John Penrose:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2009, Official Report, column 84W, on drugs: crime, how many people were convicted of offences of drug (a) possession and (b) dealing in Avon and Somerset police force area in 2008. [318390]
Claire Ward:
Pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2009, the number of persons found guilty at all courts for drug possession and dealing in the Avon and Somerset police force area in 2008 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table:
Number of persons found guilty at all courts for the possession and dealing of drugs, Avon and Somerset police force area 2008( 1,2,3)
Offence
2008
Having possession of a controlled drug
707
Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply
154
Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug
64
26 Feb 2010 : Column 787W
26 Feb 2010 : Column 788W
Notes: 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. 3. Excludes convictions data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July, and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice.
Drugs: Fine
Chris Grayling:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2010, Official Report, columns 490-3W, on drugs: fines, what the number of people fined for (a) possession and (b) possession with intent to supply was as a proportion of all those convicted of both offences in each year for which the data are provided. [317569]
Claire Ward:
The requested information is shown in the following tables.
Number of persons fined and total sentenced, at all courts, for having possession of a controlled drug by drug type and year, 1998 to 2008
England and Wales
Drug type and year
Number of persons fined
Total sentenced
Fine rate (percentage)
Cannabis
1998
15,503
22,616
68.5
1999
15,215
22,672
67.1
2000
13,638
20,799
65.6
2001
12,960
20,736
62.5
2002
14,123
23,627
59.8
2003
15,172
25,665
59.1
2004
6,972
13,302
52.4
2005
6,316
12,050
52.4
2006
6,368
12,452
51.1
2007
6,839
14,004
48.8
2008
8,694
17,831
48.8
Cocaine
1998
1,003
1,642
61.1
1999
1,243
2,035
61.1
2000
1,117
1,884
59.3
2001
1,107
1,977
56.0
2002
1,332
2,233
59.7
2003
1,411
2,455
57.5
2004
1,516
2,737
55.4
2005
1,731
3,161
54.8
2006
2,055
3,981
51.6
2007
2,307
4,882
47.3
2008
2,839
5,825
48.7
Crack Cocaine
1998
192
361
53.2
1999
246
483
50.9
2000
265
506
52.4
2001
281
626
44.9
2002
394
786
50.1
2003
381
862
44.2
2004
328
846
38.8
2005
386
921
41.9
2006
392
973
40.3
2007
409
1,211
33.8
2008
572
1,549
36.9
Ecstasy (MDMA)
1998
408
743
54.9
1999
681
1,253
54.3
2000
1,038
2,002
51.8
2001
1,201
2,485
48.3
2002
1,078
2,170
49.7
2003
1,023
2,001
51.1
2004
840
1,849
45.4
2005
761
1,672
45.5
2006
672
1,524
44.1
2007
618
1,571
39.3
2008
404
974
41.5
Heroin
1998
1,505
4,311
34.9
1999
1,660
4,836
34.3
2000
1,715
5,143
33.3
2001
1,856
5,436
34.1
2002
1,758
5,040
34.9
2003
1,541
4,563
33.8
2004
1,405
4,258
33.0
2005
1,230
3,942
31.2
2006
1,159
3,939
29.4
2007
1,335
4,628
28.8
2008
1,478
4,870
30.3
Notes:
1. These data are presented on the principal offence basis. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.
2. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems.
3. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
Source:
Justice Statistics Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice