§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many persons on the Sex Offenders Register are registered at addresses in Southampton, Portsmouth and Hampshire, and on the Isle of Wight; [23943]
222W(2) how many persons on the Sex Offenders Register, registered at addresses on the Isle of Wight, were (a) never convicted of a sex offence and (b) convicted of a sex offence (i) within the last two years, (ii) 3–5 years ago, (iii) 6–10 years ago, (iv) 11–20 years ago and (v) more than 20 years ago; [23944]
(3) how many persons on the Sex Offenders Register, registered at addresses on the Isle of Wight, were (a) never imprisoned as a result of a sex offence and (b) released from imprisonment for a sex offence (i) within the last two years, (ii) 3–5 years ago, (iii) 6–10 years ago, (iv) 11–20 years ago and (v) more than 20 years ago; [23945]
(4) what offences have been committed in the last 10 years by those persons on the Sex Offenders Register who are registered at addresses on the Isle of Wight. [23946]
§ Hilary Benn[holding answer 19 December 2001]: The Sex Offenders Act 1997 requires offenders cautioned for, convicted of, or found not guilty by reason of insanity of an offence specified in Schedule One to the Act since the date of its implementation to notify their local police of their names, addresses, dates of birth and intentions to travel abroad for eight days or longer. There is, however, no register of sex offenders, as such; nor are sex offenders subject to the requirements of the Sex Offenders Act separately identified as such in criminal statistics.
The Home Office has issued guidance to chief officers of police and probation in respect of their statutory duty under section 67 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 to make arrangements for the assessment and management of the risk posed by dangerous offenders. The guidance requires information about the number of registered sex offenders in each police area to be published. A copy of the relevant annual report, which reveals there are 713 registered sex offenders in Hampshire, translating to a rate of 40 per one hundred thousand of the population can be obtained from the Hampshire police or Probation Services. Detailed Information requested is not available centrally.