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Written Answers to Questions

Monday 27 February 1989

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

Ethiopia

Mr. Faulds : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration he has given to evidence of genocide by the Ethiopian Government, in deciding whether to continue aid to Ethiopia through Lome III and IV.

Mr. Chris Patten : The human rights situation in Ethiopia is of serious concern to Her Majesty's Government but suspending the aid provided under the Lome convention--which is going principally to finance the development of peasant agriculture and helps to reduce the underlying risk of famine--would hurt the poorest sections of the population. What the European Community is doing, and must continue to do, is to ensure that the aid supports more sensible policies and that it reaches those for whom it is intended.

Lome IV

Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution he will be making in the negotiations leading to the drawing up of the Lome IV convention.

Mr. Chris Patten : I am playing a full part in the Lome renegotiation and intend to continue to do so.

At the ministerial negotiating meeting in Brazzaville on 16-17 February, at the request of the Spanish presidency, I was EC chairman of the negotiating group which covered financial and technical co-operation and a number of other questions. I also worked closely with my Community colleagues on other aspects of the renegotiation.

PRIME MINISTER

TVEI (Insurance Cover)

Mr. Wallace : To ask the Prime Minister what guidance is given to Government Departments regarding personal accident insurance cover in respect of pupils pursuing TVEI work experience courses with Government Departments ; and if she will make a statement.

The Prime Minister : The Department of Education and Science has issued guidance to departments on work experience in general and this includes advice on liability and insurance requirements. The Training Agency does not issue specific guidance to Government Departments regarding personal accident insurance cover for pupils on TVEI work experience placements.

Rating Reform

Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Prime Minister what arrangements are being made for Government employees and similar groups, including members of the armed forces


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and prison officers, to receive help with poll tax, either by way of direct reimbursement or by way of special transitional arrangements ; and if she will make a statement.

The Prime Minister : All Government employees will, unless exempt, be subject to the personal community charge in the same way as other members of the population. Where members of the armed forces occupy Crown- owned accommodation and have no choice over where they live, and pay a community charge in excess of the service average, plus £52, they will pay a lower rate of accommodation charge. The reduction in accommodation charge will equate to the amount by which the community charge paid exceeds that threshold.

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

Schools (Local Management)

Mr. Hind : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from schools on local management of schools ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Butcher My right hon. Friend has received a number of representations from school governors and head teachers commenting on aspects of the local management of schools (LMS). Many authorities are now consulting their schools formally on their draft LMS schemes. I am impressed by the hard work which is clearly being devoted to the preparation of satisfactory schemes.

Teacher Shortages

Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what information he has concerning shortages of teachers in English, mathematics, languages, science, craft and arts subject teachers in Suffolk and Norfolk ;

(2) how many vacancies exist currently in primary, junior, middle, high and secondary schools in Suffolk and Norfolk for teachers in English, mathematics, languages, science, craft and arts subjects.

Mr. Butcher : Information held centrally relating to teacher shortages in individual LEAs consists of annual counts of vacancies in maintained primary and secondary schools. For primary schools, these are not broken down by subject specialism.

The latest figures available relate to January 1988. The table sets out information for Suffolk and Norfolk.


                                              |Number of vacancies<1>                       

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Primary schools (including nursery and middle                                               

  deemed primary schools)                     |<2>23                                        

Secondary schools (including middle deemed                                                  

  secondary schools)                          |<3>32                                        

                                                                                            

of which, number in:                                                                        

English                                       |1                                            

mathematics                                   |0                                            

languages                                     |2                                            

science                                       |2                                            

craft, design and technology                  |2                                            

arts subjects                                 |5                                            

<1> Full-time permanent posts only.                                                         

<2> Or 0.5 per cent. of teachers in service.                                                

<3> Or 0.6 per cent. of teachers in service.                                                


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Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has regarding number and reasons for teachers of English, mathematics, languages, science, and craft in Suffolk and Norfolk leaving the profession in the past two years for which figures are available.

