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HOME DEPARTMENT
Married Prisoners (Visits)
Mr. John Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he will review the current arrangements for visits between married prisoners where both spouses are in custody serving prison sentences ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The current arrangements for visits between imprisoned spouses and other close relatives are set out in "Prison Standing Order 5A 20", which is available in the Library. I see no need for a review.
Postal Voting
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will examine the procedures and forms associated with postal voting in order to make them less complex.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Mr. Bowis) on 2 March 1989, at column 274.
Driving Offences (Ministerial Immunity)
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will describe the system which grants Ministers immunity from prosecution for driving offences while on official business.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : In general, road traffic law applies to vehicles and persons in the public service of the Crown as it applies to other motorists. Ministers have no immunity from prosecution for driving offences.
Football (Arrests)
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many of those arrested for football-related incidents during the 1987-88 and 1988-89 seasons were season ticket holders ; (2) how many of those arrested for football-related incidents during the 1987-88 and 1988- 89 seasons were of pensioner age ; (3) how many of those arrested for football-related incidents during the 1987-88 and 1988-89 seasons were women.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : This information is not recorded centrally.
Tamil Asylum Seekers
Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Tamil asylum seekers have been returned to Sri Lanka after being refused asylum in the United Kingdom since February 1988 ; and what efforts he has made to monitor the situation of those returned from the United Kingdom.
Mr. Renton : No distinction is made in statistical records between Tamils and other Sri Lankans. Removals and deportations of failed asylum seekers are not normally recorded separately. However, it is known that 47 Sri Lankans who sought asylum at ports have been removed to Sri Lanka since 1 February 1988. Additionally, in the
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same period 28 Sri Lankans have been removed as illegal entrants and seven have been deported. Most of these applied for asylum and were refused after consideration of their application. Information on passengers refused entry and removed, as illegal entrants or as deportees, is published annually in "Control of Immigration : Statistics, United Kingdom". The 1988 volume will be published in the summer.On monitoring, I refer the hon. Member to a reply I gave to the hon. Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) on 15 March, at column 232.
Trevi Group
Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if a co-ordinator representing the interests of the United Kingdom has been appointed for the Trevi group.
Mr. Renton : A senior officer of the Home Office is co-ordinating issues concerning the free movement of persons, pursuant to the decision of the Rhodes council last December, and is attending regular meetings with his Community counterparts.
Police (Allowances)
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether police officers who presently receive a rent and rates allowance are to be given a poll tax allowance following the abolition of rates.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : No. The recent arbitration award on police rent allowance stated specifically that payments of the community charge levied on police officers should not be reimbursed by police authorities.
Parole Board
Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to improve the operation of the parole board ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The parole board is an independent advisory body responsible for its own organisation. We are, however, aware that, to cope with the increased caseload, the board has increased its sittings and the number of cases considered at each one. My right hon. Friend will also be appointing extra members to the board. In addition, we are taking steps to improve the service provided to the board by the parole unit.
Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average time taken by the parole board to decide upon the recommendaton of the local panel.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : For parole applications referred to the parole board, the average time between receiving the local review committee recommendation and notifying the inmate of the result is about five months.
Electronic Tagging
Mr. Cran : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether electronic surveillance devices are used by his Department or by any organisation or agency acting on its behalf ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Hurd : My hon. Friend may wish to refer to the Home Office's guidelines on the use of surveillance in police operations issued on 19 December 1984, a copy of which was placed in the Library.
Hillsborough Disaster
Mr. Allen McKay : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy that the additional cost of the Hillsborough disaster inquiry to any individual police force be borne by central funds.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) on 12 May, at column 569.
Hull Prison
Mr. Michael Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to implement that part of Judge Stephen Tumin's report which stated that B wing of Hull prison was no place for 15 and 16-year-old boys, or for any unconvicted prisoner under 21 years of age.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : There is no feasible alternative at present to the continued use of B Wing of Hull prison to accommodate unsentenced prisoners under 21 years of age. The plan is for a new remand centre to be built at Everthorpe in 1991-92 which will relieve the situation. Meanwhile strenuous efforts are being made to improve the regime and conditions in Hull's B wing.
