---

Home Office

Answer

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for which motoring offences curfew orders and vehicle forfeiture can be used; and how often these court disposals have been used for motoring offences in each of the last three years for which data are available. [96637] Mr. Charles Clarke: Curfew orders under section 12 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 are available for any offence for which a community penalty is appropriate. This provision has been piloted from July 1995 in seven areas, and will be made available throughout England and Wales from 1 December. The available data on the use of these provisions relate to the period July 1995 to June 1997. Motoring offences resulting in a curfew order under section 12 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991--July 1995 to June 1997 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Offence July to December January to June July to December January to June Total (July 1995 to 1995 1996 1996 1997 June 1997) Driving whilst disqualified 3 9 19 34 65 Driving with excess alcohol -- 2 7 8 17 Driving whilst unfit -- -- -- 1 1 through drugs Failure to provide a -- -- -- 1 1 specimen Taking a vehicle without 1 1 6 6 14 consent (TWOC) Aggravated TWOC -- -- 2 7 9 Allowing oneself to be -- -- -- 1 1 carried in a TWOC vehicle Aggravated allowing self to -- -- -- 1 1 be carried in a TWOC vehicle Vehicle interference -- 1 -- 3 4 Dangerous driving -- -- -- 2 2 Traffic offences -- -- 1 -- 1 All motoring offences 4 13 35 64 116 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Note: These figures do not include theft of, or from, a vehicle. Curfew orders are also available under sections 35, 37 and 43 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 for fine defaulters, persistent petty offenders and children aged 10 to 15 years, respectively, in specified circumstances. These provisions are also currently being piloted. The pilots began in January 1998. Available information as to their use for motoring offences in the pilot areas is as follows: _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Use of curfews for offenders with Number of orders summary motoring offences as the most 1998 1999 (January-June) serious offences Fine defaulters 35 22 Persistent petty offenders 32 37 Children 10-15 6 3 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Note: 1999 figures are provisional. The courts' powers of forfeiture under section 43 of the Powers of Criminal Courts Act 1973 are available for certain motoring offences (broadly those which are punishable by imprisonment). Unfortunately, no separate statistics are kept for the use of vehicle forfeiture.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

337 c370-1W; 96637

Session

1998-99

Subjects

Curfews Confiscation orders Motor vehicles Sentencing Road traffic offences

Contains statistics

Yes