Mr. Butcher : In the year up to March 1985, 472 secondary school teachers in Suffolk and Norfolk left the maintained sector. In the year up to March 1986, the number was 491. This information relates to all secondary teachers. Data are not available on the subject they were teaching nor on their reasons for leaving. However, the Interim Advisory Committee on School Teachers' Pay and Conditions, in its second report, found that the proportion of teachers leaving the profession was generally low and that fewer than 1 per cent. left to take up other employment.

Grant-maintained Schools

Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will indicate for all the schools which have so far applied for grant -maintained status those which local authorities intend to close.

Mrs. Rumbold : The following schools have applied for grant- maintained status under the Education Reform Act 1988, and are subject to proposals to cease to maintain them under the Education Act 1980 :

Hendon school, Barnet

Queensbury school, Bedfordshire

St. James's school, Bolton

Ramsden school for girls, Bromley

Bankfield county high school, Cheshire

Netherthorpe school, Derbyshire

Foster's school, Dorset

Lord Digby's school, Dorset

Sir James Altham school, Hertfordshire

London nautical school, ILEA

Castlemount school, Kent

Wilmington grammar school for girls, Kent

South Park high school, Lincolnshire

Blessed Hugh More RC secondary school, Lincolnshire

My right hon. Friend will consider both sets of proposals together on their merits but determine those for grant-maintained status first.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Ministerial Visit (Nottingham)

Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will meet the leader of the council to discuss the safer cities campaign and other departmental matters when he visits Nottingham on 4 March.

Mr. Hurd : My visit is on 3 March and I have arranged to meet the leader of the council on that morning.

Child Sexual Abuse

Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the starting dates of research projects into child sexual abuse begun in 1988-89 ; how much was spent on each project to date ; and how much he expects to be spent on the projects in a full financial year.

Mr. John Patten : One project on child sexual abuse began in 1988- 89. This started on 1 February 1989. The


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study is examining the effectiveness of live TV links for child witnesses in the Crown courts, including cases of child sexual abuse. Payment of research grants is made quarterly in arrears ; consequently no costs have been incurred to date. The study will take 12 months to complete and will cost £45,394.

Confiscation Orders

Mr. David Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list in the Official Report the offences for which (a) magistrates and (b) other courts can, upon conviction, issue confiscation orders.

Mr. John Patten : The Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986 empowers the Crown court to make a confiscation order against a person convicted of a drug trafficking offence as defined in section 38(1) of the Act. Section 71 of the Criminal Justice Act, which is expected to come into force on 3 April 1989, gives a similar power to the Crown court in respect of other indictable offences, and to both the Crown court and magistrates' courts in respect of summary offences listed in schedule 4 to the Act.

Plastic Bullets

Mr. Ashdown : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what regulations cover (a) the training in the use of and (b) the firing of plastic bullets ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : Those chief officers of police who hold plastic baton round equipment are responsible for ensuring that officers are trained in its use. Only authorised firearms officers are usually so trained. The position on the operational use of plastic baton rounds was explained by my right hon. Friend in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Lancashire, West (Mr. Hind) on 19 May 1986 at columns 15 and 16 . This remains unchanged.

Mr. Ashdown : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when plastic bullets were first approved for use in England and Wales ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : Plastic baton rounds for use in dealing with serious public disorder were first made available to forces in England and Wales following the riots in 1981.

Mr. Ashdown : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times plastic bullets have been used in England and Wales ; under what circumstances ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : Plastic baton rounds have not been used operationally in England and Wales.

Crowd Control

Mr. Ashdown : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research has been carried out or commissioned by the Government into methods of crowd control ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : The police service has long and extensive experience of policing crowds. The methods to be used are a matter for the chief officers of police who keep their tactics under constant review, which may include research based on United Kingdom experience as well as practice abroad.


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Compensation

Mr. David Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people convicted in magistrates' courts in 1988 were ordered to pay compensation, other than for summary motoring offences ; what was the average amount of compensation paid ; and if he has any plans to raise the maximum amount per offence which may be ordered at a magistrates' court.