Mr. Michael Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if any young people from Doncaster area are currently held in Hull prison while waiting for their cases to be dealt with by the courts.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : On 12 May there were in Hull prison 14 unsentenced prisoners aged between 17 and 20 whose home addresses were recorded as in Doncaster.
Hunt Saboteurs
Sir John Farr : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home department (1) if he will call for a report from the Chief Constable of Buckinghamshire as to why hunt saboteurs were permitted to disrupt the activities of the Northamptonshire mink hounds at Snelson, near Olney, Buckinghamshire, on 6 May ; and what action has been taken in relation to the alleged recording of the car numbers of supporters by some hunt saboteurs present for intimidatory purposes ;
(2) if he will call for a report from the Chief Constable of Buckinghamshire on the policing arrangements at the meet of the Northamptonshire mink hounds at Snelson, near Olney, Buckinghamshire, on 6 May ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I understand from the chief constable of the Thames Valley police that, following attempts to disrupt the start of the hunt, 15 demonstrators and one huntsman were arrested in order to prevent a breach of the peace. All were subsequently released without charge. The event itself took place without serious disruption. A number of huntsmen and demonstrators recorded each other's vehicle registration numbers before dispersing without further incident. In the circumstances, further police action was not considered appropriate.
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Vagrancy
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Coventry, South-East of 11 May, what statistics his Department collects on arrests of young people for vagrancy ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Information about the total number of arrests by each police force is collected centrally but it is not broken down into specific offence categories. Information on the number of persons dealt with by the courts in respect of offences under sections 3 and 4 of the Vagrancy Act 1824 is published annually in "Criminal Statistics". The available information for 1987 appears in tables 1.1c and 1.1d of the supplementary tables volume 1.
Voluntary Sector (Funding)
Mr. Boswell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for a review of Government funding of the voluntary sector.
Mr. Hurd : Government funding of the voluntary sector has risen steadily over the last decade and now amounts to some £2 billion. It serves a wide variety of valuable purposes in areas ranging from health care to employment and training and to the environment. The Government acknowledge the voluntary sector's important position as a third force alongside the public and private sectors of the economy and the valuable contribution which it makes.
The Government have concluded that it would be timely to examine their funding of the voluntary sector with a view to ensuring that the purposes for which grants are made are properly defined and have a beneficial purpose ; and that funds are being effectively and efficiently deployed in a way which is of practical help and achieves the benefits intended.
The Government have decided, therefore, to set in hand an efficiency scrutiny of Government funding of the voluntary sector. Its terms of reference will be to examine :
(i) the full range of programmes for Government funding of the voluntary sector ;
(ii) the purposes for which financial provision is made under these programmes ;
(iii) the different types of funding employed ;
(iv) arrangements for the identification and selection of suitable voluntary organisations for particular tasks, for the setting of objectives and the monitoring and review of performance and results ;
(v) arrangements for the administration of the programmes ; and to make recommendations for achieving cost effective improvements where necessary.
The matters to which the scrutiny will have regard include : (
(i) the need for improvements in the procedures for agreeing payment of grants and in the conditions under which grants are awarded, to ensure that Government funds are applied properly and without waste ;
(ii) the need for standard conditions in respect of political activities, campaigning, equal opportunities and so on ;
(iii) whether there is scope for standard criteria to be followed in agreeing grant applications and setting priorities ;
(iv) ways of improving the setting of objectives both for particular projects and for continuing funding ;
(v) the scope for improving the arrangements for evaluation and monitoring of the work carried out with Government funds by (a) periodic review and (b) regular monitoring ;
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(vi) the levels at which financial authority is exercised under various programmes ;(vii) methods of devising measures of performance both for continuing and short-term grants ;
(viii) the information about the purposes of a particular programme made available (prior to application) to those seeking funding ; (
(ix) the benefits or otherwise of standard grant application procedures, taking account of the different circumstances where there is open application and where a single organisation is supported. Such a wide- ranging scrutiny is unprecedented. It has therefore been agreed that it will be carried out by a team of officials from a number of Government Departments led by Mrs. Juliet Reisz (Home Office) under the ministerial supervision of a group of Ministers chaired by my hon. Friend the Member for Oxford, West and Abingdon (Mr. Patten). I expect to receive the scrutiny report in September.
