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Written Question
Hate Crime: Disability
Tuesday 2nd July 2019

Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there were for hate crimes against people with learning disabilities in (i) 2018 and (ii) 2017.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Ministry of Justice has published information regarding prosecutions and convictions but the only hate crime offences specifically defined in legislation are ‘racially or religiously aggravated’ offences. The court outcomes for these offences can be found here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/802314/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2018.xlsx

Filter by ‘Offence’ for offences starting with ‘racially or religiously aggravated…’ and select all that appear.

As hate crime against individuals with learning disabilities is not specifically defined in legislation, we would not be able to distinguish whether or not a particular offence was related to a learning disability. For example, a relevant case could have the offence recorded simply as ‘common assault’. The level of detail required to answer this question may be held in court records, but to be able to identify these cases we would have to access and analyse individual court records which would be of disproportionate cost.


Written Question
Knives: Sentencing
Thursday 30th March 2017

Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Sentencing Council for England and Wales plans to publish its revised guidelines on sentencing for knife possession as a result of its consultation of 6 October 2016; and if she will make a statement.

Answered by Phillip Lee

Sentencing Guidelines are produced by the independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales.

A timetable for the Council’s upcoming work, including publication of definitive guidelines following consultation, can be found in an update to its Business Plan which is available on its website: www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk.


Written Question
Confiscation Orders
Thursday 5th February 2015

Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many confiscation orders were issued for (a) £0-£1,000, (b) £1,001-£5,000, (c) £5,001-£10,000, (d) £10,001-£20,000, (e) £20,001-£50,000, (f) £50,001-£100,000, (g) £100,001-£500,000, (h) £500,001-£1 million, (i) £1 million-£5 million and (j) more than £5 million in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14.

Answered by Mike Penning

Confiscation orders are one of the key mechanisms available to the Government to deprive criminals of the proceeds of their crimes. They are based on the notional benefit attributed to the crime and may therefore exceed the value of realisable assets that are known to the Court at the time of imposition. Crucially, an order that is outstanding stops the criminal benefitting from the proceeds of crime and ensures that, if assets are discovered in the future, they can be seized.

The table below shows the total number of confiscation orders issued in 2012/13 and 2013/14 by value groups. It also shows the total number of drug related confiscation orders issued in 2012/13 and 2013/14 by value group.

Order value

2012/2013

2013/2014

Total orders made

Drug related offences

Total orders made

Drug related offences

£0 to £1,000

2833

1809

2690

1824

£1,001 to £5,000

1257

868

1205

844

£5,001 to £10,000

483

267

476

260

£10,001 to £20,000

505

225

538

226

£20,001 to £50,000

647

241

558

194

£50,001 to £100,000

267

81

258

94

£100,001 to £500,000

337

107

251

79

£500,001 to £999,999*

39

7

26

5

£1million to £5million

27

5

28

11

More than £5million

6

0

3

0

Total:

6401

3610

6033

3537

*figure amended from £500,001 to £999,999 (other than £1m as requested in question) to avoid the double counting of orders as number ranges overlapped.

The total amount defendants repaid from their criminal activity across all agencies has increased for the last five consecutive years and we are currently on course to have another highly effective year. £137.2million was collected in 2013/14; as at the end of December 2014, £113 million had been recovered, which is an increase of 10% on the same period last year.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and other agencies involved in confiscation order enforcement take the recovery of criminal assets very seriously and are working to ensure that clamping down on defaulters is a continued priority.


Written Question
Drugs: Crime
Thursday 5th February 2015

Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many drug-related confiscation orders were issued for (a) £0 to £1,000, (b) £1,001 to £5,000, (c) £5,001 to £10,000, (d) £10,001 to £20,000, (e) £20,001 to £50,000, (f) £50,001 to £100,000, (g) £100,001 to £500,000, (h) £500,001 to £1 million, (i) £1 million to £5 million and (j) more than £5 million in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14.