Mr. John Patten : The information for 1988 is not yet available. Information for 1987 was published in tables 7.24 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales 1987", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. There are no plans at present to raise the maximum amount of compensation awarded per offence.

Animal Experiments

Mr. Page : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of animal experiments for each of the years 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : The information requested is published in table 19 of "Statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain, 1987" (Cm. 515).

Prison Statistics

Mr. Holt : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department as at December 1988, how many prisoners serving a year or more were from (a) the Republic of Ireland, (b) the Benelux countries, (c) the West Indies, (d) the United States of America, (e) the Indian sub continent, (f) South America, (g) the middle east and (h) Australasia.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : The latest readily available information is given in the table below. The recording of nationality for citizens of Commonwealth countries, Pakistan and the Irish Republic is not always reliable.


|c|Prisoners in prison service establishments in England and     

Wales on|c|                                                      

|c|30 June 1988 who were serving sentences of one year or more:  

|c|                                                              

|c|by nationality|c|                                             

Nationality                              |Number<1>              

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Republic of Ireland                      |370                    

Benelux countries                        |30                     

West Indies                              |510                    

United States of America and Puerto Rico |40                     

Indian sub-continent                     |570                    

South America                            |130                    

Middle East                              |90                     

Australia and New Zealand                |30                     

British and other nationalities          |26,940                 

Nationality not recorded                 |3,710                  

                                         |---                    

  All nationalities                      |32,420                 

<1> Rounded estimates. Checking of individual cases would        

involve disproportionate cost.                                   

Irish Republic (Migration)

Mr. Holt : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizens of the Republic of Ireland migrated to the United Kingdom in each of the past 10 years.

Mr. Renton : The information requested is not available. However, it is estimated from the labour force


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survey that in 1987 just over half a million persons usually resident in Great Britain had been born in the Republic of Ireland, some 50,000 of whom had entered the United Kingdom since the beginning of 1977.

Clergymen

Mr. Holt : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many clergymen who are citizens of the Republic of Ireland are presently working in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Renton : The information requested is not available.

Carlisle Baby

Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will now place in the Library the information provided by the coroner on the case involving the death of the Carlisle baby.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : We do not propose to do so.

Security

Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to improve the security of the individual citizen in the urban environment at night.

Mr. John Patten : We have taken a number of measures which should help to improve personal safety at all times of day. These include an increase in police manpower ; the safer cities programme, which will establish crime prevention projects in 20 urban, high-crime areas ; and stricter controls on the possession of offensive weapons. We are also discussing with colleagues in the Departments of the Environment and Transport what might be done to encourage improvements in street lighting.

Legal Advice (Detainees)

Mr. Hind : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of detainees in police custody exercise their right to legal advice under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : The recently published Home Office research study "Detention at the Police Station under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984", which draws on data collected in 10 police force areas in March 1987, indicates that of the over 5,500 detainees whose records are examined, some 25 per cent. had asked to see a solicitor. Sixteen per cent. of all detainees went on to see a solicitor and 5 per cent. spoke to a solicitor by telephone.

Where no advice was received, this was often because the detainee changed his mind, but in a third of such cases the police were unsuccessful in contacting a solicitor. Access to legal advice was delayed by the police in about 1 per cent. of cases.

Terrorism

Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all incidents of terrorist activity in Great Britain since 1979 which are attributable to groups connected with Northern Ireland.

Mr. Hurd : The table lists those terrorist incidents resulting in casualties. All were bomb incidents. There


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have also been a number of other incidents not resulting in casualties, but a full list of these could not be made available except at disproportionate cost.


