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Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will meet the chief constables of Wales to discuss the manning levels of the police forces of the constabularies in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : My right hon. Friend visited South Wales constabulary on 30 January and plans to visit Dyfed-Powys police later in the year. My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister of State visited North Wales police on 1 February. There were and will be opportunities to discuss police manpower on these and other occasions.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will visit North Wales police headquarters, Colwyn Bay, to discuss with the chief
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constable and the police committee police manning levels and the crime rates peculiar to north Wales ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Douglas Hogg : My right hon. Friend has no plans to visit the North Wales police. My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister of State visited the force on 1 February. Since the Government took office 51 extra police posts have been approved for North Wales. The police authority has applied for a further 10 posts in 1990-91. This will be considered. It is encouraging to see that recorded crime in north Wales fell by 6 per cent. in 1988.
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of arrests at each Football League ground for the current season to date.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The most up-to-date figures available are those given in the reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Northampton, North (Mr. Marlow) on 10 January at column 492, as corrected for division 4 in the reply to a question from the hon. Member on 2 February at column 389.
Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if there are any plans to open any new prisons (a) in the north-west and (b) in the Warrington area.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : One new prison (Lancaster Farms) is currently under construction in the north-west and three (Kirkham, Rochdale, and Fazakerley) are subject to discussion with relevant planning authorities. There are no plans at present to open a new prison in the Warrington area.
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to take a decision on the application made at the post in Bombay by Mr. Ghulam Mohammed Ismail Tinwala, date of birth 19 November 1932, to settle in the United Kingdom ; and when Mr. Tinwala's application was referred to him.
Mr. Renton : Mr. Ghulam Mohammed Ismail Tinwala was interviewed by the entry clearance officer in Bombay on 16 February 1989 and his application was referred to the immigration and nationality department on 20 February. First examination of the application indicates that further information is required from Mr. Tinwala's accountant in the United Kingdom to enable the Department to reach a decision on this case. Once this information is made available the Department will then decide the application without delay. Mr. Tinwala will be notified of the decision direct by the entry clearance officer in Bombay.
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what consultations he proposes to undertake to ensure that any regulations made in terms of rule 14 of schedule 7 to the Criminal Justice Act 1988, go as far as possible to facilitate the success of applications on
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behalf of children who have suffered physical or sexual abuse and whose parents are either unwilling or unable to act on their behalf ; and if he will make a statement ;(2) if he has drafted regulations using his power under rule 14 of schedule 7 to the Criminal Justice Act 1988, to prescribe circumstances and method by which one person may act for another in relation to a claim for compensation to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board and to prescribe the powers of the board to manage the payment and investments of awards to persons below the age of 18 years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : The rules provided for in paragraph 14 of schedule 7 to the Act have not yet been drafted. We shall consult the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board and its council and tribunals about the terms of the rules.
Under the present scheme the board will consider applications on behalf of a minor made by a parent or any other person exercising parental rights, including a local authority or by the Official Solicitor or, in Scotland, a judicial factor appointed by a court. We do not propose to adopt narrower arrangements under the rules and are willing to consider any suggestions about the scope of the rules on this point.
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report the number of children who have received compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board for physical or psychological injuries suffered in cases of physical or sexual abuse in each of the past seven years ; what was the range of sums awarded in compensation ; and what was the average amount awarded to children following such cases.
Mr. John Patten : The board does not at present collate separately details of claims or awards relating to children, but plans to record from 1 April the number of applications which are based on alleged physical or sexual abuse of children.
Mr. Curry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, having regard to the proposed exemption of BSB from the Council of Europe convention and to the decision taken at the meeting of EEC Ministers on 13 March, permitting member states to exempt national broadcasting channels with no overspill into other territories from the directive's provisions on the insertion and amount of advertising, he will establish a uniform set of controls for all United Kingdom broadcasters.
Mr. Renton : The Council of Europe convention on transfrontier television does not apply to British Satellite Broadcasting, since BSB is not involved in broadcasting across frontiers. Nonetheless, BSB will have to comply with the IBA's rules on advertising. As to the control of broadcast advertising in the longer term, this is a matter which we shall be considering in the light of responses to the White Paper on broadcasting.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many representations have been received by his Department from television companies, in response to the White Paper on the future of broadcasting ;
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(2) how many representations have been received from television companies concerning the future of regional television with regard to the White Paper on broadcasting.Mr. Renton : We have so far received nearly 3,000 responses, and a few late ones are still coming in. We have it in mind in due course to place in the Library a list of the main organisations which have responded. The proposals in the White Paper that regional Channel 3 franchises should be required to show regional programming including programmes produced in the region, and that the Independent Television Commission should be responsible for deciding on the geographical division of Channel 3, have been generally welcomed.
