§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on the Norwich, North constituency of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [151142]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe Home Office is working to build a safe, just and tolerant society in which the rights and responsibilities of individuals, families and communities are properly balanced, and the protection and security of the public are maintained. Detailed742W information on the impact of Home Office policies across the full range of responsibilities is set out in Home Office annual reports. A copy of the most recent report, Home Office Annual Report 1999–2000, is available in the Library. Information on recorded crime and policing is also published. 'Recorded Crime England and Wales, 12 months to September 2000' and 'Police Service Strength England and Wales, 30 September 2000' can be found in the Library. The recorded crime statistics include information on recorded crime by Basic Command Unit and Crime and Disorder partnerships.
The impact of Home Office policies and actions is not normally examined by constituency and the statistics which the Department collects, such as recorded crime, cannot be matched in the way requested although set out are examples relating to the Norwich, North constituency or the immediate locality:
Targeted Policing
One scheme for £600,000 joining the Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire police forces will cover the Fenlands area. The scheme will address rural crime and burglary.
Close Circuit Television (CCTV)
One scheme, an extension to the existing Norwich city centre system, has been submitted under round two of the CCTV initiative. The bid for £200,000 covering Norwich, North and Norwich, South is currently under consideration.
Reducing Burglary Initiative
One scheme for £38,000 covering Coslany ward, Norwich, has been received under round three of the Reducing Burglary Initiative.
Youth Offending Teams (YOTs)
The Norfolk YOT covers the constituency of Norwich, North. The YOT is making a full contribution to reducing delays within the court process for young offenders by producing 80 per cent. of all courts reports within agreed timescales. The YOT is also working in partnership with Youth Court Panels in order to establish a joint approach to tackling youth crime.
To ensure that the needs of victims of youth crime are met through restorative justice measures, the YOT is working in partnership with the Norfolk Victim Support Charitable Trust. A joint working protocol has been agreed and implemented benefiting victims and 70 per cent. of all intervention work with young offenders includes a focus on victim issues. The YOT is also working in partnership with the National Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Children in the delivery of programmes for parents of young offenders to assist them to manage difficult behaviour with confidence, consistency and reliability. Links have also been established by the YOT with the local Drug Action Team in order to commission services for young substance misusers. The YOT is already having a significant impact on youth crime in Norfolk as a whole: 60 per cent. of all young people referred to the YOT have completed court orders without reoffending, while 80 per cent. of all young offenders released from prison have not reoffended.
Norfolk (including the Norwich area) is benefiting from the Youth Justice Board's development fund which has awarded grants of approximately £1.1 million over three years for one bail support scheme and four intervention programmes across the county.
743WMore generally, all of the policies of the Home Office will impact on the residents of Norwich, North to a greater or lesser extent. For example:
376 Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships have been established;racial harassment and racially motivated crimes have been made criminal offences by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998;the asylum backlog has been cut from 103,495 at the end of January 2000 to 66,195 by the end of December 2000;good progress is being made in reducing the incidence of fire deaths in England and Wales. They have dropped from 605 in 1997 to 534 in 1999.Information on the Home Office and its policies is also published on its website (www.homeoffice.gov.uk).
Number of persons prosecuted at magistrates courts and convicted at all courts for offences relating to animal cruelty, England and Wales 1997–99 1997 1998 1999 Offence Prosecutions Convictions Prosecutions Convictions Prosecutions Convictions Protection of Animals Act, 1911 (as amended) 1,051 867 1,104 887 1,046 825 Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 Sec 8 8 8 2 2 1 1 Protection of Animals Act, 1934 6 4 4 4 — — Docking and Necking of Horses Act, 1949 — — — — 2 — Pet Animals Act, 1951 4 4 7 6 10 9 Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act, 1954 34 30 22 19 25 21 Animal Health Act, 1981, Sees 40–42, 46 and 49 and 62 Orders made under Sees 8, 9, 37, 38, 39 and 43 65 57 76 39 34 Slaughterhouses Act, 1874 — — 2 2 4 4 Abandonment of Animals Act, 1960, Sec 1 26 21 36 26 17 12 Animals (Cruel Poisons) Act, 1962 1 1 1 — — — Animal Boarding Establishments Act, 1963 2 2 5 5 8 6 Riding Establishments Acts, 1964 and 1970 1 — 1 1 — — Slaughter of Poultry Act, 1967 6 3 18 15 8 7 Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1968, 5 Secs 1, 2 and 6 9 8 5 15 11 Protection of Badgers Act, 1992 (except Sec 13) 44 25 18 4 30 10 Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 Sec 9 5 3 — — 3 — Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 Sec 11 2 — 3 3 4 3 Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1995 7 3 8 7 — — Breeding of Dogs Acts 1973 and 1991 5 4 5 4 5 4 Diseases of Animals Act 89 74 85 65 58 39 Wild Birds Protection Acts 84 63 68 42 157 118 Total 1,449 1,177 1,470 1,159 1,432 1,104