Answered by Mike Penning

Confiscation orders are one of the key mechanisms available to the Government to deprive criminals of the proceeds of their crimes. They are based on the notional benefit attributed to the crime and may therefore exceed the value of realisable assets that are known to the Court at the time of imposition. Crucially, an order that is outstanding stops the criminal benefitting from the proceeds of crime and ensures that, if assets are discovered in the future, they can be seized.

The table below shows the total number of confiscation orders issued in 2012/13 and 2013/14 by value groups. It also shows the total number of drug related confiscation orders issued in 2012/13 and 2013/14 by value group.

Order value

2012/2013

2013/2014

Total orders made

Drug related offences

Total orders made

Drug related offences

£0 to £1,000

2833

1809

2690

1824

£1,001 to £5,000

1257

868

1205

844

£5,001 to £10,000

483

267

476

260

£10,001 to £20,000

505

225

538

226

£20,001 to £50,000

647

241

558

194

£50,001 to £100,000

267

81

258

94

£100,001 to £500,000

337

107

251

79

£500,001 to £999,999*

39

7

26

5

£1million to £5million

27

5

28

11

More than £5million

6

0

3

0

Total:

6401

3610

6033

3537

*figure amended from £500,001 to £999,999 (other than £1m as requested in question) to avoid the double counting of orders as number ranges overlapped.

The total amount defendants repaid from their criminal activity across all agencies has increased for the last five consecutive years and we are currently on course to have another highly effective year. £137.2million was collected in 2013/14; as at the end of December 2014, £113 million had been recovered, which is an increase of 10% on the same period last year.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and other agencies involved in confiscation order enforcement take the recovery of criminal assets very seriously and are working to ensure that clamping down on defaulters is a continued priority.


Written Question
Confiscation Orders
Tuesday 3rd February 2015

Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many confiscation orders were issued in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.

Answered by Mike Penning

The table below shows the total number of confiscation orders issued for 2012/13 and 2013/14. It also shows the average value of confiscation orders made for drug related offences. The average value data is based on the ‘current’ order value and not the ‘original’ order value to ensure the data accurately captures amendments to the values following successful appeals or variations.

2012/2013

2013/2014

Total orders issued

6401

6033

Average value of orders issued (drug related offences)

£16,336.86

£16,490.30

Confiscation orders are one of the key mechanisms available to the Government to deprive criminals of the proceeds of their crimes. They are based on the notional benefit attributed to the crime and may therefore exceed the value of realisable assets that are known to the Court at the time of imposition. Crucially, an order that is outstanding stops the criminal benefitting from the proceeds of crime and ensures that, if assets are discovered in the future, they can be seized.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and other agencies involved in confiscation order enforcement take the recovery of criminal assets very seriously and are working to ensure that clamping down on defaulters is a continued priority.

The amount defendants repaid from their criminal activity across all agencies has increased for the last five consecutive years and we are currently on course to have another highly effective year. £137.2million was collected in 2013/14 (which represented a 4% increase on the total recovered during 2012/13); as at the end of December 2014, £113 million had been recovered, which is an increase of 10% on the same period last year.

The majority of Confiscation Orders (52% by value) are enforced by agencies other than HM Courts & Tribunals Service. These agencies include the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Department for Work and Pensions and local authorities.


Written Question
Drugs: Crime
Tuesday 3rd February 2015

Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average value was of a confiscation order for drug-related crimes in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.

Answered by Mike Penning

The table below shows the total number of confiscation orders issued for 2012/13 and 2013/14. It also shows the average value of confiscation orders made for drug related offences. The average value data is based on the ‘current’ order value and not the ‘original’ order value to ensure the data accurately captures amendments to the values following successful appeals or variations.

2012/2013

2013/2014

Total orders issued

6401

6033

Average value of orders issued (drug related offences)

£16,336.86

£16,490.30

Confiscation orders are one of the key mechanisms available to the Government to deprive criminals of the proceeds of their crimes. They are based on the notional benefit attributed to the crime and may therefore exceed the value of realisable assets that are known to the Court at the time of imposition. Crucially, an order that is outstanding stops the criminal benefitting from the proceeds of crime and ensures that, if assets are discovered in the future, they can be seized.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and other agencies involved in confiscation order enforcement take the recovery of criminal assets very seriously and are working to ensure that clamping down on defaulters is a continued priority.