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the recommendation contained in the recent report from the Home Affairs Select Committee on the forensic science service that his Department should work with the Departments of Health and Education and Science to secure the long-term future of the forensic pathology profession.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We shall be dealing with this recommendation, together with the others made by the Select Committee on Home Affairs in their report on the forensic science service, in the response which we shall be making to the recommendations of the report.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and in which police authorities (a) innocent bystanders, (b) offenders and (c) police officers have been killed as a result of vehicle chases involving the police in the last year, and in each year since 1979.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The available information for 1987 is contained in the report of Her Majesty's chief inspector of constabulary for that year, a copy of which is in the Library. The information requested for earlier years is not recorded centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times he has reversed the decisions of the immigration officers under the terms of the new immigration guidelines concerning representations by hon. Members.
Mr. Renton : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to questions from the hon. Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) on 15 March at columns 230-31.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish the new immigration rules.
Mr. Renton : We hope to do so in the next few months.
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Mr. Sumberg : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to extend the safer cities scheme beyond the 14 cities now designated ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Patten : Twenty safer cities projects will be established by April 1991. Twelve areas have agreed to take part in the programme, two are currently considering invitations, two more will be approached shortly and four others will be invited in 1990-91.
Mr. Ian Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to maintain controls to prevent the importation of illegal drugs and arms into the United Kingdom in the light of proposals from the European Community Commission.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : My right hon. Friend gave an account of his thinking on these and other points in the explanatory memorandum, dated 6 February, on the Commission's communication to the Council (10412/88 (COM)(88) 640) on the abolition of controls of persons at intra-Community borders. Copies of the memorandum are available from the Vote Office.
Dr. Goodson-Wickes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the latest crime figures for the Metropolitan police district.
Mr. Patten : The information requested is published in table 7 of Home Office statistical bulletin 7/89, a copy of which is in the Library. More detailed figures for each borough in the Metropolitan police district are also available in the Library.
Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to transfer detainees from Latchmere house to Haslar in Gosport ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Bradford, West (Mr. Madden) on 13 March at column 9.
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Association of Chief Police Officers about the formation of community volunteers schemes.
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will estimate the annual cost of running the proposed community volunteer schemes.
Mr. John Patten : In the field of crime prevention the Government have not formulated any proposals for community volunteer schemes. Members of the public are already contributing directly to crime prevention schemes by joining neighbourhood watch or crime prevention panels. We encourage those wishing to give more active support to the police to join the special constabulary.
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Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convicted criminals will be prevented from travelling abroad as a result of part II of the Football Spectators Bill ; and how he calculates the figure.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Part II of the Bill enables a court to make a restriction order requiring someone convicted of a football-related offence to report to an agency here on the occasion of designated matches played outside England and Wales. No order may be made unless the court is satisfied that it would help to prevent violence or disorder at or in connection with such matches. The number of people affected will depend on how the courts exercise their powers.
Mr. George Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the reported (a) violent crimes and (b) other crimes in Knowsley borough for each year since 1979 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : The information requested is published annually in the report of the chief constable of the Merseyside police.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present prison remand population for England and Wales ; how many of those remand prisoners belong to an ethnic minority group ; and what percentage of those remand prisoners who belong to an ethnic minority are charged with an offence that involves violence, robbery or sex.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The latest readily available information is given in the table. Information on offences is not recorded centrally until the completion of court proceedings.
|c|Untried and convicted unsentenced population<1> of prison service|c| |c|establishments in England and Wales on 30 June 1988: by type of|c| |c|prisoner and ethnic origin|c| |Untried |Convicted unsentenced ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- White |6,970 |1,440 West Indian, Guyanese, African |1,020 |130 Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi |240 |35 Chinese, Arab, Mixed origin |220 |30 Other, not recorded (including refusals) |630 |100 |------- |------- Total |9,080 |1,730 <1>Provisional figures.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many complaints as defined under section 84/4 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 were recorded under section 9 in the discipline code in 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988 ; how many of those complaints were formally investigated ; and how many of those investigated were substantiated ;
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(2) how many internal investigations were carried out by the United Kingdom police forces in 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988 which related to section 9 of the discipline code ; and how many of those were found to be substantiated.Mr. Douglas Hogg : The available information is as follows :
|1985|1986|1987|1988 ----------------------------------------------- Number of complaints Recorded<1> |83 |197 |180 |220 Formally investigated |57 |142 |131 |127 Substantiated |0 |4 |4 |5 <1>Does not include complaints which were recorded but subsequently withdrawn.
