Streptococcus
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidance is issued to health care professionals on preventing group B streptococcal infection in newborn babies; and when this guidance was last updated; [87182]
(2) what information his Department holds on the number of cases of group B streptococcal infection in babies aged (a) zero to six days and (b) seven to 90 days in each constituent part of the UK since 2003. [87213]
Anne Milton: Current guidance for obstetricians, midwives and neonatologists is provided by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), which published its Green-top guideline No. 36 on the prevention of early-onset neonatal group B streptococcus disease in November 2003.
Information on the number of cases of group B streptococcal infection in babies is not collected centrally by the Department. The following table sets out information published by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) on the number of laboratory-confirmed group B streptococcal bacteraemia reports submitted by laboratories in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The HPA does not collect data for Scotland.
| 0-6 days | 7-90 days | |||||||
|
|
England | Northern Ireland | Wales | England, Wales and Northern Ireland | England | Northern Ireland | Wales | England, Wales and Northern Ireland |
| (1) Not available for every constituent country separately. Source: All data sourced from annual Commun Dis Rep/Health Protection Rep articles found on: www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/StreptococcalInfections/EpidemiologicalData/ | ||||||||
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received on group B streptococcus screening since May 2010. [87183]
Anne Milton: The Department receives representations periodically. A search of the Department's ministerial correspondence database has identified 39 items of correspondence received since May 2010 about group B streptococcus (GBS) screening. This figure represents correspondence received by the Department's central correspondence team only. Two of the letters received were petitions of which one was specifically about GBS screening and was signed by 1,560 people. The other was about maternity care and was signed by 1,022 people.
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has commissioned on the benefits of group B streptococcus testing in pregnancy in the last five years. [87184]
Mr Simon Burns: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme has funded the following studies during the last five years:
pre-natal screening and treatment strategies to prevent group B. streptococcal and other bacterial infections in early infancy: cost-effectiveness and expected value of information analyses; and
rapid testing for group B streptococcus during labour: a test accuracy study with evaluation of acceptability and cost-effectiveness.
Reports of these studies can be found on the HTA website at:
19 Dec 2011 : Column 1055W
www.hta.ac.uk/project/1473.asp
www.hta.ac.uk/project/1388.asp
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department has collected on the effect of introducing group B streptococcus screening on levels of infection in babies in (a) the US, (b) Canada, (c) Australia, (d) France, (e) Italy, (f) Spain and (g) other countries. [87185]
Anne Milton: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the national health service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. Using research evidence, pilot programmes and economic evaluation, it assesses the evidence for programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria.
As the UK NSC advise the Department on screening policy for group B streptococcus (GBS) in pregnancy the Department does not collect or hold data on GBS screening centrally.
Justice
Departmental Expenditure: Christmas
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on (a) Christmas events and (b) decorations at each of his Department's buildings in 2011. [87444]
Mr Blunt: The Department and its agencies, Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service and the Office of the Public Guardian have not incurred any expenditure on Christmas events and decorations at any of their buildings in 2011. The small number of Christmas decorations which have been placed in reception areas have been recycled from previous years.
In respect of the Department's other executive agency, the National Offender Management Service, no central records are maintained. To provide information on the amount spent on Christmas events and decorations in individual prisons would involve incurring disproportionate cost.
The Department and its agencies do not fund Christmas parties for staff, although staff may personally contribute towards the cost of such events.
19 Dec 2011 : Column 1056W
Civil Disorder
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of offenders convicted of crimes in relation to the public disorder in August 2011 had received an out-of-court disposal in relation to previous offences. [84415]
Mr Blunt: Of those offenders convicted as of midday 12 October 2011 in relation to the public disorder of 6-9 August 2011 an estimated 57% (393) had at least one previous caution.
More detail on the criminal history of individuals appearing before the court in relation to the public disorder can be found at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/criminal-justice/public-disorder-august-11.htm
As with any large-scale recording system the police national computer 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.
Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to announce the appointment of a new Victims' Commissioner. [87542]
Mr Blunt: We are considering the future of the role.
Departmental Communications
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) press officers, (b) internal communications officers, (c) external communications officers, (d) communications strategy officers and (e) other positions with a communications remit were employed by (i) his Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department on the most recent date for which figures are available. [84178]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: Staffing levels reflect the size and complexity of the Department and its public bodies and the need to communicate effectively on a wide range of issues and services
The information required is set out in the following table and represents communication posts as at 1 November 2011. Roles which encompass more than one communications discipline have been placed in the most suitable category. The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) Press Office also handles media relations for the National Offender Management Service (NOMS).
| Department and its bodies | Press officers | Internal communication officers | External communications officers | Communications strategy officers | Other positions with a comms remit |
19 Dec 2011 : Column 1057W
19 Dec 2011 : Column 1058W
|
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation—shared resource between both inspectorates |
|||||
Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service was created on 1 April 2011.
