§ Mr. CameronTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people have been jailed for possession of heroin in each of the last five years; [16200]
(2) how many people have been jailed for supplying heroin in each of the last five years, where the sentence has been less than five years. [16201]
§ Beverley HughesInformation readily available on the number of persons sentenced by the courts in England and Wales to immediate custody for offences of (a) possessing and (b) supplying heroin for the period 1995–99 are given in table 1. This is the latest five-year period for which data are currently available. The numbers are broken down by sentence length.
§ Mr. DenhamThe enforcement of cycling offences is an operational matter for individual chief officers of police. They are best placed to assess the nature and cause of specific local problems and to determine how most effectively to address them.
547WCycling on the pavement was made a fixed-penalty offence from 1 August 1999. This gives the police a direct and simple way of dealing with cyclists who use the pavement without proper consideration for others. During the five months to 31 December 1999, the police in England and Wales issued 570 fixed-penalty notices for the offence, 18 in Merseyside.
The cycling infrastructure and environment are currently under improvement as a result of the Government's national cycling strategy. We expect this to reduce the perceived need on the part of some to cycle on the pavement through a fear of cycling on the road.
§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce proposals to increase the level of fines imposed on law-breaking cyclists. [16243]
§ Mr. DenhamI have no such plans. The current maximum penalty for dangerous cycling is a fine not exceeding £2,500. The maximum penalty for careless and inconsiderate cycling, and for cycling when unfit through drink or drugs, is a fine not exceeding £1,000. Unauthorised or irregular cycle racing or trials of speed on public ways is also an offence and carries a maximum penalty of £200. We believe that these penalties are sufficient and reflect the seriousness of the offences.