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20 Mar 2008 : Column 1278W—continued
Alcoholic Drinks: Enforcement
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people (a) were proceeded against for, (b) were convicted of and (c) received a level 2 fine for the offence of refusing to surrender alcohol in a designated public place in each of the last three years; [193588]
(2) how many people (a) were proceeded against for, (b) were convicted of and (c) received a level 2 fine for the offence of not obeying an instruction to stop drinking in a designated public place in each of the last three years. [193589]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 12 March 2008]: Refusing to surrender alcohol in a designated public place and not obeying an instruction to stop drinking both come within the terms of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 S.12(2)(a), (2), and (4). On this basis, the number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty at all courts and given a level 2 fine (maximum given is £500) for the offence of ‘failure to comply with a requirement by a constable re: the consumption of alcohol in a designated public place’ in England and Wales for the years 2004 to 2006 (latest available) can be viewed in the following tables.
The prosecution statistics and PND offence of ‘failure to comply with a requirement by a constable
re: the consumption of alcohol in a designated public place’, section 12 of the CJPA 2001, includes the offences of failure to surrender alcohol to a constable (section 12(2) of the CJPA) and failure to comply with an instruction not to consume alcohol in a designated public place (section 12(4). The figures in both PQs are therefore the same.
In addition, under the Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND) Scheme, fixed penalty notices of £50 may be issued by the police for the offence of consumption of alcohol in a designated public place. The number of PNDs issued for the offence in England and Wales was 485 in 2004, 712 in 2005, and 1,061 in 2006.
Court proceedings and penalty notice for disorder data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
| Number of persons given a level 2 fine for the offence ‘failure to comply with a requirement by a constable re: the consumption of alcohol in a designated public place’( 1) in England and Wales for the years 2004 to 2006( 2, 3) | |||
| Value of fine | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
| (1) Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 S.12(2)(a) and (4). (2) These data are on the principal offence basis. (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. Sources: Court proceedings data held by RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform Ministry of Justice | |||
| Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for the offence ‘failure to comply with a requirement by a constable re: the consumption of alcohol in a designated public place’(1) in England and Wales for the years 2004 to 2006(2, 3) | ||
| Proceeded against | Found guilty | |
| (1) Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 S.12(2)(a) and (4). (2) These data are on the principal offence basis. (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. | ||
Drugs: Rehabilitation
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria will be applied in determining whether a drug addiction treatment is an effective treatment for the purposes of assessing the Government's public service agreement target 25. [191380]
Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
Indicator 1 within PSA 25, states “reduce the harm caused by alcohol and drugs” measures the percentage change in the number of drug users using crack and/or opiates recorded as being in effective treatment.
For the purpose of assessment against this measure, effective treatment is defined as:
“discharged from the treatment system 12 weeks or more after triage; or that remain in treatment 12 weeks after triage; or that were discharge in less than 12 weeks in a care planned way”.
Evidence shows that staying in treatment for 12 weeks has a lasting positive impact and is therefore a measure of successful treatment.
Progress will be assessed annually, on the basis of a financial year, against the baseline year 2007-08.
Firearms: Registration
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of (a) the annual cost to public authorities of firearm registration and (b) the annual income from registration charges in each of the last five years. [193965]
Jacqui Smith: The cost to the police of administering the provisions of the Firearms Acts is not recorded centrally. We are however working with the Association of Chief Police Officers to develop means of identifying expenditure which relates specifically to the grant of licences for which a charge may be levied. Estimated annual income for the last five years for which information is available on the number of certificates issued is as follows:
| £ million | |
Foreign Workers: Vetting
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Government Departments that employ foreign nationals request the equivalent of a Criminal Records Bureau check from that person's country of origin. [189484]
Mr. Watson: I have been asked to reply.
All prospective employees, including foreign nationals, in Government Departments are required to make a declaration of any unspent criminal convictions. As many countries do not offer a criminal records service the Cabinet Office advises departments to ask applicants to produce verifiable police certificates where these are available or other references of good conduct in respect of overseas residence.
Hunting: Dogs
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to enforce compliance with the ban on hunting with dogs; and what progress has been made on improving the detection of illegal hunting. [191318]
Mr. Coaker: Police have stated their commitment to enforcing the Hunting Act. The Government continues to meet with interested stakeholders and to work closely with the police, through the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to identify what more can be done to ensure the Hunting Act is effectively and appropriately enforced and to improve detection of illegal hunting.
The Association of Chief Police Officers have conducted a survey of local police forces’ response to enforcement of the Hunting Act which will inform practical best-practice guidance. The Government are also working with ACPO on ways to raise awareness of issues surrounding enforcement of the Hunting Act across the police service, and to communicate the importance of visible enforcement to community policing in rural areas and to the maintenance of public order.
We are also working closely with the Attorney General about what more can be done to secure prosecutions where evidence has been presented of Hunting Act offences being committed. The Attorney-General in turn has agreed to raise the issue of the burden of proof in hunting cases with the Director of Public Prosecutions, and to engage with local Crown Prosecution Service leads to better understand and then communicate, the evidence needed to bring forward successful prosecutions.
26 individuals have now been convicted of offences under the hunting Act 2004 which does show that the legislation is enforceable when the evidence presents itself.
Internet: Crime
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of the cost of cyber-crime to the UK economy in the next 12 months. [192830]
Jacqui Smith: No estimate has been made.
The Government works very closely with law enforcement, industry and financial institutions in order to combat crimes committed over the internet, including through initiatives such as GetSafeOnline.
Northern Ireland
Alcoholic Drinks: Crime
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons were arrested for offences related to alcohol consumption in North Belfast District Command Unit in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) age and (b) sex. [Official Report, 21 April 2008, Vol. 474, c. 7MC.][194758]
Paul Goggins: The following table shows a breakdown, by gender, of persons accused of various offences considered to relate to alcohol consumption within North Belfast District Command Unit ('A' district) in each of the last five years.
| Male | Female | |
The PSNI were unable to provide a breakdown by age within the time constraint. Officials have requested this information and I will write to the hon. Gentleman once it is received.
Health Services: Prisoners
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the healthcare of those held in prison in Northern Ireland will become the responsibility of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. [194443]
Paul Goggins: Following agreement with DHSSPS I can confirm that responsibility will transfer on 1 April 2008.
Leader of the House
Governance of Britain White Paper
23. Mr. Allen: To ask the Leader of the House pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2008, Official Report, column 1121, on the Governance of Britain White Paper, what the outcome of the national deliberative forum on the draft legislative programme was; and if she will make a statement. [195467]
Ms Harman: The national deliberative forum was one part of the consultation that took place on the draft legislative programme last year. I was pleased to be able to attend the event and Members of the House of Commons Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons were also invited to attend. The outcomes from the deliberative forum were summarised in—“Taking a Wider View”—published in November.
Parliamentary Questions
32. Mr. Burns: To ask the Leader of the House what assessment she has made of the completeness of information given in Answers to Parliamentary Questions. [195476]
Helen Goodman: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Clwyd, West (Mr. Jones).
Discrimination
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Leader of the House how many claims for discrimination, based on (a) sex, (b) race and (c) sexual orientation, were brought by members of her staff and settled (i) in and (ii) out of court in each of the last five years. [194986]
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