The amount defendants repaid from their criminal activity across all agencies has increased for the last five consecutive years and we are currently on course to have another highly effective year. £137.2million was collected in 2013/14 (which represented a 4% increase on the total recovered during 2012/13); as at the end of December 2014, £113 million had been recovered, which is an increase of 10% on the same period last year.

The majority of Confiscation Orders (52% by value) are enforced by agencies other than HM Courts & Tribunals Service. These agencies include the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Department for Work and Pensions and local authorities.


Written Question
Drugs: Crime
Tuesday 3rd February 2015

Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many confiscation orders were issued for drug-related crimes in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.

Answered by Mike Penning

The table below shows the total number of confiscation orders issued for drug related offences in 2012/13 and 2013/14. It also shows the average amount recovered for drug related offences. The average value data is based on the ‘current’ order value and not the ‘original’ order value to ensure the data accurately captures amendments to the values following successful appeals or variations.

2012/2013

2013/2014

Total orders made (drug related offences)

3610

3537

Average amount recovered (drug related offences)

£10,165.73

£8,904.09

Confiscation orders are one of the key mechanisms available to the Government to deprive criminals of the proceeds of their crimes. They are based on the notional benefit attributed to the crime and may therefore exceed the value of realisable assets that are known to the Court at the time of imposition. Crucially, an order that is outstanding stops the criminal benefitting from the proceeds of crime and ensures that, if assets are discovered in the future, they can be seized.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and other agencies involved in confiscation order enforcement take the recovery of criminal assets very seriously and are working to ensure that clamping down on defaulters is a continued priority.

The amount defendants repaid from their criminal activity across all agencies has increased for the last five consecutive years and we are currently on course to have another highly effective year. £137.2million was collected in 2013/14 (which represented a 4% increase on the total recovered during 2012/13); as at the end of December 2014, £113 million had been recovered, which is an increase of 10% on the same period last year.

The majority of Confiscation Orders (52% by value) are enforced by agencies other than HM Courts & Tribunals Service. These agencies include the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Department for Work and Pensions and local authorities.


Written Question
Drugs: Crime
Tuesday 3rd February 2015

Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average amount recovered through confiscation orders for drug-related crimes was in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.

Answered by Mike Penning

The table below shows the total number of confiscation orders issued for drug related offences in 2012/13 and 2013/14. It also shows the average amount recovered for drug related offences. The average value data is based on the ‘current’ order value and not the ‘original’ order value to ensure the data accurately captures amendments to the values following successful appeals or variations.

2012/2013

2013/2014

Total orders made (drug related offences)

3610

3537

Average amount recovered (drug related offences)

£10,165.73

£8,904.09

Confiscation orders are one of the key mechanisms available to the Government to deprive criminals of the proceeds of their crimes. They are based on the notional benefit attributed to the crime and may therefore exceed the value of realisable assets that are known to the Court at the time of imposition. Crucially, an order that is outstanding stops the criminal benefitting from the proceeds of crime and ensures that, if assets are discovered in the future, they can be seized.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and other agencies involved in confiscation order enforcement take the recovery of criminal assets very seriously and are working to ensure that clamping down on defaulters is a continued priority.

The amount defendants repaid from their criminal activity across all agencies has increased for the last five consecutive years and we are currently on course to have another highly effective year. £137.2million was collected in 2013/14 (which represented a 4% increase on the total recovered during 2012/13); as at the end of December 2014, £113 million had been recovered, which is an increase of 10% on the same period last year.

The majority of Confiscation Orders (52% by value) are enforced by agencies other than HM Courts & Tribunals Service. These agencies include the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Department for Work and Pensions and local authorities.


Written Question
Drugs: Crime
Tuesday 3rd February 2015

Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of offenders convicted in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14 were convicted for what drug-related crimes.