Unfortunately, the figures given in answer to PQ 38963 on 9 February 2011, Official Report, columns 242-44W, on the same subject did not include communication headcount for Law Commission and the Parole Board. Therefore we are issuing a correction to the table representing communication posts on 1 February 2011 in the MOJ as follows:
Departmental Visits
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) which young offenders institutes (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have visited in the last 18 months; and on what dates such visits took place; [87440]
(2) which secure children's centres (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have visited in the last 18 months; and on what dates such visits took place; [87441]
(3) what meetings Ministers in his Department have had with organisations working with offenders who misuse alcohol and/or drugs in the last 18 months; [87443]
(4) what meetings (a) he and (b) his Department has had with the Child Brain Injury Trust in the last 18 months; what the dates were of those meetings; and which Ministers were present; [87359]
(5) with which organisations working with young offenders (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have had meetings in the last 18 months; [87368]
19 Dec 2011 : Column 1059W
(6) which prisons (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have visited in the last 18 months; and on which dates. [87369]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: Data on visits are set out in the following tables.
My officials have provided a comprehensive list of organisations that Ministers have met, that work with young offenders or offenders who misuse alcohol and drugs, including probation trusts. Every effort has been made to ensure all relevant organisations have been included. The Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly information which includes meetings Ministers have held with external organisations. This information can be found on the Ministry of Justice website on the following link:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/corporate-reports/moj/index.htm
| Young offenders institutes | |
|
|
Date of visit |
| Secure children's centres (1) | |
|
|
Date of visit |
| (1) Officials have provided information on visits to secure children's homes and secure training centres. | |
| Meetings with organisations working with offenders who misuse alcohol and/or drugs (1) | |
|
|
Date |
19 Dec 2011 : Column 1060W
19 Dec 2011 : Column 1061W
| (1) Officials have included visits and probation trusts | |
Ministers in my Department have not met with the Child Brain Injury Trust in the last 18 months. The Ministry of Justice does not centrally record meetings attended by all officials in the Department. To collate the information requested would exceed the cost limit for answering parliamentary questions.
| Meetings with organisations working with young offenders (1) | |
|
|
Date |
19 Dec 2011 : Column 1062W
| (1) Officials have included visits and probation trusts. | |
| Prison visits | |
|
|
Date |
19 Dec 2011 : Column 1063W
Official Hospitality
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what receptions and events have been hosted by his Department since May 2010, including those sponsored by a third party. [84177]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The Department does not keep a central record of all the events and receptions that are hosted by Ministers and officials. This includes those events that are hosted by third parties on behalf of the Department and all events to support public consultations. To collate this information would incur disproportionate costs.
The Department has previously released information about ministerial hospitality, which included events and receptions, for the period covering May 2010 to June 2011. I would direct the hon. Member to 23 June 2011, Official Report, columns 458-59W:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm110623/text/110623w0003.htm
19 Dec 2011 : Column 1064W
Legal Opinion: Consumers
Sir Alan Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the Government have assessed the potential effect of new forms of regulation of legal services on consumer protection. [86832]
Mr Blunt: The licensing regime for alternative business structures (ABS) contained in the Legal Services Act 2007 became operational on 6 October 2011. The Act sets out numerous regulatory safeguards and consumer protections, including requiring all potential licensing authorities to demonstrate to the oversight regulator, the Legal Services Board, that they have robust procedures in place to regulate and monitor the bodies that they will license. Before a body is licensed, it has to meet the criteria set out in the rules and regulations of licensing authorities. In addition, every person working in an ABS firm must comply with licensing rules and licensing authorities may take disciplinary action for con-compliance.
All consumer complaints about legal services arising from a traditional law firm or an ABS will be handled by the Legal Ombudsman in the first instance. An impact assessment was prepared specifically for the commencement of ABS. The Legal Services Board will monitor the impact, which is expected to realise over the next three to five years, and conduct a post- implementation review.
Prisoners: Foreign Nationals
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign national prisoners were detained in prison (a) on remand and (b) having been found guilty in England and Wales on 1 January of each year between 1997 and 2011. [87336]
Mr Blunt: Data are held centrally on the prison population on the last day of each month, so figures are not available for 1 January each year. Additionally, annual trends are typically compared using the 30 June figures for each year. The following table shows the number of foreign national prisoners by custody type as at 30 June of each year from 1997 to 2011. These figures are published annually in the Offender Management Statistics bulletin.