Domestic Violence
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in each of the last 10 years, what funding his Department has provided for refuges for victims of domestic violence.
Mr. John Patten [holding answer 12 May 1989] : None, but I understand that some public funds have been provided from other sources. We understand that some funds are available from local authorities and through the Department of Environment's urban aid programme. The Department of Health provides £100,000 per year to the Women's Aid Federation, which provides information and advice to local refuges.
DEFENCE
Jet Aircraft (Anniversary)
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any plans to commemorate the 50th anniversary on 12 July 1994 of the introduction of jet aircraft into RAF service.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I am sure that the Royal Air Force will play an appropriate part in commemorating this important event. Detailed planning will be set in hand nearer the time.
Nuclear Tests (Radiation)
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any information as to whether there were any significant differences regarding exposure to radiation as between the British and United States nuclear tests.
Mr. Sainsbury : An assessment on the basis of the evidence available to us shows that there were considerable differences in the situations pertaining to British and United States nuclear tests.
Royal Navy
Mr. Allen McKay : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ships of the present surface fleet are having their lives extended.
Mr. Sainsbury : A number of surface ships are currently undergoing routine maintenance and refit, but none is
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having work done on it designed to extend its service life. Consideration is being given to the feasibility of extending the lives of the assault ships HMS Fearless and HMS Intrepid in parallel with other options for replacing the capability they represent.NORTHERN IRELAND
Fair Employment Agency
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints of unlawful discrimination were investigated by the Fair Employment Agency ; how many such complaints were found proved ; and how many employers were ordered to pay compensation as a result of those findings, for each year since 1981.
Mr. Viggers : The information requested is given in the following table :
|Complaints investigated|Findings of unlawful |Number of payments<1>
|discrimination
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1981 |42 |5 |-
1982 |41 |2 |7
1983 |28 |5 |4
1984 |34 |10 |3
1985 |46 |7 |2
1986 |60 |11 |5
1987 |56 |4 |8
1988 |41 |6 |6
<2>1989 |7 |1 |1
|-- |-- |--
Total |355 |51 |36
<1> Based on the date of payment, which does not necessarily fall in the year in which the finding is made.
<2> To 30 April.
Harland and Wolff
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement setting out the progress made in securing the sale of Messrs Harland and Wolff since his statement to the House on 22 March, Official Report, columns 1089-1100 ; and if, in particular, he will outline the financial contributions and loans being made available to the new owners by Her Majesty's Government.
Mr. Viggers [holding answer 2 May 1989] : Following the signing of the heads of agreement on 22 March, preparation for the formal completion of the sale is under way. Discussions between officials and the MEBO/Olsen team are continuing, and officials are also involved in discussions with the European Commission in seeking its approval to the terms of the sale.
As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made clear to the House on 22 March, under the heads of agreement the privatised company will receive repayable loan stock and grant towards rationalisation of £98.75 million and intervention aid on new merchant orders.
