§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what new data series separated by gender, race, disability and age have been commissioned by his Department since August 1997. [66608]
§ Beverley Hughes[holding answer 2 July 2002]Since August 1997 the Research, Development and Statistics Directorate of the Home Office have commissioned the following data series (including further exercises of regular on-going surveys):
- (i)The 2001 Home Office Citizenship Survey collects information on sex, race, disability and age. Reports on the Citizenship Survey planned for 2002 will analyse the data by sex, race and ethnicity.
- (ii) The 2000 sweeps of the British Crime Survey (BCS) incorporated ethnic "booster samples". This has allowed the experience of ethnic minorities with respect to both crime victimisation risk and other experience and views regarding the police and other parts of the Criminal Justice System (CJS). From January 2001 the BCS has moved to an annual cycle with a permanent ethnic boost.
- (iii) From 1 April 1999 the information collected by the Home Office on police arrests was extended to provide information for persons arrested for notifiable offences by ethnic appearance of suspect, gender, age group and offence group.
- (iv) From I April 2001 police forces have been asked to provide returns on the number of racist crimes recorded by ethnic appearance of victim, offence group, age group and gender of
557W victim and detection rate. Currently this return is voluntary and it is currently proposed that it will become mandatory from I April 2003. In addition to new data series the Department has commissioned, conducted itself a number of one-off or time-limited exercises, yielding information including one or more of these dimensions.