Date and location                           |Killed           |Injured                            

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

30 March 1979                                                                                     

Car park Palace of Westminster,                                                                   

 Westminster, London SW1                    |1                |-                                  

                                                                                                  

17 December 1979                                                                                  

Post office sorting office, Gerrards Cross,                                                       

 Buckinghamshire                            |-                |2                                  

Post office sorting office, Charlton Green,                                                       

 Dover, Kent                                |-                |2                                  

                                                                                                  

2 December 1980                                                                                   

Princess Louise Regiment Territorial Army                                                         

 Centre, Hammersmith Road, London W6        |-                |5                                  

                                                                                                  

10 October 1981                                                                                   

Ebury Bridge Road, London SW1               |2                |39                                 

                                                                                                  

17 October 1981                                                                                   

76 South Croxted Road, London SE21          |-                |1                                  

                                                                                                  

26 October 1981                                                                                   

Wimpy bar, Oxford Street, London W1         |1                |-                                  

                                                                                                  

23 November 1981                                                                                  

Government House, Woolwich New Road,                                                              

 London SE18                                |-                |2                                  

                                                                                                  

20 July 1982                                                                                      

South Carriage Road, Hyde Park, London                                                            

 W1                                         |4                |28                                 

Regents Park, London NW1                    |7                |31                                 

                                                                                                  

10 December 1983                                                                                  

Royal Artillery Barracks, Repository Road,                                                        

 London SE18                                |-                |3                                  

                                                                                                  

17 December 1983                                                                                  

Harrods, Knightsbridge, London SW3          |6                |91                                 

                                                                                                  

25 December 1983                                                                                  

Orchard Street, London W1                   |-                |2                                  

                                                                                                  

12 October 1984                                                                                   

Grand Hotel, Brighton, Sussex               |5                |30                                 

                                                                                                  

1 August 1988                                                                                     

Inglis Barracks, Bittacy Hill, London NW7   |1                |8                                  

                                                                                                  

20 February 1989                                                                                  

Clive Barracks, Tern Hill, Market Drayton,                                                        

 Shropshire                                 |-                |1                                  

Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all incidents of terrorist activity in Great Britain since 1979 which are attributable to groups not connected with Northern Ireland.

Mr. Hurd : Statistics of main terrorist incidents which have taken place in Great Britain from 1979 to date are listed. These do not include incidents apparently caused by extremist, nationalist or anarchist groups based in Great Britain, or by extremist animal rights activists. To list all terrorist incidents which have taken place in Great Britain since 1979 would have incurred

disproportionate costs.


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Date and type of incident                                     |Location                                                     |Casualties                                                                                                                 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

17 December 1979                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Explosive device                                              |Turkish Airline Office, London                               |-                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

17 January 1980                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Explosive device                                              |Mount Royal Hotel, London                                    |One dead, one injured<1>                                                                                                   

11 April 1980                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Shooting                                                      |Libyan journalist shot at Regents Park mosque                |One dead                                                                                                                   

25 April 1980                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Shooting                                                      |Libyan lawyer shot in Annismore Garden Mews,                                                                                                                                             

                                                              |Kensington, London                                           |One dead                                                                                                                   

30 April 1980                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Shooting                                                      |Siege at Iranian Embassy                                     |Seven dead (including                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                            |five terrorists)                                                                                                           

17 May 1980                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Explosive device                                              |Queen's Garden Hotel, Bayswater, London                      |One dead<1>, one injured<1>                                                                                                

1 June 1980                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Explosive device                                              |Kuwait Oil Co., New Bond Street, London                      |-                                                                                                                          

12 October 1980                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Explosive device                                              |Turkish Tourist Office, London                               |-                                                                                                                          

12 October 1980                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Explosive device                                              |Swissair Office, Leicester Square, London                    |-                                                                                                                          

15 December 1980                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Explosive device                                              |French Tourist Board, Piccadilly, London                     |-                                                                                                                          

15 December 1980                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Explosive device                                              |French Railways Office, Piccadilly, London                   |-                                                                                                                          

28 December 1980                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Explosive device                                              |Libyan Airline Office, Piccadilly, London                    |-                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

23 June 1981                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Kidnap                                                        |Kidnap of daughter of Saudi General                          |-                                                                                                                          

7 September 1981                                              |Attack on Iranian Consulate                                  |-                                                                                                                          

13 December 1981                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Car bomb                                                      |Connaught Square, London                                     |Two dead, one injured                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

26 February 1982                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Hijack                                                        |Stansted, Essex                                              |-                                                                                                                          

14 March 1982                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Explosive device                                              |London                                                       |-                                                                                                                          

