§ Mrs. BrintonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sex offenders have registered under the Sex Offenders Act 1997 to date; and if he will make a statement. [104128]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThere are now over 10,000 sex offenders registered in England and Wales. This represents a compliance rate of 97 per cent. This compliance rate refers to the number of offenders who have registered their names and addresses with the police. There has been a steady improvement in compliance rates for registration from around 70 per cent. when the Act first came into force in September 1997. This is due to a large extent to the active approach adopted by the police in enforcing the registration system and following up those who have failed to register. The police are working with the Home Office to look at how compliance rates can be improved further.