§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many defendants have been electronically tagged since the scheme became operational; how many of these defendants have breached the conditions of their bail; and how many have experienced difficulty in obtaining benefit because of the length of their curfew.
§ Mr. John Patten[holding answer 27 October 1989]: The information is given in the table.
Persons electronically monitored1 in Home Office trials Trial area Number of defendants monitored Number breaching conditions2 Nottingham 13 5 North Tyneside 39 3 Tower Bridge 4 1 Total 26 9 1 As at 10.00 am on 10 November 1989. 2 Defendants breaching bail conditions or committing further offence. 3 One of these persons has been monitored twice. Following arrest for breach of conditions a further recommendation for monitoring was accepted and conditions reimposed. Note: Two of the persons monitored in Nottingham have been sentenced to periods of imprisonment, one for 12 months and the other for 18 months. One person in north Tyneside had his bail conditions altered to exclude electronic monitoring.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security is writing to the hon. Member about the question of eligibility for benefit.