Information relating to internal investigations which were not based on a complaint under the terms of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and to the subsequent disciplinary proceedings is not held centrally, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of suicide or self-injury with apparent suicide intent, or other self-injury, occurred among those detained in police cells in 1987 and 1988.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : During 1988, the number of deaths in police cells resulting from self-inflicted injuries was three. The comparable number for 1987 was four. No central record is kept of incidents of self-inflicted injuries which do not result in death.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to satisfy himself that circular instruction 3/1987 on suicide prevention is being properly implemented in prison department establishments.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Compliance by establishments with the procedures set out in CI 3/1987 is monitored by the prison service's regional directors. Establishments which are unable to implement the procedures in section C of the circular instruction because of pressure of numbers at reception have been authorised to make alternative arrangements ; otherwise I am satisfied that the circular instruction is being complied with.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisons have made arrangements for Samaritans to have access to suicidal prisoners.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Although we have not monitored the progress of this initiative centrally, we are aware that a substantial number of establishments have made arrangements with the Samaritans.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress there has been in implementing the recommendation of the Chief Inspector of Prisons in his report on Her Majesty's remand centre, Risley ; and what steps have been taken to implement circular instruction 3/1987 on suicide prevention at that establishment.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : A statement by the Home Secretary setting out the action which was being taken, including the
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full implementation of CI 3/1987, was published on 30 June last year, and a copy has been placed in the Library. The deputy director general of the prison service is responsible for following up the inspection report and will be visiting Risley for this purpose.Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those establishments which have contracted-out catering services for inmates and the provision of inmates' canteens to private operators showing in each case who is the private contractor.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The information requested is as follows : Inmates Catering
Ashford Remand Centre--Sutcliffe Catering South-East
Downview Prison (to open shortly)--Tappe Catering Services Ltd. Inmates Canteen
Ashford Remand Centre--NAAFI
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to announce proposals to establish a Government DNA scheme to assist those seeking to settle in the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Renton : We are considering in what form a centrally organised DNA scheme might be introduced into the entry clearance process. I hope to be in a position to announce our conclusions on this before long.
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether riot equipment was used by either prison staff or police during recent disturbances at Whatton young offenders institution ;
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(2) if he will give details of the type of accommodation currently in use for all prisoners based at the Whatton young offenders institution ;(3) if he will give details of the age categories of all prisoners detained currently at the Whatton young offenders institution ; (4) who carries out night security patrols at Whatton young offenders institution ;
(5) if he will give details of recent prison disturbances at the Whatton young offenders institution.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Offenders committed to Whatton young offenders institution fall into two age categories : those aged 14 to 16 and those aged 17 to 20. These age groups are held in separate units, both comprising a mixture of dormitory and cubicular accommodation. In addition, there is a further unit containing a small number of cells. At night, the institution is staffed by a mixture of prison officers and night patrol officers.
On the night of 28 February/1 March, a short series of incidents occurred at the institution involving a small number of inmates in the younger age group. In one of the incidents, inmates in a dormitory damaged windows, fixtures and fittings. It was necessary for prison staff, using protective equipment, to remove the inmates from the dormitory. Two prison officers suffered bruising and nine inmates minor scratches and abrasions, two requiring stitches for cuts believed to have been caused by flying glass. No police officers were involved.
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will supply details of sentences and crimes committed by all prisoners detained at the Whatton young offenders institution.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The latest readily available information is given in the table.
