§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will commission a statistical study of the link between domestic violence and child abuse. [137883]
§ Mr. BoatengThe Government are well aware of the links between domestic violence and child abuse. These have already been documented by a number of research studies. A useful guide is contained in "Making an Impact: children and domestic violence: a training and resource pack". This document prepared by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), Barnardo's and the University of Bristol was published by the University of Bristol in 1998. The Government's own publication "Working Together to Safeguard Children"—a guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, makes clear that everyone working with women and children should be alert to the frequent inter-relationship between domestic violence and the abuse and neglect of children. It also notes that domestic violence in itself is likely to have a damaging effect on children's health and development.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many instances of child abuse were reported in each police force area in each of the last three years. [137882]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeIt is not known how many instances of child abuse were reported to the police in the last three years.
707WOffences recorded by the police, which can be identified as committed against children, is given in the table, by police force areas
Number of offences against children by offence and police force area for the financial years 1998–99 and 1999–2000 Cruelty to or neglect of children Abandoning a child under the age of two years Child abduction Gross indecency with a child 1998–99 1999–2000 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 Avon and Somerset 25 3 1 — 2 8 7 4 29 30 22 Bedfordshire 3 11 — — — — 1 4 31 11 10 Cambridgeshire 30 42 2 — 1 6 5 3 8 5 17 Cheshire 59 71 — 3 — 1 4 — 60 37 24 Cleveland 8 7 — — — — 1 1 14 2 5 Cumbria 14 23 — — — 1 — 1 6 20 6 Derbyshire 19 22 1 — — 3 4 6 21 17 14 Devon and Cornwall 35 74 — — 3 9 17 16 29 47 54 Dorset 3 11 — — — — — 1 28 16 10 Durham 15 19 — 1 1 5 6 2 16 29 13 Essex 43 53 — 1 3 11 21 27 40 38 46 Gloucestershire 12 21 — — — 4 1 9 20 7 16 Greater Manchester 80 102 2 — 2 33 38 45 64 84 121 Hampshire 24 70 1 2 1 20 18 21 58 38 66 Hertfordshire 75 15 — — — — 3 2 4 20 18 Humberside 39 38 1 1 4 21 20 21 33 36 23 Kent 36 57 1 — — 7 13 12 39 53 26 Lancashire 52 37 1 — 1 4 14 13 — 49 50 Leicestershire 8 17 1 — 2 10 13 14 10 8 18 Lincolnshire 24 13 — 1 1 2 6 2 13 27 14 City of London — 1 — — — — — — 2 — — Merseyside 30 35 4 1 — 27 10 37 31 25 28 Metropolitan Police 884 1,023 20 20 18 117 144 125 291 206 201 Norfolk 8 18 1 2 — 1 4 1 10 10 17 Northamptonshire 12 10 1 — — 3 7 8 7 12 19 Northumbria 66 49 — — — 15 16 24 16 23 42 North Yorkshire 22 12 1 — 2 2 5 4 18 9 13 Nottinghamshire 71 65 1 1 — 2 8 9 3 34 26 South Yorkshire 14 23 3 — — 2 6 17 41 41 31 Staffordshire 11 28 2 2 4 3 4 11 25 21 23 Suffolk 13 10 — — — 4 3 6 20 15 34 Surrey 21 26 — 1 — 7 3 5 40 48 20 Sussex 45 30 — — — 9 18 19 19 30 38 Thames Valley 26 45 2 1 — 5 7 7 23 24 26 Warwickshire 7 6 — — — 1 4 1 18 10 9 West Mercia 55 9 1 — — 3 5 15 23 16 38 West Midlands 86 202 — 1 3 12 21 40 31 40 63 West Yorkshire 104 113 — 3 — 9 15 15 72 54 64 Wiltshire 22 13 — 1 — 5 3 6 17 10 19 England 2,101 2,424 47 42 48 372 475 554 1,230 1,202 1,284 Dyfed-Powys 42 66 1 — — — 1 2 23 29 19 Gwent 53 99 2 — 1 11 12 9 27 19 33 North Wales 34 17 3 — 1 — 2 2 10 7 7 South Wales 70 25 1 — 1 8 12 10 24 36 22 Wales 199 207 7 — 3 19 27 23 84 91 81 England and Wales 2,300 2,631 54 42 51 391 502 577 1,314 1,293 1,365