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.
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.