§ Mr. CawseyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which organisation has overall responsibility for prosecuting trespass on railways; and how many prosecutions for trespassing on railways have taken place in each year since 1996. [71531]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonI have been asked to reply.
The initial decision to prosecute trespassers is taken by the British Transport Police but the final decision to continue a prosecution with a court hearing lies with the Crown Prosecution Service. The figures for prosecutions since 1996 are as follows:
122W
Prosecuted Cautioned/warned Total 1996 321 4,390 4,711 1997 589 4,751 5,310 1998 485 4,574 5,059 Total 1,395 13,685 15,080
§ Mr. CawseyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions since 1996 an individual identified by the police as causing a rail accident whilst trespassing on the railway has not subsequently been prosecuted. [71532]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonI have been asked to reply.
The British Transport Police have no record of any occasion where an identified person who has caused a rail accident while trespassing on the railways has not been prosecuted.
§ Mr. CawseyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list(a) the hunts which have been investigated by the police for possible offences since 1996 and (b) the investigations which related to (i) trespassing on railways and (ii) causing road accidents. [71530]
§ Mr. BoatengThis information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.