HC Deb 26 January 2004 vol 417 cc219-20W
Mr. Oaten

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders are covered by the multi-agency public protection arrangements; what proportion of these are(a) registered sex offenders, (b) other sexual offenders or (c) violent offenders; and how many are considered to pose a high risk to the public. [143390]

Paul Goggins

The total number of offenders falling within the remit of the multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) in the reporting period 2002–03 was 52,809. 41 per cent. were registered sex offenders; 56 per cent. were violent offenders and other sexual offenders; and 3 per cent. were other offenders who fall into neither of the first two categories but who pose a risk of serious harm. In 2002–03, 2,843 MAPPA offenders were referred to a multi-agency public protection panel because they posed the highest risk of harm and/or because the management of those risks was particularly difficult.

Mr. Oaten

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders have been referred to a multi-agency public protection panel in the last 12 months. [143391]

Paul Goggins

In the reporting year 200–3, 2,843 offenders subject to the multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) were referred to a multi-agency public protection panel.

Mr. Oaten

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders subject to the multi-agency public protection arrangements are under covert surveillance; and what estimate he has made of the cost per day of such surveillance [143392]

Paul Goggins

Covert surveillance includes a range of monitoring activities which can vary greatly in scale and duration. No record of the number of surveillance operations on Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) offenders is kept; and because of the broad range of this type of activity no generalised estimate of cost has been made.

Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the performance of multi-agency public protection panels [145271]

Paul Goggins

Two pieces of research into the multi-agency public protection arrangements (the MAPPA) are being conducted and will report next autumn. One will evaluate the effectiveness of the statutory framework of the MAPPA; the other will analyse the offenders referred to the multi-agency public protection panels and will identify good practice.

In addition, the publication of an annual report on the MAPPA by each area of England and Wales provides a regular review of this important area of work. My written statement to the House on 15 September 2003 announcing the publication of these reports, indicated that the MAPPA have made a significant contribution to improving public protection.

There is a further requirement where the court is considering making a Detention and Training Order on an offender below the age of 15: the court must additionally be satisfied that the young person is a persistent offender. (The Detention and Training Order is the standard order for offenders under 18 who are sentenced to custody).