House of Commons Hansard Debates for 11 May 1989

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Mr. Douglas Hogg : The relevant current car mileage allowances are as follows :

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Members of Boards of Visitors                   

Vehicle Categories                              

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

up to 999cc |1000-1199cc|over 1199cc            

18.6p       |20.2p      |22.4p


Members of Boards of Visitors                   

Vehicle Categories                              

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

up to 999cc |1000-1199cc|over 1199cc            

18.6p       |20.2p      |22.4p


Members of Boards of Visitors                   

Vehicle Categories                              

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

up to 999cc |1000-1199cc|over 1199cc            

18.6p       |20.2p      |22.4p


Members of Boards of Visitors                   

Vehicle Categories                              

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

up to 999cc |1000-1199cc|over 1199cc            

18.6p       |20.2p      |22.4p

Pensioners (TV Licences)

Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much it would cost, under the new rates, to provide a colour television licence free of charge to all pensioner households.

Mr. Renton : The cost under the new rates of providing a colour television licence free of charge to all pensioner households would be about £400 million a year in terms of licence revenue forgone.

War Crimes

Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he now expects to receive the report concerning the alleged war crimes committed by those who have since become British citizens ; and if he intends to make a statement in the House when he has considered the report.

Mr. Hurd : I now understand that the inquiry expects to submit its report to me in June. I shall consider the question of a statement to the House when I have had an opportunity to study the report.

Football Stadiums

Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those Football League grounds in England and Wales that were given a ground safety certificate only after the erection of perimeter fencing around standing enclosures or terracing.

Mr John Patten : This information is not held centrally. Local authorities are under a duty to issue safety

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certificates in respect of grounds designated by the Secretary of State under the Safety of Sports Act 1975. The terms and conditions of a safety certificate are what the local authority, after consultation with the police and either the fire authority or building authority, consider necessary or expedient to secure reasonable safety at the particular ground. These may include a requirement as to pitch perimeter fencing.

Electoral Law

Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what actions his Department undertakes to ensure that returning officers and their staff are aware of the full provision of electoral law.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Home Office issues periodic guidance on electoral law to returning officers and acting returning officers in England and Wales. A comprehensive memorandum of guidance for acting returning officers is also sent to each ARO when a parliamentary general election or by-election is imminent, and attention is drawn to any recent changes.

Boundary Commission

Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the reviews in the current work load of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Parliamentary Boundary Commission is at present reviewing the constituencies of Buckingham and Milton Keynes.

Game

Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what animal species in the United Kingdom are classed as game.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : Under the Night Poaching Act 1828, hares, pheasants, partridges, grouse (including

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capercaillie and ptarmigan in Scotland), heath or moor game (i.e. red grouse), black game (i.e. black grouse) and bustards are counted as game. The Poaching Prevention Act 1862 includes, in addition, rabbits, snipe and woodcock and the eggs of pheasants, partridges, black and moor game. Other legislation affords close season protection to deer, other birds including ducks and geese, and certain fishes.

Prisoners (Suicides)

Mr. Michael Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he proposes any changes to prison service procedures for the prevention of inmate suicides.

Mr. Hurd : We have today issued a new circular instruction (CI 20/1989) to prison governors, which restates and reinforces my Department's suicide prevention strategy. The new instruction re-emphasises the importance we attach to staff support for suicidal inmates, and the main procedural change it makes is to reduce unnecessary documentation when inmates are first received in custody, so that the time saved can be used for fuller assessment of suicide risk at this crucial stage. The establishment of a suicide prevention management group at all establishments will also be mandatory. A copy of the new circular instruction is being placed in the Library.

Crime

19. Mr. Hayes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking against crime in Essex ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. John Patten : Our strategy for crime reduction applies to all parts of England and Wales. Police manpower in Essex is being increased this year, and we are supporting it and the other south-east forces in the "Secured by Design" project, which will be launched next month. The project will encourage the construction industry to incorporate security measures as standard in new homes. Recorded crime in Essex fell by 4 per cent. in 1988.

20. Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking against crime in Northamptonshire ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. John Patten : We have a crime reduction strategy which applies to all parts of England and Wales. Recorded crime fell by 5 per cent. in 1988 in Northamptonshire, and the police strength will be further augmented this year, bringing the total authorised establishment to 1,121.

73. Mr. Carrington : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking against crime in London ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. John Patten : Our strategy for crime reduction applies to all parts of England and Wales. Police manpower and resources have been substantially increased, Crime Concern was launched with Government support in May 1988 to stimulate, support and develop local crime prevention activity and the largest ever national crime prevention publicity campaign was launched last year.

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Total crime in the Metropolitan police district and City of London fell by 2.5 per cent. in 1988. My right hon. Friend approved a further 300 police posts for the Metropolitan police from 1 April bringing the authorised establishement up to 28,415. The City of London's establishment remains at 798. The Government encourage the growth and development of neighbourhood watch schemes and crime prevention panels. There are now 9,493 watch schemes covering approximately 952,500 households throughout London, together with 30 panels and six junior panels. Three very active crime prevention associations operate in the City. Both forces are involved in the Home Office-supported "Secured by Design" project which aims to encourage house builders, planners and developers to incorporate security measures as standard in new homes ; the scheme will be launched on 7 June. Lewisham and Tower Hamlets are two of the areas in our safer cities programme.

74. Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the action he has taken to combat the increase in rural crime ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. John Patten : Many of our policies on crime prevention are applicable to rural areas. We have increased police manpower to an unprecedented extent in the provinces since 1979. We have reminded the police and courts of the powers available to deal with outbreaks of disorder and issued guidance to the courts about arranging speedy court hearings after sudden outbreaks of disorder. We have encouraged the creation of local farm watch and rural watch schemes to increase community co-operation in preventing crime.

63. Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to tackle violent crime in urban areas.

Mr. John Patten : We have strengthened the police and made it an offence to carry a knife in a public place without good reason. We have raised the maximum penalty for some of the most serious offences of violence to life imprisonment, and we have introduced a new right of appeal for the prosecution against an over-lenient sentence. We have established the safer cities programme to help reduce crime and fear of crime in inner- city areas ; 12 projects are under way.

64. Mr. Latham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on the current trend of crime figures in Leicestershire.

Mr. John Patten : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Leicestershire, North-West (Mr. Ashby) on 13 April at column 713.

60. Dr. Goodson-Wickes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to discuss ways of combating the increased incidence of violent crime within the context of a general decline in crime.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : The problem of violent crime is a matter which is frequently discussed at my right hon. Friend's regular meetings with the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. My right hon. Friend looked at the subject in considerable detail when he met the Commissioner at the beginning of this year to discuss the 1989 strategy statement for the Metropolitan police.

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49. Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking against crime in Cambridgeshire ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. John Patten : Our strategy for crime reduction applies to all parts of England and Wales. Police manpower and resources have been substantially increased, "Crime Concern" was launched with Government support in May 1988 to stimulate, support and develop local crime prevention activity and the largest ever national crime prevention publicity campaign was launched last year.

Total recorded crime in Cambridgeshire fell by 1 per cent. in 1988. My right hon. Friend approved a further 18 police posts for the force from 1 April bringing the authorised establishment up to 1,198. The Home Office encourages the growth and development of neighbourhood watch schemes and crime prevention panels. There are now 275 watch schemes covering approximately 8,250 households throughout Cambridgeshire together with four panels and three junior panels.

44. Mr. Boateng : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to increase resources available to local authorities for crime prevention activities.

Mr. John Patten : The Home Office's safer cities programme is making new resources available to local authorities as well as to other statutory bodies, voluntary groups and business and commerce. Operating through a network of local crime prevention projects, the programme has Home Office funds for staff, running costs and grant aid. This year's total budget is £4.2 million and includes grant support for each area of some £.25 million a year, for which local authorities as well as other bodies may apply. The hon. Member will know that resources for crime prevention are also available through several Department of the Environment programmes.

45. Mr. Charles Wardle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking against crime ; and if he will make a statement.

51. Mr. Patrick Thompson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what new steps his Department is taking to combat crime ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. John Patten : We are continuing to strengthen the police, to ensure that the courts have adequate maximum penalties at their disposal, to increase the number of available prison places, and to encourage interest in crime prevention through our handbook "Practical Ways to Crack Crime", through encouragement of neighbourhood watch schemes and through such initiatives as the safer cities programme.

40. Mr. Mans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the work of the ministerial group on crime prevention.

66. Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the work of the ministerial group on crime prevention.

Mr. John Patten : The ministerial group meets under my chairmanship about every two months in order to

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supervise the Government's general crime prevention strategy. The Departments represented on the group are : Education and Science, Employment, Energy, Environment, Health, Social Security, Trade and Industry, Transport, Treasury, together with the Home Office, Northern Ireland Office and the Scottish and Welsh Offices. This year our main effort will be directed to examining the costs of crime and what we know about the cost effectiveness of crime prevention measures.

36. Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the latest crime figures for Basildon and the preceding four years.

Mr. John Patten : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 14 April at column 414.

29. Mr. David Martin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking against crime in Hampshire ; and if he will make a statement.

Total recorded crime fell in Humberside by 6 per cent. in 1988. My right hon. Friend approved a further 20 police posts for the force from 1 April bringing the authorised establishment up to 3,148. The Government encourage the growth and development of neighbourhood watch schemes and crime prevention panels. There are 580 watch schemes covering approximately 25,000 households throughout Hampshire together with three panels. The Hampshire constabulary is one of 10 south-east forces involved, with the Home Office support, in an ambitious scheme "Secured by Design" which aims to encourage house builders, planners and developers to incorporate security measures as standard in new homes ; the scheme will be launched on 7 June. Rushmoor borough council is one of seven local authorities taking part in a trial byelaw scheme designed to prevent the consumption of alcohol in certain designated public places. The scheme will be closely monitored by local authorities and the Home Office.

30. Mr. Patnick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to meet local authority representatives to discuss crime prevention.

Mr. John Patten : There is regular consultation between Home Office officials and local authority representatives on a wide range of issues including crime prevention. This will continue.

24. Mr. Burt : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to help prevent crime in Greater Manchester.

Mr. John Patten : Crime reduction forms part of a strategy which applies to all of England and Wales. There was an 8 per cent. reduction in recorded crime in Greater Manchester during 1988, and further police manpower increases have been agreed. Bolton was one of those participating in the Home Office "Five Towns" initiative

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designed to show that crime and the fear of crime could be reduced through the co-ordinated action of a variety of local agencies and members of the community. The Bolton project continues with the support of the Metropolitan borough council and a three-year urban programme grant from the Department of the Environment. Rochdale and Salford are to participate in the safer cities programme.

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