§ Mr. BerminghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many defendants have been electronically tagged since the scheme became operational; and how many of these defendants by each scheme have breached the conditions of their bail;
(2) how much each electronic tag pilot cost to date;
(3) when he will be publishing his research findings on the pilot electronic tag schemes;
(4) whether there will be any further trials of the electronic tag as an alternative to remand in custody; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. John PattenThe number of defendants electronically monitored and the number of breaches as at 30 January is set out in the table. Electronic monitoring cannot prevent breaches of bail, which are also committed by defendants on bail, subject to other conditions, but it does enable them to be detected.
Trial area Total monitored Breaches1 Nottingham 17 9 North Tyneside 13 8 Tower Bridge 16 7 Total 46 24 1 Includes defendants who have breached conditions of bail, been arrested for further offences or absconded. The cost of the contracts (including VAT) for each trial is as follows: Nottingham £145,529, North Tyneside £158,808, Tower Bridge £260,369.
We expect to make available later this year an analysis of the outcome of the current trials.
So far as further trials of electronic monitoring are concerned, I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave on 10 January to my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham, East (Mr. Knowles) at column 626.