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A national (England) estimate of the total number of rough sleepers in England is published every September based on the results of local authority street counts in those areas where a known, or suspected, rough-sleeping problem has been identified. The 2007 estimate showed a total of 498 rough sleepers.

In addition, information about English local authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation is collected quarterly at local authority level and includes the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty.

Information about decisions taken under the homelessness legislation in respect of Eastern Europeans is published quarterly, on CLG's housing statistics website.

Data for 2007 show that 440 Eastern European applicants were accepted as being owed a main homelessness duty, comprising 0.7 per cent of the total acceptances over the same period.

Immigration: Information

Lord Roberts of Llandudno asked Her Majesty's Government:

At which ports of entry into the United Kingdom there are information centres for those arriving to work in the United Kingdom. [HL3934]

17 Jun 2008 : Column WA147

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): Information on routes under which overseas workers may enter the United Kingdom to work is not made available at ports of entry into the country. Migrants are encouraged to obtain information before they travel here. Information, guidance and application forms on all routes are available on the UK Border Agency website at: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk.

Maldives: Elections

Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they plan to send observers to the elections in the Maldives in October. [HL3446]

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): Yes, we plan to send observers to monitor the presidential elections in the Maldives in October.

17 Jun 2008 : Column WA148

Offensive Weapons

Lord Roberts of Llandudno asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many breaches of knife and firearms regulations took place between 2000 and 2006 in each police authority district in the United Kingdom. [HL3909]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): Prosecution and conviction data for those proceeded against for knives and firearms related offences from 2000-06 are attached in the following tables. There is also attached an annexe of offences which has been added for guidance.

17 Jun 2008 : Column WA149



17 Jun 2008 : Column WA150

Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for selected knife offences, England and Wales, 2000 to 2006 (1)(2)(3)
	2000		2001		2002		2003		2004		2005		2006
Force	Proceeded against	Found guilty	Proceeded against	Found guilty	Proceeded against	Found guilty	Proceeded against	Found guilty	Proceeded against	Found guilty	Proceeded against	Found guilty	Proceeded against	Found guilty
Avon and Somerset	229	164	288	168	365	229	393	274	331	244	304	232	385	282
Bedfordshire	95	69	80	64	125	74	162	103	205	111	216	142	154	126
Cambridgeshire	67	47	109	76	127	92	99	81	134	101	156	113	144	105
Cheshire	169	113	149	96	173	121	154	114	169	126	209	174	203	167
City of London	23	10	29	15	43	32	46	29	46	28	38	27	28	16
Cleveland	105	83	150	92	208	140	242	143	221	161	176	140	206	169
Cumbria	88	58	92	56	96	65	102	73	102	79	118	89	115	80
Derbyshire	141	89	189	125	204	130	243	155	272	177	205	162	202	152
Devon and Cornwall	220	140	227	158	313	197	333	246	303	213	293	227	258	215
Dorset	100	63	110	63	136	79	125	86	139	99	156	121	146	106
Durham	165	121	177	135	184	146	161	129	188	137	213	165	208	173
Essex	261	180	360	227	310	204	354	229	450	342	460	297	395	306
Gloucestershire	73	47	84	60	93	69	101	64	101	78	119	93	104	80
Greater Manchester	643	484	781	599	800	610	820	643	910	736	804	677	838	712
Hampshire	304	226	355	260	357	259	420	320	467	348	395	325	424	339
Hertfordshire	145	95	152	85	158	108	253	155	265	170	324	194	233	158
Humberside	180	127	169	111	209	146	241	177	259	212	277	225	279	219
Kent	268	184	257	185	256	165	242	169	192	129	189	146	187	140
Lancashire	300	213	382	275	405	264	432	296	469	340	415	319	433	322
Leicestershire	199	139	235	137	262	180	281	190	303	214	283	204	304	209
Lincolnshire	118	77	151	110	149	102	168	117	186	128	146	109	156	114
Merseyside	377	249	430	281	476	349	501	358	519	405	531	419	566	466
Metropolitan Police	3,113	2,025	4,103	2,654	4,833	3,332	4,267	2,929	4,152	2,977	3,984	2,991	3,920	2,967
Norfolk	98	79	142	95	187	112	183	134	188	134	194	138	178	137
North Yorkshire	102	65	109	71	120	90	130	93	161	124	145	114	134	113
Northamptonshire	72	46	65	33	82	45	84	53	79	49	77	44	52	32
Northumbria	474	333	534	382	617	449	606	412	555	439	559	450	534	436
Nottinghamshire	252	152	280	175	315	191	380	234	349	256	364	265	364	263
South Yorkshire	243	174	322	214	412	265	418	271	373	249	371	297	353	285
Staffordshire	-		181	110	236	158	219	164	267	165	232	156	267	196
Suffolk	103	74	102	68	152	102	168	107	161	117	176	132	213	178
Surrey	99	59	107	59	82	50	96	64	99	68	102	68	95	67
Sussex	241	160	263	175	306	215	280	198	254	196	298	229	298	232
Thames Valley	211	127	299	175	366	211	350	179	364	216	439	284	458	309
Warwickshire	51	43	45	34	53	42	63	49	87	68	62	43	86	59
West Mercia	111	68	171	105	138	97	169	124	220	154	227	178	288	224
West Midlands	842	513	1,119	747	1,184	765	1,109	723	1,162	765	908	705	1,054	805
West Yorkshire	348	208	439	255	556	322	524	355	581	451	557	424	513	390
Wiltshire	85	64	110	76	118	85	112	77	120	86	132	102	138	110
Dyfed-Powys	103	60	92	56	107	61	112	68	102	69	102	74	86	54
Gwent	90	54	95	62	108	86	109	67	159	113	139	100	185	131
North Wales	123	95	142	103	172	132	149	115	168	135	172	138	204	173
South Wales	345	229	381	246	432	271	411	267	443	289	396	267	389	299
England & Wales	11,376	7,606	14,057	9,273	16,025	10,842	15,812	10,834	16,275	11,698	15,663	11,799	15,775	12,116

(1) The statistics 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 the principal offence 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) Staffordshire Police Force was only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates’ courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.

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