§ Mr. GrieveTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the operation of the duty on the Probation Service to keep victims of serious violent and sexual crimes informed of the offender's release. [29367]
§ Beverley Hughes[holding answer 22 January 2002]: Under the new statutory duty, local Probation Boards are required to consult and notify victims about release arrangements of offenders serving a sentence of 12 months or more for a sexual or violent offence. We expect approximately 3,500 more victims of serious crimes each year will be informed of an offender's release under these arrangements. There are currently no figures collected centrally on the actual numbers of victims notified of offenders' release arrangements since the legislation came into force on 1 April 2001.
§ Mr. GrieveTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what percentage of prosecutions the victim chose to make a personal statement to the court in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [29368]
§ Mr. Keith Bradley[holding answer 22 January 2002]: I understand from the Lord Chancellor's Department and the Court Service that information of this nature is not collated.