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Drugs: Prison Sentences for Importation
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many men and how many women are currently in prison following convictions for illegally importing drugs; and what is the average length of sentence in both cases.[HL3234]
Lord Rooker: The number of men and women who were serving sentences for illegal importation/exportation of drugs on 31 January 2002:
| Prisoners serving sentences for illegal import/export of drugs | Number of prisoners | Average sentenced length imposed (years) |
| Men | 2,400 | 8.1 |
| Women | 750 | 6.4 |
| All prisoners serving sentences for illegal import/export of drugs | 3,150 | 7.7 |
Computer Crime
Lord Allen of Abbeydale asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether the Computer Misuse Act 1990 is appropriately drafted to deal with current trends in computer crime.[HL3295]
Lord Rooker: The Government are considering whether changes are needed to the Computer Misuse Act 1990 in the light of the United Kingdom's obligations as a signatory state to the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime.
Prisoners on Remand
The Earl of Listowel asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many prisoners on remand:
(a) have children;
(b) have step-children;
(c) have siblings under age 18;
(d) are married;
(e) are co-habitees; and
(f) are single.[HL3333]
Lord Rooker: On 31 January 2002 there were 12,270 prisoners on remand, 11,382 males and 888 females. Data on prisoners' families and marital status are not held centrally.
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Rooker: Offender programmes in prisons, including those involving faith organisations, will be considered on their merits in line with the What Works principles. What Works principles are based upon the best available evidence of what works in reducing re-offending.
Lord Gladwin of Clee asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Rooker: The Criminal Records Bureau corporate and business plan has been published today. Copies of the plan have been placed in the Library.
Lord Davies of Coity asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Rooker: The United Kingdom Passport Service corporate and business plan has been published today. Copies of the plan have been placed in the Library.
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from the National Statistician, Len Cook, dated March 2002.
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question on what efforts have been made to ensure the compilation of accurate figures on the number of babies born with birth defects.[HL3457]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects information on live born babies and stillbirths with congenital anomalies through the National Congenital Anomaly System (NCAS). This system has been monitoring congenital anomalies in England and Wales since 1964. Its primary purpose is to detect changes in the frequency of reporting of congenital anomalies rather than to estimate exact prevalence at birth.
Reporting to NCAS is voluntary, and it has long been recognised that there is under-notification. A review in 1995 recommended that where good congenital anomaly registers existed outside ONS, information should be exchanged with these to improve the completeness and validity of both local and national data. ONS began data exchange in 1998 and now receives high quality data from Wales and three English regions where there are local registers. These registers obtain details of cases from a wide variety of sources before sending the notifications on to ONS. These registers cover all births in Wales and 23 per cent of births in England. Reports for the remainder of England are sent directly to ONS by NHS Trusts.
In January 2002 two further local registers began providing information to NCAS. ONS is also currently working with national condition-specific registers where these exist, to improve notification levels. These improvements in the notification system have increased the numbers of babies with congenital anomalies reported. The recent increases in National Statistics' numbers of congenital anomaly notifications have all coincided with the timing and location of these improvements.
Lord Hogg of Cumbernauld asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Following a detailed review of the current arrangements and future requirements for government debt and asset management, the National Debt Office (NDO) and the Public Works Loans Board (PWLB) will be integrated with the UK Debt Management Office (DMO) with effect from 1 July. Both the NDO and the PWLB are part of the National Investment and Loans Office (NILO) and the relevant staff will be relocated to the DMO's offices. This reorganisation, while maintaining provision of existing services, is designed to deliver improved management of the central government balance sheet and to offer a more robust, flexible and innovative service to public sector clients.
At the same time the remaining part of NILO, the Office of HM Paymaster General (OPG), will be merged with the Treasury, while also maintaining the provision of its existing services. NILO will thereafter cease to exist.
Lord Campbell-Savours asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Preston judgment means that many employers must give all their part-time employees and certain of their ex-employees, retrospective access to membership of their occupational pension schemes from April 1976 or in some cases later. The employers concerned have a responsibility to settle with their employees and ex-employees how this should be achieved in each case. There are outstanding cases before employment tribunals which are designed to determine how employers and employees should meet their liabilities.
Where employees are entitled to membership rights in an occupational scheme in respect of past periods of employment, the normal rules about tax relief on contributions continue to apply. That is: all employers' contributions to occupational pension schemes, including any for past service, qualify for corporation tax relief; employees' contributions up to 15 per cent of their salary from the employer concerned in the year the contributions are paid qualify for income tax relief, irrespective of whether any part of the contribution is in respect of previous years' service; employees may make contributions to their schemes above 15 per cent of salary in any tax year but any such contributions do not benefit from tax relief.
In some cases, employers and employees may prefer to agree on lump sum settlements rather than additional membership rights in occupational schemes. In these cases, the lump sums are not taxable as income under Schedule E but will be liable to capital gains tax subject to the normal annual exemption.
Lord Acton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Tax Law Rewrite Project continues to make good progress. At the end of this month it will be publishing its thirteenth Exposure Draft, containing draft clauses on foreign income and property income.
The project is also currently working on an income tax Bill rewriting the provisions on employment income, pension income and taxable social security benefits. In preparation for that Bill, this year's finance Bill will include some small amendments to the tax legislation on employment income. Copies of this draft finance Bill legislation will shortly be published on the project's website.
Copies of the exposure draft and the draft finance Bill legislation will be placed in the Library as soon as they are available.
Lord Campbell of Croy asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach): The Ministry of Defence received over 200 responses by 15 March to its public discussion paper, The Strategic Defence Review: A New Chapter. The responses cover a wide range of issues and are from a wide range of correspondents, including parliamantarians local authorities, non-governmental organisations, academics, members of the public and MoD personnel. All responses are being given full consideration in the continuing SDR New Chapter work.
Whether they will restate their policy on the involvement of faith organisations in offender programmes in HM prisons.[HL3334]
Whether the Criminal Records Bureau intends to publish its corporate and business plan 2002 to 2007.[HL3503]
Whether the United Kingdom Passport Service intends to publish its corporate and business plan 2002 to 2007.[HL3504]
What efforts have been made to ensure that the Office for National Statistics complies accurate figures on the number of babies born with birth defects.[HL3457]
What are the future organisational arrangements for government debt and asset management.[HL3505]
What will be the treatment of tax settlements between employers and employees following the Preston judgment.[HL3506]
What further developments there have been as a result of the Tax Law Rewrite Project.[HL3507]
What responses they have received to the public discussion paper The Strategic Defence Review, A New Chapter, on which views were invited by 15 March.[HL3346]
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