3 June 1982                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Shooting                                                      |Israeli Ambassador Argov shot Park Lane, London W1,                                                                                                                                      

                                                              |plus find of bombs and weapons (N)                           |Two injured (includes                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                            |one terrorist)                                                                                                             

31 July 1982                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Explosive device                                              |Middle East newspaper office, Cough Street, London           |-                                                                                                                          

9 September 1982                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Explosive device                                              |Lancaster Hotel, London. Plot to assassinate Turkish Diplomat                                                                                                                            

                                                              |(find of guns and bomb)                                      |-                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

31 August 1983                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Explosive device                                              |Leumi Bank, Woodstock Street, London W1                      |-                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

3 February 1984                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Shooting                                                      |Murder of Mr. Mhatre, Assistant Commissioner,                                                                                                                                            

                                                              |Indian High Commission, Birmingham                           |One dead                                                                                                                   

10 March 1984                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Explosive device                                              |Five bombs in various locations in London                    |Twenty-three injured                                                                                                       

11 March 1984                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Explosive device                                              |Two bombs in Manchester                                      |Three injured                                                                                                              

12 March 1984                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Explosive device                                              |Omar Kayyam restaurant and nightclub,                                                                                                                                                    

                                                              |Regent's Street, London W1                                   |-                                                                                                                          

17 April 1984                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Shooting                                                      |Shooting in St. James's Square, London                       |One dead, 11 injured                                                                                                       

20 April 1984                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Explosive device                                              |Heathrow Airport Terminal                                    |Twenty-seven injured                                                                                                       

8 June 1984                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Incendiary device                                             |Indian High Commission, Liverpool                            |One injured                                                                                                                

5 July 1984                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Kidnap                                                        |Kidnap of Mr. Dikko, former Nigerian Minister, London        |-                                                                                                                          

17 August 1984                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Shooting                                                      |Murder of Mr. El Giahour, Bickenhall Street, London W1       |One dead                                                                                                                   

12 November 1984                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Incendiary device                                             |Hindu temple, Heathfield Road, Birmingham                    |-                                                                                                                          

30 November 1984                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Incendiary device                                             |Asian mosque, 18a Church Lane, Tooting, London.                                                                                                                                          

                                                              |Attempted arson                                              |-                                                                                                                          

3 June 1985                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Explosive device                                              |Syrian Embassy, Mayfair, London                              |-                                                                                                                          

6 June 1985                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Explosive device                                              |Travel Office, 8 Canans Corner, Stanmore, Middlesex          |-                                                                                                                          

15 June 1985                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Explosive device                                              |Dazzling New Peepshow, 33 Great Windmill Street, Soho, London|-                                                                                                                          

16 July 1985                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Incendiary device                                             |Anti-Apartheid Movement Offices                              |-                                                                                                                          

12 August 1985                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Incendiary device                                             |Warehouse at Eastleigh Airport, Hampshire                    |-                                                                                                                          

11 October 1985                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Assassination attempt                                         |Plot to kill Indian Prime Minister                           |-                                                                                                                          

23 September 1985-                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

7 November 1985                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Explosive device                                              |Suspected conspiracy, Central London                         |-                                                                                                                          

21 November 1985                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Shooting                                                      |Sikh moderate, Luton (Lidder)                                |One injured                                                                                                                

25 November 1985                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Explosive device                                              |Iranian Embassy, Letter bomb                                 |One injured                                                                                                                

29 November 1985                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Shooting                                                      |Exiled Seychelles leader, Horeau                             |One dead                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

16 January 1986                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Shooting                                                      |Sikh moderate, Middlesex (Sandhu)                            |One injured                                                                                                                

23 January 1986                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Shooting                                                      |Sikh moderate, Middlesex (Toor)                              |One dead                                                                                                                   

17 April 1986                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Explosive device                                              |El Al flight, Heathrow Airport                               |-                                                                                                                          

24 April 1986                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Explosive device                                              |British Airways Office, Oxford Street, London                |-                                                                                                                          

