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7 July 2008 : Column WA69
Lord Rooker: The chief constable has provided the following figures:
| Protestant | Catholic | Not Determined | Total | |
Prisons: Population
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
By how much the prison population in England and Wales has increased during the past decade; and what are the causes of the increase. [HL4399]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The information requested is published in the annual volume Offender Management Caseload Statistics and monthly Population in Custody, copies of which are available via the Library of the House and from the Ministry of Justice website at www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics.htm.
At the end of June 1997, the total prison population in England and Wales, including in police cells, was 61,467, and at the end of June 2007 the corresponding figure was 80,205, an increase of 18,738.
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.
An account of the drivers of the prison population can be found in the report by Lord Carter of Coles, Securing the future: Proposals for the efficient and sustainable use of custody in England and Wales, published in December 2007, a copy of which is available from the Library of the House and from the department's website at www.justice.gov.uk/publications/securing-the-future.htm.
Lord Carter's report commented that:
“The increased prison population of the past decade is a result of a concerted and successful effort to catch, convict and detain for longer periods the most dangerous and serious offenders ... There are a number of factors behind the increase in the prison population in England and Wales since 1995. They include both legislative and non-legislative elements which, in some cases, overlap with each other. The drivers include, but are not limited to, the following:
7 July 2008 : Column WA70
The key recommendations of this report are:
a significant expansion of the current prison-building programme should begin immediately so that up to 6,500 additional new places, on top of the significant expansion already planned, can be provided by the end of 2012;larger, state-of-the-art prisons should be planned and developed now so that from 2012 there can be approximately 5,000 new places that will allow for a programme of closures of old, inefficient and ineffective prisons offering better value for money and much improved chances of reducing re-offending and crime;a structured sentencing framework and permanent sentencing commission should be developed, with judicial leadership, to improve the transparency, predictability and consistency of sentencing and the criminal justice system; andthere are grounds for a more efficient approach to the way operations and headquarters’ overheads are structured and managed.On 5 December 2007 (col. 1703) I repeated a Statement made in another place by my right honourable friend the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice on the report on the prisons review carried out by Lord Carter.
Further information can be found in the department's analysis, Story of the Prison Population: 1997-2007, a copy of which can be found in the House of Commons Library (Reference: Dep 2008-0362). It is also available online at: www.parliament.uk/deposits/depositedpapers /2008/DEP2008-0362.pdf.
Revenue and Customs: Varney Report
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay asked Her Majesty's Government:
Under the Varney delivery plan, how many large businesses managed by HM Revenue and Customs’ Large Business Service had (a) a high, (b) a medium, and (c) a low-risk rating from HM Revenue and Customs at the most recent date for which the figures are available; and what are the criteria for allocating these ratings to businesses. [HL4519]
Lord Davies of Oldham: At 1 June 2008, 238 large businesses managed by HMRC’s Large Business Service benefited from a low-risk relationship. HMRC does not allocate a medium- or high-risk rating.
Guidance on the criteria for allocating the risk rating is contained in the December 2007 HMRC publication, Tax compliance risk management: Guidance for LBS customers and staff. This is available on the HMRC website: www.hmrc.gov.uk/large-business/risk-framework-guidance.pdf.
Sudan: Reconstruction
Lord Rana asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown on 18 June (WA 172) about the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325, how many women have been nominated or selected for senior
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The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): We do not nominate or select members of the Government of southern Sudan, the UN, or non-governmental organisations working on post-conflict reconstruction in Southern Sudan.
The UK does not have any staff, male or female, working solely on post-conflict reconstruction in Southern Sudan. However, our ambassador in Khartoum and the head of the Department for International Development’s office in Sudan are both female. The UK successfully nominated a woman to the post of head of the Joint Donor Office, a senior leadership role in Southern Sudan reconstruction and development.
Suicide
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many suicides have been recorded in each of the past five years in Northern Ireland; and how such statistics are obtained in cases where no inquest has been held. [HL4002]
Lord Rooker: These matters are dealt with by the Registrar General's Office, in the devolved Administration.
Taxation: Large Companies
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will require all United Kingdom companies with more than 1,000 employees to include in their annual reports a table showing the effective tax rate paid by them in each country in which they operate. [HL4522]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Baroness Vadera): The Government have no plans to introduce such a requirement.
Taxation: VAT
Lord Taylor of Holbeach asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 23 June (WA 207), whether the assessment of the VAT base may be altered during the course of a financial year to reflect increases in VAT revenues caused by price rises. [HL4609]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Updated estimates for VAT receipts in 2008-09 taking account of all relevant
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The latest published estimate of VAT receipts in 2008-09 is £83.8bn. This can be found in table C.6 of the 2008 Financial Statement and Budget Report, www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/7/3/bud08_ chapterc.pdf.
Turkey: Criminal Justice
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will draw the attention of the European Union Commissioner for Enlargement to the sentence of five months’ imprisonment imposed by a Turkish court on Mr Ragip Zarakolou for translating and publishing a book by George Jerjian on the killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in 1915. [HL4463]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): We understand that the case against Mr Ragip Zarakolou is currently under appeal. We note that the prison sentence imposed by the Turkish court has been commuted to a fine.
The Government do not plan to bring this case specifically to the attention of the EU Commissioner for Enlargement. However, our embassy in Ankara is in close touch with the European Commission delegation in Turkey and has discussed this case with them in detail. We will continue to follow developments closely.
We continue to impress on Turkey the need for effective implementation of the recent legislative amendments to its constitution and penal code, including on freedom of expression cases.
Zimbabwe
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the total value of (a) annual United Kingdom exports to Zimbabwe, (b) annual United Kingdom imports from Zimbabwe, and (c) United Kingdom investment holdings in Zimbabwe. [HL4566]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office & Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Lord Jones of Birmingham): HMRC overseas trade statistics show UK exports of goods to Zimbabwe worth about £22.9 million in 2007 and imports of goods from Zimbabwe worth about £19.6 million.
The UK Balance of Payments Pink Book shows UK exports of services to Zimbabwe worth about £28 million in 2006 and imports of services from Zimbabwe worth about £40 million.
The Office for National Statistics estimates that the stock of UK direct investment in Zimbabwe was worth about £58 million at the end of 2006.
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