Answered by Mike Penning

Under this Government crime is falling and criminals are more likely to go to prison and for longer. Drug offending is serious in itself, and drug dealers can expect substantial prison sentences, but drug abuse also underlies a huge volume of acquisitive and violent crime which can blight communities. The independent Sentencing Council issued a sentencing guideline on drug offences, effective from February 2012, which brought sentencing guidance together for the first time to help to ensure consistent and proportionate sentencing for all drug offences that come before courts.

The number of offenders found guilty at all courts of drug offences and of all drug-related offences, by quarter, in England and Wales from 2012 to 2013, can be viewed in the table below.

Offenders found guilty at all courts of drug offences, by quarter, England and Wales, 2012 to 2013 (1)(2)
Offence20122013
Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4
Importation and Exportation (3)
Number167135112129138101111108
Proportion of total offences0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%
Production (4)
Number1,7891,6561,6401,6011,6311,6021,6221,454
Proportion of total offences1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%
Supply (5)
Number1,0409168427601,050982922936
Proportion of total offences0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%
Possession (6)
Number10,4919,33110,4579,5579,9259,8409,6469,108
Proportion of total offences3%3%3%3%3%3%3%3%
Possession with intent to supply (7)
Number1,8541,6821,6571,6591,6911,7741,8931,737
Proportion of total offences1%1%1%1%1%1%1%1%
Incitement to supply (8)
Number-2------
Proportion of total offences0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%
Permitting premises to be used for illegal purposes (9)
Number135102120112127116127122
Proportion of total offences0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%
Vienna Convention offences (10)
Number----2---
Proportion of total offences0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%
Miscellaneous offences (11)
Number6739353841635662
Proportion of total offences0%0%0%0%0%0%0%0%
Total (drug offences)15,54313,86314,86313,85614,60514,47814,37713,527
Total (other offences)312,074282,920289,521288,946286,896276,833277,308273,944
Total (England and Wales)327,617296,783304,384302,802301,501291,311291,685287,471
Drug convictions (%)5%5%5%5%5%5%5%5%
'-' = Nil
(1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
(3) Offences under SS 50(2),(3),(5), 68 (2) & (4) & 170 (1-4) of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979
(4) Offences under Section 4(2) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
(5) Offences under Section 4(3) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
(6) Offences under Section 5(2) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
(7) Offences under Section 5(3) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
(8) Offences under Section 19 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
(9) Offences under Section 8 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
(10) Offences under SS12-19 of the Criminal Justice (International C-Operation) Act 1990 and RR6(5), 7, 7(5) & 8 of the Controlled Drug (Drug Precursors)(Community External Trade) Regulations 2008
(11) Offences under SS 9, 11(2), 12 (6), 13(3), 17 (4), 18 (2-4), 20 & 23 (4) of The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 & SS 327 - 330, 333, 336 (5) & (6) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002
NB - 0% readings are due to rounding down from below 0.5%
Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.
Ref: PQ 222733

Whilst criminal justice statistics for England and Wales as a whole for the years 2012 and 2013 are in the public domain, statistics for the year 2014 are planned for publication on the Ministry of Justice website in May 2015. Please note that whilst quarterly court proceedings and convictions headline data are published on the Ministry of Justice website and are currently available up to end June 2014, these data are subject to revision as later quarters are published, and are finalised only when the annual publication is made publicly available. To ensure consistency of data released to users, further breakdowns (in this case by specific offences under certain legislation) of 2014 Quarter 1 (January to March) data are not available until the annual criminal statistics publication is published.


Written Question
Courts: Fines
Monday 26th January 2015

Asked by: Chris Leslie (The Independent Group for Change - Nottingham East)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total value of fines was (a) issued by the courts and (b) collected in 2013-14 in each local criminal justice board area.

