Theft Cases (Hansard, 10 July 1997)

§ Mr. Malins
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the savings there would be to the Exchequer if all theft cases including less than £500 were dealt with by summary trial. [7470]

§ Mr. Michael
Court proceedings data collected centrally do not record the amount or value of items stolen. Therefore it is not possible to estimate the savings that would accrue if all theft cases involving less than £500 were dealt with summarily.

§ Mr. Malins
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many theft cases involving under £500 were disposed of in the Crown court in 1996; and how many of them resulted in a custodial sentence. [7487]

§ Mr. Michael
Court proceedings data collected centrally do not record the amount or value of items stolen.
In 1995, there were 10,219 cases dealt with at the Crown Court for offences of theft. Of these, 4,430 resulted in a custodial sentence.
1996 data will not be available until the autumn.