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Driving Under Influence: Sentencing

Volume 461: debated on Wednesday 20 June 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) women, (b) men, (c) women under 30 years old and (d) men under 30 years old who committed drink driving offences in each of the last 10 years were given (i) a prison sentence, (ii) a mandatory disqualification from driving and (iii) a fine. (142587)

Information for the period and at the level of detail requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The following table gives information for 1995, 1998, 2001, 2003, and 2004 (the latest available).

Data for 2005 will be available later in the year.

Table A: findings of guilt, immediate custody and number fined at all courts for the offence of driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs1, females by age of offender, England and Wales

Number of offences

1995

1998

2001

2003

2004

All ages

Aged under 30

All ages

Aged under 30

All ages

Aged under 30

All ages

Aged under 30

All ages

Aged under 30

Total findings of guilt at all courts

6,793

2,636

8,509

3,014

8,402

2,949

10,112

3,513

10,765

3,863

of which:

Immediate custody2

105

31

171

48

179

57

172

54

196

55

Fine

5,510

2,206

6,650

2,509

6,404

2,379

7,701

2,806

8,059

3,036

1 Offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 ss. 4 (1) and (2), 5 (a) and (b), 6 (4), 7 (6) and s.7A as added by the Police Reform Act 2002 s. 56.

2 Immediate custody = Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and Unsuspended sentence of imprisonment.

Notes:

1. 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 these data are used.

2. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings, in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. Work is under way to ensure that the magistrates courts case management system being implemented by the Ministry of Justice reports all motoring offences to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. This will enable more complete figures to be disseminated.

Table B: findings of guilt, immediate custody and number fined at all courts for the offence of driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs1, males by age of offender, England and WalesNumber of offences19951998200120032004All agesAged under 30All agesAged under 30All agesAged under 30All agesAged under 30All agesAged under 30Total findings of guilt at all courts85,69337,22684,60436,45176,34635,28083,58838,38085,47338,700of which:Immediate custody26,1782,8096,7573,0026,4423,0106,1362,9275,8632,755Fine63,74727,51360,63126,19453,51224,93257,83826,44758,37426,543 1 Offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 ss. 4 (1) and (2), 5 (a) and (b), 6 (4), 7 (6) and s.7A as added by the Police Reform Act 2002 s. 56.2 Immediate custody = Detention and Training Order, Young Offender Institution and Unsuspended sentence of imprisonment.Notes:1. 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 these data are used.2. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings, in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. Work is under way to ensure that the magistrates courts case management system being implemented by the Ministry of Justice reports all motoring offences to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. This will enable more complete figures to be disseminated.

Table C: driving licence disqualifications1 imposed at all courts for the offence of driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs2, England and Wales, 1995-2004

Number of offences

1995

1998

2001

2003

2004

All ages

Aged under 30

All ages

Aged under 30

All ages

Aged under 30

All ages

Aged under 30

All ages

Aged under 30

Females

6,299

2,469

8,010

2,862

7,945

2,805

9,542

3,332

10,186

3,660

Males

77,595

33,483

78,178

33,687

71,332

33,021

77,470

35,558

80,122

36,288

1 Disqualifications given as a secondary disposal. This covers cases where a disqualification from driving was given instead of a licence endorsement.

2 Offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 ss. 4 (1) and (2), 5 (a) and (b), 6 (4), 7 (6) and s.7A as added by the Police Reform Act 2002 s. 56.

Notes:

1. 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 these data are used.

2. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings, in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. Work is under way to ensure that the magistrates courts case management system being implemented by the Ministry of Justice reports all motoring offences to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. This will enable more complete figures to be disseminated.