HC Deb 23 October 2001 vol 373 cc217-8W
Mr. Lilley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of(a) either-way cases and (b) all cases heard in magistrates courts were sent to Crown court for sentencing in each of the last three years. [7852]

Project £000 at 2001–02 prices
Projects costing over £2 million FY 2001–02 FY 2002–03 Future years Total anticipated expenditure Comments (figures include for fees, VAT and contingencies
Collection Summary:
Prison Service (capital) 27,714 77,978 60,993 166,685
Immigration Service 136,000 3,100 0 139,100
National Police Training 13,300 15,332 20,000 48,632
United Kingdom Passport Agency 85 — — — Planned expenditure not yet known
Total anticipated expenditure 177,099 96,410 80,993 354,417
PF1 Projects:
Home Office Marsham Street — — — — PFI contract not yet signed
Ashford Prison — — — — PFI contract not yet signed
Peterborough Prison — — — — PFI contract not yet signed

Mr. Keith Bradley

The available information, taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database, is shown in the table.

Numbers and percentages of defendants committed to the Crown Court for sentence by offence type—England and Wales 1999
Triable either way All offences
Number of defendants proceeded against 479,917 1,881,765
Number of defendants committed to the Crown Court for sentence 19,324 20,417
Percentage of defendants proceeded against who are committed to the Crown Court for sentence 4 1

Mr. Lilley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of those who elected for trial in Crown court in either-way cases, including those found not guilty, had previous convictions. [7853]

Mr. Keith Bradley

Data from a sample of offenders sentenced during four weeks in 1999 show that 68 per cent. of those found guilty for a standard list offence at the Crown court had one or more previous convictions for a standard list offence. No data are available on whether those acquitted had previous convictions.