HC Deb 23 July 2002 vol 389 cc1058-9W
Mr. Cox

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) men and (b) women have been sent to prison in the United Kingdom for living on the earnings of, or for controlling, a prostitute in each of the last five years. [70283]

Hilary Benn

The information requested, relating to(a) males and (b) females sentenced to immediate custody for living on the earnings of, or controlling a prostitute in England and Wales from 1996 to 2000 are shown in the table.

Statistics for 2001 will be available in the autumn.

Figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the Scottish Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly respectively.

Number of persons sentenced to immediate custody for prostitution related offences in England and Wales 1996 to 200012
Total sentenced to immediate custody
Offence description Statute 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Male
Living on earnings of prostitution or exercising control over prostitute Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sees 30 and 31 26 23 23 16 12
Man or woman living wholly or in part on the earnings of male prostitution Sexual Offences Act 1967 Sec 5(1) 3 1
Total 29 24 23 16 12
Female
Living on earnings of prostitution or exercising control over prostitute Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sees 30 and 31 2 1 1 3
Man or woman living wholly or in part on the earnings of male prostitution Sexual Offences Act 1967 Sec 5(1)
Total 2 1 1 3
1These data are on the principal offence basis.
2Staffordshire Police Force were only able to supply a sample of data for magistrates' courts proceedings covering one full week in each quarter for 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust at a detailed level and so are excluded from this analysis.

Mr. Cox

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) boys and (b) girls aged under 15 years have been cautioned by police officers in the Metropolitan Police Authority for being involved in prostitution in the last 12 months. [70271]

Mr. Denham

No instances of males or females aged under 15 cautioned in 2000 for prostitution in the Metropolitan Police Force Area were reported to the Home Office.

Statistics for 2001 will be available in the autumn.