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
| Foreign national prisoners, remand and sentenced population, England and Wales | |||
| 30 June each year | Untried | Convicted unsentenced | Immediate custodial sentence |
19 Dec 2011 : Column 1065W
Prisons: Security
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what contingency arrangements his Department has put in place to minimise the risk of disturbances in the secure estate during the Christmas and new year period. [87332]
Mr Blunt: During the week beginning 5 December 2011 governing governors of public prisons and directors of private prisons were requested to ensure that local contingency plans were reviewed ahead of major public holidays and that any significant changes be incorporated in those plans. These include the mobilisation of resources in response to incidents at other establishments. National command arrangements are in place to deal with any significant incidents over this period.
Public Protection Arrangements
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) for what serious further offences offenders subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements have been charged in each of the last five years; and what proportion of such charges resulted in (a) an out-of-court disposal, (b) a conviction in court, (c) an acquittal in court, (d) a custodial sentence and (e) a non-custodial sentence; [86310]
(2) what offences were committed by persons subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements in the last year for which figures are available; and in what proportion of cases the offender (a) was returned to custody and (b) remained in the community; [86319]
(3) how many offenders subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements have subsequently reoffended and been given an out-of-court disposal for such offences in each of the last five years. [86320]
Mr Blunt: Table 8 of the Ministry of Justice Statistics bulletin “Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2010-11”, which was published on 27 October 2011, provides information about offenders who were charged with a serious further offence while under probation supervision and while subject to the multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA). MAPPA were established under section 325 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. This information includes those managed at Level 1 (ordinary agency management), and at Levels 2 and 3 (active multi-agency management). “Serious further offence” means murder or any of the offences specified in Schedule 15 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (except wounding with intent). The available information is shown as follows.
| Offenders subject to MAPPA who were charged with a serious further offence | ||||
|
|
Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total |
19 Dec 2011 : Column 1066W
| (1 )On 1 December 2008, Probation Circular 22/2008 introduced changes in the process for notification and the subsequent review of serious further offences. As a result, the figures for 2008-09 include cases before and after the changes and therefore are not directly comparable with the previous and subsequent year. | ||||
Information is not centrally available about (a) the number of offences, other than serious further offences, committed by offenders subject to MAPPA; (b) the particular offences (within the list of serious further offences as a whole) with which offenders were charged; or (c) the proportion of charges for these or other offences resulting in the different outcomes specified by my hon. Friend the Member for Witham (Priti Patel). The information could be obtained only by a manual search of the records held by all the local probation trusts and police forces of all the offenders made subject to MAPPA in the last five years. This could be done only at disproportionate cost.
Remand in Custody
Mrs Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children he expects there to be in custody between 2011-12 and 2013-14. [86662]
Mr Blunt: The Ministry of Justice produces annual projections of the prison population in England and Wales, most recently in October 2011. These project the prison population under three different scenarios based on the impact of three different sentencing trends on custodial convictions (higher, medium and lower).
The following table shows average monthly projected juvenile prison population for the financial years 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14.
| Average projections juvenile prison population (financial year figures) | |||
| Sentencing scenarios | |||
|
|
Medium | Lower | Higher |
| Notes: 1.All figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. This population only includes those aged 15-17 in young offending institutions. Young people detained in secure children's homes or secure training centres are not included. | |||
More details on the projections may be found in the latest published bulletin “Prison Population Projections 2011-2017” Ministry of Justice Statistics Bulletin, 27 October 2011. This is available at the following webpage:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/statistics-and-data/mojstats/prison-pop-projections-2011-17.pdf
These projections take no account of any impacts which might result from the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill which is currently passing through Parliament:
www.justice.gov.uk/publications/bills-and-acts/bills/legal-aid-and-sentencing-bill.htm
As such these projections provide a set of “baseline” scenarios against which the impacts of future changes can be assessed. Other impacts included in the projections,
19 Dec 2011 : Column 1067W
such as those of the August 2011 public disorder events, changing legislation, changing procedures and new sentencing guidelines are applied equally to all three scenarios.