Answered by Mike Penning

This Government takes recovery and enforcement of financial impositions very seriously and remains committed to finding new ways to ensure impositions are paid and to trace those who do not pay. This is why there has been a year on year increase in the total amount of financial penalties collected over the last three years. The amount of money collected reached an all time high of £290 million at the end of 2013/14 and collections continue to rise. In 2013/14 the total outstanding balance of financial impositions reduced by £26.7m (5%) in the year.

The table below shows the value of financial impositions ordered by the courts in 2013/14, and the total value of financial impositions collected in the year.

Area

Impositions 2013/14

Collected Against Impositions in year

Total collected in the year - regardless of imposition date

Avon and Somerset

£10,488,481

£3,816,902

£7,172,942

Bedfordshire

£4,225,416

£1,859,237

£3,202,616

Cambridgeshire

£4,890,202

£1,933,970

£3,547,387

Cheshire

£7,518,203

£3,839,030

£6,066,620

Cleveland

£3,994,238

£1,275,769

£2,882,318

Cumbria

£4,381,676

£1,500,696

£2,790,743

Derbyshire

£4,619,046

£1,802,742

£3,453,856

Devon and Cornwall

£7,275,905

£3,492,226

£6,154,292

Dorset

£4,254,020

£1,592,455

£3,388,107

Durham

£3,100,039

£1,169,332

£2,473,197

Dyfed Powys

£3,774,386

£1,743,944

£2,898,590

Essex

£10,989,916

£5,222,015

£8,443,356

Gloucestershire

£2,145,012

£894,327

£1,840,466

Greater Manchester

£22,329,688

£7,039,630

£15,250,585

Gwent

£4,788,550

£1,762,976

£3,527,232

Hampshire & IOW

£11,013,958

£4,079,985

£8,459,808

Hertfordshire

£9,563,529

£3,829,326

£6,440,952

Humberside

£7,136,166

£2,837,722

£5,694,120

Kent

£11,982,516

£4,191,673

£8,362,118

Lancashire

£13,146,146

£4,475,514

£7,798,619

Leicestershire

£6,044,190

£2,577,867

£4,320,886

Lincolnshire

£6,141,834

£2,706,212

£4,210,021

London Central & South East

£37,479,069

£12,591,694

£21,055,254

London North East

£19,420,646

£5,919,447

£10,646,490

London North West

£23,238,619

£8,598,442

£14,243,408

London South West

£1,627,698

£903,715

£3,659,537

Merseyside

£12,266,671

£3,901,058

£9,556,566

Norfolk

£4,810,313

£1,825,238

£3,307,277

North Wales

£5,476,857

£2,476,682

£4,264,771

North Yorkshire

£4,247,146

£2,168,730

£3,489,709

Northamptonshire

£4,046,826

£1,391,365

£2,909,235

Northumbria

£10,806,079

£3,613,008

£7,385,384

Nottinghamshire

£8,409,069

£3,050,949

£5,254,473

South Wales

£16,335,911

£6,584,635

£10,762,439

South Yorkshire

£9,955,309

£2,808,251

£5,752,104

Staffordshire

£8,075,539

£2,824,654

£6,008,493

Suffolk

£4,945,931

£1,887,068

£3,309,711

Surrey

£7,833,947

£4,298,880

£6,331,557

Sussex

£7,295,943

£3,024,765

£5,986,262

Thames Valley

£13,975,694

£6,347,357

£10,957,532

Warwickshire

£5,478,730

£1,967,666

£3,137,619

West Mercia

£9,034,521

£3,169,955

£5,749,674

West Midlands

£18,824,807

£5,980,168

£14,196,420

West Yorkshire

£19,708,027

£6,593,972

£11,421,315

Wiltshire

£3,159,373

£1,163,257

£2,547,769

Total

£420,255,840

£156,734,504

£290,311,831

These figures include fines, compensation orders, victim surcharge orders and prosecution costs orders. The value of the impositions that remain outstanding at the end of the year includes accounts that were not due to be paid by the end of the period specified (either because they were imposed close to the end of the year or because they had payment timescales set by the courts for beyond the end of the financial year) and those that were being paid by instalments on agreed payment plans.