§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons the British Crime Survey excludes from their statistics crimes committed against people living in care homes; and if his Department has any plans to include such crimes in future. [51505]
§ Mr. MichaelThe British Crime Survey (BCS), conducted by the Home Office, is a survey of people living in private households in England and Wales. In its present format and structure, it would be impossible for it384W also to provide an adequate measure of offences committed against people who live in residential care homes without a major change to its format, structure and scope. A sample of care homes within the size of sample for BCS purposes would be too small to permit reliable analysis. For this reason we have concluded that it would require a specially designed survey. A feasibility study into a possible survey of communal establishments is being undertaken by Social Survey Division of the Office for National Statistics. As yet, no decision has been taken on the types of communal establishment this would cover, whether victimisation will be covered or the funding arrangements for such a survey.