Reoffenders: Alternatives to Prosecution
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders subject to out-of-court disposals reoffended within (a) one month, (b) two months, (c) three months, (d) six months, (e) nine months and (f) one year or more of receiving that out-of-court disposal. [84414]
Mr Blunt: Table 1 shows the proven reoffending rates for adults and juveniles who reoffended within one year of receiving an out-of-court disposal, (caution for adults and reprimand or final warning for juveniles) between January and December 2009.
| Table 1: Adult and Juvenile proven re-offending rates for offenders who received an out-of-court disposal in 2009 | ||
|
|
Number of offenders | Reoffending rate (percentage) |
Proven reoffending is defined as any offence committed in a one year follow-up period and receiving a court conviction, caution, reprimand or warning in the one year follow-up. Following this one year period, a further six months is allowed for cases to progress through the courts.
Reoffending rates for this group of offenders are not available for follow-up periods of less than one year. However the MOJ publishes the number of proven reoffences by month of offence which can be broken down by disposal. Table 2 shows the numbers of reoffences committed within one month, two months, three months, six months, nine months and one year for adults and juveniles who were subject to an out-of-court disposal between January and December 2009.
| Table 2: Total number of reoffences within each number of months | ||
| Months to reoffence | Adults | Juveniles |
| Note: An offender can commit more than one reoffence so can therefore be counted more than once in the above breakdown. Adult offenders who received an out-of-court disposal in 2009 and reoffended, committed on average 2.3 reoffences each over 12 months. | ||
Reoffenders: Crimes of Violence
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the highest number of previous convictions for assault was for an individual convicted of an offence of assault without being sent to prison in each of the last three years; and how many offences that individual had committed in total at the point of sentence for that offence. [85474]
19 Dec 2011 : Column 1068W
Mr Blunt: The following table shows the highest number of previous convictions for common assault, for individuals convicted of this offence in the year 2008-10 who received a sentence other than immediate custody. It also shows their total number of previous cautions and convictions. Although these individuals did not go to prison for their index offence, two had previously been to prison for the same offence. The figure for 2008 is for a female whose first caution or conviction was in 2004 and who have never been sentenced to immediate custody. The figure for 2009 is for a male whose first caution or conviction was in 1997. The figure for 2010 is for a male whose first caution or conviction was in 1971. The sentencing guidelines for common assault provide for starting points of non-custodial sentences for all categories of case.
These figures 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.
Theft: Retail Trade
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he has received on sentencing for shop theft; and if he will make a statement. [87234]
Mr Blunt: We have received no representations on sentencing for shop theft.
Young Offender Institutions: Injuries
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people the Youth Justice Board recorded as injured in each young offenders institute in each of the last eight years; how many injuries were recorded in total; how many were recorded as serious injuries; and if he will make a statement. [86929]
Mr Blunt: The tables show the number of injuries recorded following incidents of restrictive physical interventions (RPIs), self-harm or assaults in under-18 young offender institutions (YOIs). Data are not collected centrally on accidental injuries. This information has been provided by the Youth Justice Board (YJB).
Although the YJB is only responsible for placing 10 to 17-year-olds, to avoid disrupting their regimes, some 18-year-olds remain in under-18 YOIs if they only have a short period of their sentence left to serve.
19 Dec 2011 : Column 1069W
These data come from monthly returns from secure establishments to the YJB. Due to the way these data are collected it is not possible to tell if the same young people are involved in multiple incidents throughout the year. The YJB only began collecting the data centrally in 2007-08. Data for 2010-11 will be published in January 2012 with the release of the YJB Annual Statistics.
19 Dec 2011 : Column 1070W
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.
| 2007-08 | ||||||
| Under 18 Young Offenders Institutions (YOIs) | RPI injuries | RPI injuries recorded as serious injuries | Self-harm injuries | Self-harm injuries recorded as serious injuries | Assault injuries | Assault injuries recorded as serious injuries |
| 2008-09 | ||||||
| Under 18 Young Offenders Institutions (YOIs) | RPI injuries | RPI injuries recorded as serious injuries | Self-harm injuries | Self-harm injuries recorded as serious injuries | Assault injuries | Assault injuries recorded as serious injuries |
| 2009-10 | ||||||
| Under 18 Young Offenders Institutions (YOIs) | RPI injuries | RPI injuries recorded as serious injuries | Self-harm injuries | Self-harm injuries recorded as serious injuries | Assault injuries | Assault injuries recorded as serious injuries |
19 Dec 2011 : Column 1071W
19 Dec 2011 : Column 1072W
| Notes: 1. Cookham Wood YOI closed as a female YOI in March 2008 and opened as a male YOI in May 2008. 2. Warren Hill (Carlford Unit) opened in November 2009. 3. Wetherby (Keppel Unit) opened in October 2009. 4. Lancaster Farms YOI closed in February 2009. 5. Thorn Cross YOI closed in March 2008. 6. Feltham (Heron Unit) opened in September 2009. | ||||||