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3 Mar 2010 : Column 1280W—continued
Crime: Victims
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of victims of crime were notified when the person charged with the crime against them was (a) charged and (b) convicted in each year since 1997. [319780]
Claire Ward: I have been asked to reply.
Data on the number and proportion of victims of crime who were notified when the person charged with the crime against them was charged or convicted are not collected centrally.
However, the Witness and Victim Experience Survey (WAVES) interviews a national sample of victims (and prosecution witnesses) aged 18 and over, comprising just under 20,000 victims whose cases resulted in a criminal charge, in the following crime types: violence against the person, robbery, burglary, and theft and handling stolen goods. The survey excludes victims and witnesses of sexual offences, domestic violence, and cases involving a fatality on ethical grounds. Drug and motoring offences are also excluded.
WAVES data show that in 2008 (latest full year available), 91 per cent. of victims interviewed were notified that someone had been charged with the offence. WAVES does not fully distinguish between respondents who were informed of the case outcome, and those who found out the case outcome in another way.
Departmental Sick Leave
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 January 2010, Official Report, column 32W, on departmental sick leave, what the average number of annual working days lost per employee through sick leave was in each of the last 12 months; and what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of such leave. [313439]
Alan Johnson: The average working days lost per staff per staff year in the Home Office (including its executive agencies) is shown in Table 1. The total cost of this absence is estimated to be about £24 million (out of a total wage bill for the Home Office of £997 million).
| Home Office RYAWDL( 1) | |
| Number | |
| (1) This figure includes Home Office HQ, United Kingdom Border Agency, identity and Passport Service and Criminal Records Bureau. | |
Domestic Violence: Immigrants
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects his Department's scheme to grant women victims of domestic violence indefinite leave to remain in order to receive support to commence; and how much funding will be allocated to the scheme in its first year of operation. [318927]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Since 1999, victims of domestic violence who entered the UK on a spouse or partner visa have been able to apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in the UK under the domestic violence rule.
Since 30 November 2009, the Home Office has been running a pilot to support victims of domestic violence while their applications for ILR under the domestic violence rule are processed.
The costs of the pilot relate directly to the number of victims, and their children, who apply and are accepted under set criteria, therefore, we will not know the total cost until completion of the pilot.
Drug Seizures
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what quantity and street value of class (a) A, (b) B and (c) C drugs was seized (i) in each police force area, (ii) at all major UK entry points and (iii) in England and Wales in each year since 1998. [317607]
Alan Johnson: Information on the quantities of selected class A, B and C drugs are published in supplementary table A5 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin, "Drug seizures". Copies of this and earlier editions of the bulletin are available in the Library of the House.
The data covers seizures by all police forces as well as seizures in England and Wales at major entry points by the UK Border Agency (the statistics for 2004, 2005 and 2006-07 were provided by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs. Data on seizure quantities for other drugs are not available as it is not possible to accurately calculate conversion factors (based on drug purities) for less commonly seized drugs.
Data on the street value of drugs are not collected by the Home Office, however information on the street value of drugs has been provided by the Serious Organised Crime agency (SOCA). The information covers UK wide prices.
Fixed Penalty Procedures Working Group
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to Lord Tebbit of 2 February 2010, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA16, on cycling, on how many occasions the Fixed Penalty Procedures Working Group has met in the last 12 months; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) minutes and (b) papers of each meeting held in the last 12 months. [319641]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The Fixed Penalty Procedures Working Group has met once in the last 12 months. The minutes of that meeting will be formally approved at its next meeting on 23 April, and I shall place a copy in the Library at that time.
National Security: Electromagnetic Fields
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what recent assessment has been made on the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to an electromagnetic pulse caused (a) deliberately and (b) through solar activity; [319896]
(2) what recent assessment he has made of the feasibility of strengthening civilian systems against electromagnetic pulse attacks; and what estimate he has made of the cost of undertaking such work. [319948]
Mr. Hanson: The Government's Cyber Security Strategy of the United Kingdom, published alongside and reflected in the National Security Strategy update of June 2009, considers a number of methods of cyber attack, including those that generate high levels of power that can damage or disrupt unprotected electronics. It also outlines the new governance structures and workstreams which are now building on existing work to take forward the Government's plan for reducing the impact on and vulnerability of the UK's interests from cyber attacks.
The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) provides advice on electronic or cyber protective security measures to the businesses and organisations that comprise the UK's critical national infrastructure, including public utilities, companies and banks. CPNI also runs a CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) service which responds to reported attacks on private sector networks. In addition, CESG provides Government departments with advice and guidance on how to protect against, detect and mitigate various types of cyber attack.
It would not be in the interests of national security to provide information about specific vulnerabilities, assessments or protective measures relating to electromagnetic pulse attack.
Police Cautions
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police cautions were given for (a) violent offences, (b) sexual offences, (c) robbery, (d) burglary, (e) theft, (f) fraud and forgery, (g) criminal damage and (h) drugs offences in each of the last three years; and what proportion of such cases were first offences. [319701]
Mr. Alan Campbell [ h olding answer 2 March 2010] The latest Information on the number of persons cautioned, broken down as requested is published in table 3.1 of the Ministry of Justice Statistical Bulletin 'Criminal Statistics, England and Wales 2008'.
Copies are available in the Library of the House, however the table is provided for the Member's convenience.
Additionally, data provided by the Ministry of Justice on the proportion of cautions, reprimands or warnings given to offenders with no previous caution or conviction from 2006 to 2008 are provided in table B.
The figures in table B 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.
PNC data has been used for this table rather than data collection that forms the source of the published caution statistics, as the PNC provides information on the criminal
history of offenders. As a result of the above, the two datasets are not directly comparable.
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