HL Deb 19 February 2001 vol 622 cc75-6WA
Lord Tebbit

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they expect the workload on the police to be increased or to be decreased by current proposals to extend the range of offences subject to fixed penalty notices. [HL731]

Lord Bassam of Brighton

Extending the fixed penalty system to offences associated with disorderly behaviour will provide the police with an immediate and swift response to a range of minor offending. The scheme will provide the police with an additional

Millions of ECU € millions
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Spain 420.7 422.7 1,105.2 1,112.0 1,018.2 1,063.9 74.7
Greece 148.1 157.6 90.5 244.7 573.2 476.7 247.6
Ireland 67.6 87.0 133.6 89.1 212.0 236.4 190.4
Portugal 94.0 248.3 369.2 24.8 518.0 669.6 331.8

means of dealing with these offenders: all existing options will remain open. Although we expect there to be a net saving of police time, the precise effect on police workload will depend upon the operation of the scheme in practice. If penalty notices are issued to offenders who would otherwise have been charged, there will be a saving in police paperwork and time attending court. Issuing notices to offenders who were previously moved on or informally warned would clearly bring additional offending within the criminal justice system, with the extra demands on time that that entails.