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16 Mar 2010 : Column 744W—continued
Ethiopia: Overseas Aid
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what information his Department holds on the operations of British companies in Ethiopia; and if he will make it his policy
to seek to ensure that the operation in Ethiopia of British enterprises which are wholly commercial does not disadvantage the operation of organisations in receipt of assistance from his Department. [322664]
Mr. Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not hold specific information on the operations of British companies in Ethiopia, though our office in Addis Ababa has periodic contact with particular companies on matters such as private sector development in Ethiopia.
DFID does not monitor the activities of British companies in Ethiopia or elsewhere overseas. The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) leads on the operations of British companies overseas. Where issues arise in relation to the operations of companies overseas, the UK position is to encourage companies to observe national laws and standards.
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Convictions
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions for being drunk and disorderly there were in Milton Keynes in each year since 1997. [315369]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The number of persons found guilty at all courts for being drunk and disorderly within the Thames Valley area in England and Wales from 1997 to 2008 can be viewed in the following table.
A penalty notice for disorder (PND) may also be issued for being drunk and disorderly. The number of PNDs issued for being drunk and disorderly from 2004 to 2008 can be viewed in the attached table. PNDs were introduced to all police force areas in 2004.
Court proceedings data for 2009 are planned to be published in the autumn 2010.
| N umber of persons found guilty at all courts and penalty notice for disorder (PNDs) issued for being drunk and disorderly related offences within Thames Valley area from 1997 to 2008( 1, 2, 3) | ||||||||||||
| 1997 | 199S | 1999 | 200 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
| (1) Data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Data include the following offence descriptions and corresponding statutes: Being found drunk in a highway or other public place whether a building or not, or a licensed premises. Licensing Act 1872 Sec 12. Any person who in any public place is guilty, while drunk, of disorderly behaviour. Criminal Justice Act 1967 Sec.91. (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: Court proceedings data held by CJEA-Office for Criminal Justice Reform-Ministry of Justice-Our Ref: IOS 142-10 | ||||||||||||
Anti-Semitism
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he (a) has taken and (b) plans to take in the next six months to protect the Jewish community from anti-Semitic attacks; and if he will make a statement. [321840]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The Government take attacks on the Jewish community very seriously and provide a co-ordinated and continual response.
The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) National Community Tension Team (NCTT) carries out community impact assessments and identifies particular Jewish communities for reassurance activity. The NCTT also coordinates a national operation to ensure security and reassure Jewish communities during High Holy Days.
The Community Safety Trust (CST) was a recipient of funding from the 2009-10 Hate Crime section of the Victims Fund to allow them to improve both their reporting of anti-Semitic incidents and the support provided to victims. In addition, in London, the Metropolitan Police's Operation Rainbow Team, the uniformed policing response to counter-terrorism, has been working with the CST on the security of Jewish buildings.
Antisocial Behaviour
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of antisocial behaviour were reported to the police in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England and Wales in each year since 1997. [321854]
Mr. Alan Campbell: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 11 March 2010, Official Report, column 446W.
Antisocial Behaviour Orders: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued by courts in York since the introduction of such orders; and how many people who were issued with such orders were proceeded against for breaching them. [322094]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) became available from 1 April 1999. Between 1 April 1999 and 31 December 2007 (latest currently available) a total of 147 ASBOs were issued at all courts in the North Yorkshire Criminal Justice System (CJS) area.
Data collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice on ASBO breaches held on the Court Proceedings Database only count those occasions where the breach was proven in court to have occurred and are available for ASBOs issued from 1 June 2000. The number of ASBOs issued at all courts in the North Yorkshire CJS area subsequently proven in court to have been breached at least once between 1 June 2000 and 31 December 2007 (latest currently available) is 81.
Data on ASBOs issued and breached collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice are not compiled below Criminal Justice System (CJS) area level.
Crime Prevention: Small Businesses
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to encourage local authorities to design security systems and ensure safe environments for small retailers and traders. [321544]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (as amended) requires all local authorities to exercise their functions with due regard to their likely effect on crime and disorder. The prevention of crime and the enhancement of community safety, including that of small retailers and traders, are therefore matters that a local planning authority should consider when exercising its functions under the Town and Country Planning legislation. All police forces have specialist crime prevention design advisors who can provide architects, developers and planners with advice on using design to help minimise the risk of crime for the whole community.
In October of last year I wrote to the chairs of all Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) highlighting the importance of working closely with businesses when developing their annual strategic assessments to make communities safer. These are a requirement for all CSPs and provide an opportunity to identify a better understanding of crime and the solutions which are effective.
To encourage them to develop their working relationship with local businesses, I drew their attention to the guidance produced by the then Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Home Office:
This is designed to give businesses and their local partnership practical advice on reducing crime including how to work better together.
I also took this opportunity to draw their attention to the Home Office's 'Securing your Business' online self assessment tool:
which allows business users to assess what simple steps they might take to reduce the risk of crime, including store design and security systems.
We are currently distributing the Small Retailers Capital Grants Fund which is designed to help fight crime and is being allocated to around 1,000 small retailers in 50 priority areas across England and Wales. The grants are being used for a variety of purposes including: purchasing security equipment for individual retailers including CCTV, infrared security cameras, security shutters and rollers, safes, alarms, anti-fraud equipment such as UV markers to detect counterfeit notes, and anti-graffiti paint.
Crime: North Yorkshire
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences were reported to North Yorkshire Police in each year since 1980. [322111]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The information requested is given in the tables.
| Table 1: Offences recorded by the police in North Yorkshire, 1980-97 | |
| Number | |
| Table 2: Offences recorded by the police in North Yorkshire, 1998-99 to 2001-0 2( 1, 2) | |
| Number | |
| (1) The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997. (2) The data in this table are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. | |
| Table 3: Offences recorded by the police in North Yorkshire, 2002-03 to 2008-09( 1) | |
| Number | |
| (1) The data in this table take account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. | |
Crimes of Violence: Merseyside
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many violent crimes took place on Merseyside in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [322639]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The term 'violent crime' is no longer used. Data are supplied for violence against the person offences. In 2008-09, there were 19,015 violence against the person offences recorded by police in Merseyside. In total, there were 903,442 violence against the person offences recorded by police in England and Wales in 2008-09. For information, these data are published in 'Crime in England and Wales 2008-09' and are shown in Table 7.03 at the following link:
Departmental Travel
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the travel guidance issued to staff of each of his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies. [315025]
Mr. Woolas: For personal and business travel to benign areas, Home Office Agency staff are referred to the FCO website for general travel advice. We have some internal guidance tailored to Home Office needs which is issued to staff on request. This document is protectively marked and cannot be released for national security reasons. Where travel on Home Office business involves staff visiting non-benign and/or volatile high threat areas, specific advice would be provided on a case by case basis.
NDPBs are not covered by the centrally held guidance and make their own arrangements.
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