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|c|Population of Whatton young offender institutions on 31 December 1988: by offence and sentence length|c| Number of inmates Offence group |Up to 4 months |Over 4 and up to 6 months|Over 6 and up to 12 |Total |months ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Whatton short sentence young offenders institution Violence against the person |16 |1 |- |17 Rape |- |- |- |- Other sexual offences |- |- |- |- Burglary |8 |1 |- |9 Robbery |- |- |- |- Theft, handling, fraud and forgery |19 |- |- |19 Drugs offences |- |- |- |- Other offences |23 |2 |- |25 Offence not recorded |8 |- |- |8 All offences |74 |4 |- |78 Whatton juvenile young offenders institution Violence against the person |2 |4 |8 |14 Rape |- |- |- |- Other sexual offences |- |- |- |- Burglary |12 |6 |28 |46 Robbery |2 |1 |2 |5 Theft, handling, fraud and forgery |2 |1 |2 |5 Drugs offences |- |- |- |- Other offences |6 |3 |7 |16 Offence not recorded |- |- |- |- All offences |24 |15 |47 |86
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what compensation will be paid to the holders of firearms which chief officers of police will not allow the holders to retain under the terms of the Firearms Amendment Act 1988 on part one firearms certificates.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : There are no grounds for offering compensation in such cases. A firearm which a chief officer of police will not authorise an individual to hold on a firearm certificate may be sold to a registered firearms dealer or to the holder of a firearm certificate who is authorised to possess or acquire it.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what compensation will be paid to the holders of shotguns which cannot be converted to retain the classification of shotgun under the terms of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : There are no grounds for offering compensation in such cases. A large magazine smooth-bore gun which cannot be adapted to retain the classification of a shotgun under section 2 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 may be held by its owner on a firearm certificate provided the criteria laid down in the Firearms Act 1968 are met. Alternatively, such a gun may be sold to a registered firearms dealer or to the holder of a firearm certificate authorised to possess or acquire it.
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he has issued any circular relating to the trend in the role of women police officers in relation to crime involving women and children, as recommended by the Women's National Commission ;
(2) what circulars he has issued following the Women's National Commission's 1985 recommendation that he issue a further circular, following up H.O. 25/83, on the continued problem of the under-reporting of crimes of rape and sexual assault, and the special needs of victims in relation to rape trauma syndrome.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The deployment of women police officers is an operational matter for chief officers of police in the light of the overall needs of their force and the requirements of equal opportunities legislation. Home Office circular 69/1986, which contains the responses agreed with chief officers to the report of the Women's National Commission on violence against women, recognises the valuable role which women police officers may play, subject to the operational requirements of individual forces.
The responses to the report also specify measures to ensure that sexual assaults are accurately and fully recorded and confirm the importance of making police officers who are involved in the investigation of serious sexual offences aware of the special needs of victims.
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what improvements in data collection on domestic violence have been made following the Women's National Commission's 1985 recommendation.
Mr. John Patten : In 1986, we reminded chief officers of police that the criteria for recording offences of violence in
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a domestic setting were the same as in other contexts. Some forces have made arrangements for relevant information, particularly on civil injunctions, to be collected and made readily available to officers attending incidents. The 1983 and 1987 British crime surveys included questions on domestic violence. A Home Office research and planning unit review of research into domestic violence is to be published shortly.Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent action has been taken following the Women's National Commission's 1985 recommendation that a circular be issued by his Department to give guidance and encouragement to chief constables to review training and procedures on domestic violence.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The recommendations concerning police training and procedures in dealing with domestic violence which were made by the Women's National Commission in its 1985 report "Violence Against Women" were incorporated in Home Office circular 69/1986. We are currently considering whether further guidance is necessary.
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the amounts of monies given by the Horse Race Levy Board to each individual horse racecourse in the United Kingdom since 1983.
Mr. John Patten : The powers of the Horserace Betting Levy Board extend only to Great Britain. I understand from the board that the annual financial records of the board do not identify all the information required. Some of the grants it makes are distributed through other racing bodies.
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all horse racing courses in the United Kingdom by region showing the number of races held at each course and the levels of prize monies at each course since 1983.
Mr. John Patten : This information is not held by the Home Office or by the Horserace Betting Levy Board.
Mr. John Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests were made during recent disturbances at St. Neots in Cambridgeshire and in Oxford ; and if he will provide a breakdown of the different offences committed detailing the number of arrests made for each.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I understand from the chief constable of Cambridgeshire that, during disorder on the night of 4/5 March in St. Neots, eight people were arrested and were charged with violent disorder under section 2 of the Public Order Act 1986. Fourteen further arrests have subsequently been made for more minor offences. I understand from the chief constable of Thames Valley police that during disorder on the same night in Oxford one person was arrested for threatening behaviour under section 4 of the Public Order Act.
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