§ Mr. Liddell-GraingerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are on the Sex Offenders Register in(a) West Somerset and (b) Sedgmoor. [29739]
§ Beverley HughesUntil March 2001 data on the number of registered sex offenders were collated bi-annually on a national basis from the Police National Computer, however, this arrangement has been overtaken by guidance issued by the Home Office in respect of the statutory provisions in Section 67 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000. The guidance requires information about the number of registered sex offenders in each police area to be published. This will take place from June 2002 and local systems are being put in place to deliver it. Until these systems are in place such information could only be obtained by a specific exercise by the particular police force concerned which would entail disproportionate costs.