HC Deb 05 November 1999 vol 337 cc370-1W
Mr. Kidney

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for which motoring offences curfew orders and vehicle forfeiture can be used; and how often these court disposals have been used for motoring offences in each of the last three years for which data are available. [96637]

Mr. Charles Clarke

Curfew orders under section 12 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 are available for any offence for which a community penalty is appropriate. This provision has been piloted from July 1995 in seven areas, and will be made available throughout England and Wales from 1 December. The available data on the use of these provisions relate to the period July 1995 to June 1997.

Curfew orders are also available under sections 35, 37 and 43 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 for fine defaulters, persistent petty offenders and children aged 10 to 15 years, respectively, in specified circumstances. These provisions are also currently being piloted. The pilots began in January 1998. Available information as to their use for motoring offences in the pilot areas is as follows:

Use of curfews for offenders with summary motoring offences as the most serious offences Number of orders
1998 1999 (January-June)
Fine defaulters 35 22
Persistent petty offenders 32 37
Children 10-15 6 3

Note:

1999 figures are provisional.

The courts' powers of forfeiture under section 43 of the Powers of Criminal Courts Act 1973 are available for certain motoring offences (broadly those which are punishable by imprisonment). Unfortunately, no separate statistics are kept for the use of vehicle forfeiture.