19 August 1986                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Explosive device                                              |Kensington Video Company, Kensington High Street, London     |One dead, 13 injured                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Shooting                                                      |Sikh moderate                                                |-                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

18 July 1987                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Explosive device                                              |Car bomb, Kensington High Street, London Mr. Parviz          |One injured                                                                                                                

22 July 1987                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Shooting                                                      |Assassination of Mr. Al-Ali, Chelsea, London                 |One dead                                                                                                                   

2 October 1987                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Shooting                                                      |Mr. Tavokoli Nabai and son Nadir, Wembley, Middlesex         |Two dead                                                                                                                   

11 November 1987                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Shooting                                                      |Shooting in temple, Southall, Middlesex. Singh Das Darshan   |Three dead, two injured                                                                                                    

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

20 January 1988                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Poisoning                                                     |Iraqi poisoned with Hallium                                  |One dead                                                                                                                   

21 December 1988                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Explosive device                                              |PAN AM jumbo jet crashed on town of Lockerbie, Scotland      |270 dead                                                                                                                   

<1>Believed to be "own goals".                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Crime Statistics

Mr. Sumberg : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the figures for reported crime in Bury for 1988.

Mr. John Patten : I understand from the chief constable of the Greater Manchester police force that some 12,500 crimes were recorded in Bury in 1988, 4 per cent. fewer than in 1987. Metropolitan Police

Mr. Ian Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress he has made in securing greater value for money from the Metropolitan police.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friends the Members for Epping Forest (Mr. Norris), for Fulham (Mr. Carrington) and for Dulwich (Mr. Bowden) on 2 February at column 386.

ading Prison Officers Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average cost of training a prison officer.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : The cost of training a prison officer for the initial 11-week training period in 1987-88 was £3,549.

Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the Cubbon formula was not implemented in the Wandsworth prison dispute.

Mr. Hogg : The principles and the spirit of the Cubbon formula were preserved before and during the dispute at Wandsworth prison.

Police Manpower

Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will indicate the current level of police establishment in Cheshire ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Congleton (Mrs. Winterton) on 21 February at column 540.

Crime Prevention

Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about current initiatives to reduce crime.

Mr. John Patten : Police manpower has increased substantially, and we shall add a further 1,100 officers in


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1989-90. Under the safer cities programme, nine areas were agreed last year with seven more to be announced this year ; two project teams are now in post and recruitment is well advanced in the other areas. The second phase of the Government's crime prevention publicity campaign was launched in November, and over two million copies of the new crime prevention handbook--"Practical Ways to Crack Crime"--have been distributed. At the local level, there are now 64, 000 neighbourhood watch schemes in England and Wales and it is estimated that some three and a quarter million households are now covered by neighbourhood watch schemes.

Wakefield Prison

Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to provide integral sanitation in Wakefield prison.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : Wakefield prison will be examined during the next year to determine the best way of providing access to night sanitation, as will the other prisons without such access, to which my right hon. Friend referred in his reply to the hon. Member for Boothferry (Mr. Davis) on 20 February at columns 506-08.

Wandsworth Prison (Police Officers)

Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who paid for the services of the Metropolitan police officers deployed in Wandsworth prison ; and how much it cost.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that although final figures are not yet available the cost of the Metropolitan police services provided at Wandsworth prison is expected to be about £975,000. The cost is being met by the Home Office prison department.

London Underground (Police Officers)

Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who is paying for the Metropolitan police officers deployed on the London Underground ; and how much are they costing.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that at present manpower levels the annual cost of Metropolitan police officers attached to British Transport Police would be about £1.6 million. The cost will be met by London Underground Ltd.


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Press Officers

Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which Government press officers he expects will be notified persons under the provisions of the Official Secrets Bill.

Mr. Douglas Hurd : My hon. Friend the Member for Oxford, West and Abingdon (Mr. Patten) described to the Committee on the Official Secrets Bill on 25 January at columns 1128-29 how we expect the notification power in clause 1(6) of the Bill will be used. It is not the Government's intention to announce or list those who might or might not be notified within my hon. Friend's description.


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