates and one district judge.
Legal Aid
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice where each (a) community legal aid centre and (b) community legal advice network is located. [304833]
Bridget Prentice: There are currently five community legal advice centres located in:
Gateshead
Leicester
Derby
Portsmouth
Hull
The Legal Services Commission (LSC) and the relevant local authorities plan to establish the following centres during the course of 2010, subject to successful tenders:
Manchester
Barking and Dagenham
Wakefield
The LSC and the relevant local authorities also plan to establish the following community legal advice networks during the course of 2010, subject to successful tenders:
East Riding of Yorkshire
West Sussex.
Members Expenses
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost has been of establishing the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) including preparation of the report by the Committee on Standards in Public Life on hon. Members' expenses and allowances and the appointments to the IPSA board made to date. [301057]
Mr. Straw: The new estimate [HC18] laid before Parliament on the 24 November 2009 states that Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority's (IPSA) budget for financial year 2009-10 is £6.571 million. This includes various set-up costs such as procuring and fitting a new building but also includes salaries both for staff members of IPSA as well as the IPSA programme team.
The report of the Committee for Standards in Public Life records that the cost of its inquiry was £393,000. This is entirely separate to costs involved in the establishment of IPSA.
Prisons: Strikes
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what contingency plans his Department has for the eventuality of a strike by prison officers in England and Wales. [305783]
Maria Eagle: All prisons are required to have contingency plans in place to deal with refusal to work by prison officers. The National Offender Management Service has a command structure in place to deal with a range of scenarios including strike action.
Prosecutions: Animal welfare
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many animal cruelty convictions there were in courts in North Yorkshire in each year since 1996. [304587]
Claire Ward: Information showing the number of defendants found guilty at all courts for offences involving animal cruelty, in the North Yorkshire police force area from 1996 to 2007 (latest available) is shown in the following table.
Data for 2008 are planned for publication on 28 January 2010.
| Number of offenders found guilty at all courts for animal cruelty offences( 1) , North Yorkshire police force area, 1996 to 2007( 2, 3) | |
| Number of offenders | |
| (1 )The offences of animal cruelty are covered by the following acts; The Protection of Animals Act 1911, Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Performing Animals (Regulations) Act 1926, Protection of Animals Act 1934, Docking and Nicking of Horses Act 1949, Pet Animals Act 1951, Cockfighting Act 1952, Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act 1954, Animal Health Act 1981, Slaughterhouses Act 1974, Abandonment of Animals Act 1960, Animal & Animal Products (Import & Export) Regulations 1998, Animals (Cruel Poisons) Act 1962, Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963, Riding Establishments Acts 1964 and 1970, Slaughter of Poultry Act 1967, Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1968, Badgers Act 1973, Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996, Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act 2000, the Fur Farming (Prohibition) Act 2000 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006. (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. | |
Sexual Offences
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were (a) prosecuted for and (b) convicted of serious sexual assault in each region in each of the last two years. [305244]
Claire Ward:
Information showing the number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for serious sexual offences by
Government office region, 2006 and 2007 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table.
Data for 2008 are planned for publication on 28 January 2010.
| Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates; courts and found guilty at all courts by Government office region for serious sexual crimes( 1) , England and Wales 2006 and 2007( 2,3) | ||||
| 2006 | 2007 | |||
| Region | Proceeded against | Found guilty | Proceeded against | Found guilty |
| (1) Offences include: Sexual assault on a male Rape or attempted rape of a male and female Sexual assault on a female Sexual activity with child under 13 Sexual activity with child under 16 Sexual activity with a person with a mental disorder Abuse of children through prostitution and pornography Trafficking for sexual exploitation Gross indecency with children (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 | ||||
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were (a) prosecuted for and (b) convicted of (i) assault and (ii) sexual assault on teachers in each region in each of the last two years. [305246]
Claire Ward: The Court Proceedings Database held by the Ministry of Justice contains information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales on a persons basis. These data include information on the age of the defendant, their gender, the police force area and court where proceedings took place as well as the specific offence and statute for the offence. Other than where specified in a statute statistical information held does not identify the employment status of a victim of an offence.
Solicitors Regulation Authority: Public Relations
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what payments the Solicitors Regulation Authority has made to Lexington in the last 12 months; for what purposes; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the contract under which such payments were made. [305424]
Bridget Prentice: The Solicitors Regulation Authority is the independent regulatory arm of the Law Society of England and Wales. It receives no public funding, and is paid for by the solicitors' profession, including through practising fees. I have asked the SRA if this information is available, and they have agreed to respond in writing directly to the hon. Member.
Victims Advisory Panel
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what remuneration the chair of the Victims Advisory Panel receives; [304308]
(2) how many people worked for the Victims Advisory Panel in each of the last three years; [304309]
(3) how much was spent on the Victims Advisory Panel in each of the last three years. [304310]
Mr. Straw: This Victims Advisory Panel is currently chaired by senior officials in the Office of Criminal Justice Reform. There is no additional remuneration for this role.
The Victims Advisory Panel recruited in July 2006 originally consisted of nine volunteers. Two more volunteer panel members were recruited in 2007 to replace one member who resigned, bringing the total panel members to 10.
The current Victims Advisory Panel's tenure concluded in July 2009. Four panel members have agreed to extend
their membership and continue their work until February 2010 when we expect to appoint the Victims' Commissioner.
The Government spent the following amounts supporting the Victims Advisory Panel:
£19,116 in 2007-08
£46,940 in 2008-09
£6,692 in 2009-10 (up to the end of October 2009).
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