Police Discipline
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) in how many cases to date of complaints made under the Police (N.I.) Order 1987 the Independent
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Commission for Police Complaints for Northern Ireland has directed that disciplinary tribunals be set up under article 14 of the order ;(2) in how many cases to date of complaints made under the Police (N.I.) Order 1987 the Independent Commission for Police Complaints for Northern Ireland directed the Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary to prefer disciplinary charges against members of the police service ;
(3) in how many cases of complaints brought to date under the Police (N.I.) Order 1987 the Independent Commission for Police Complaints for Northern Ireland directed the Chief Constable to send reports to the Director of Public Prosecutions as empowered under articles of the order ;
(4) in how many cases to date of complaints made under the Police (N.I.) Order 1987 the Independent Commission for Police Complaints for Northern Ireland has expressed dissatisfaction with the way in which the investigation was conducted ;
(5) how many cases to date have in the public interest been referred to the Independent Commission for Police Complaints for Northern Ireland by (a) the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and (b) the Northern Ireland police authority, under section 8 of the Police (N.I.) Order 1987 ;
(6) how many cases to date, which have not been the subject of formal complaint, have been referred to the Independent Commission for Police Complaints for Northern Ireland under section 8 of the Police (N.I.) Order 1987 ;
(7) in how many instances to date the Independent Commission for Police Complaints for Northern Ireland has been asked by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for reports relating to its functions, other than the report supplied at the end of each calendar year.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 5 May 1989] : The answer to each of these questions is none.
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in how many cases to date of complaints made under the Police (N.I.) Order 1987 the Independent Commission for Police Complaints for Northern Ireland recommended to the Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary that disciplinary charges should be preferred against members of the police service.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 5 May 1989] : Twenty.
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in how many cases of complaints made to date under the Police (N.I.) Order 1987 against junior officers the Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary has determined that a criminal offence was committed ; and in how many of these the Chief Constable determined that charges ought to be brought.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 5 May 1989] : It is not the function of the Chief Constable either to determine that offences have been committed or that charges should be brought. He is, however, able to determine that a criminal offence may have been committed by police officers and that the officers ought to be charged. It is then his duty to send the appropriate papers to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The available information does not indicate in how many cases he has referred papers to the director since the 1987 order came into force.
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Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in how many cases to date of complaints made under the Police (N.I.) Order 1987 the Independent Commission for Police Complaints for Northern Ireland has disapproved of the person appointed to carry out the investigation.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 5 May 1989] : Two.
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in how many cases to date of complaints made under the Police (N.I.) Order 1987 the Independent Commission for Police Complaints for Northern Ireland has decided, in the public interest, to supervise the investigation where not required to do so under articles 9(I) and 8(I) of the order.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 5 May 1989] : Ninety-nine.
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in how many cases of complaints involving serious injury made to date, under the Police (N.I.) Order 1987, the Independent Commission for Police Complaints for Northern Ireland has supervised the investigation.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 5 May 1989] : Seventy-four.
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints made to date under the Police (N.I.) Order 1987 have been investigated by the Independent Commission for Police Complaints for Northern Ireland under section 9 of the order.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 5 May 1989] : Article 9 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Order 1987 deals with the supervisory powers of the Independent Commission for Police Complaints. To date 173 cases have been supervised under the provisions of article 9.
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many complaints have been made to date under the Police (N.I.) Order 1987 against officers below the rank of superintendent ; and how many of these have been investigated (a) informally and (b) formally ;
(2) how many complaints have been made to date under the Police (N.I.) Order 1987 against officers of the rank of superintendent and above ; and how many of these have been investigated (a) informally and (b) formally.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 5 May 1989] : Information is not available in the form requested. However, since the commencement of the Police (NI) Order 1987 on 29 February 1988 there were 2,809 complaints against police officers below the rank of assistant chief constable. Of these, 752 have been withdrawn ; 128 informally resolved and 1,929 have been or are at present being formally investigated.
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints made to date under the Police (N.I.) Order 1987 have been investigated formally by (a) members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary appointed to do so and (b) members of our United Kingdom police forces.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 5 May 1989] : I understand that 1,929 complaints have been or are at
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present being formally investigated by members of the RUC. No complaints have been investigated by members of other United Kingdom police forces.Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of complaints made to date under the Police (N.I.) Order 1987 have been deemed suitable for informal resolution by the Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
Mr. Ian Stewart [holding answer 5 May 1989] : I understand that 128 complaints have been found suitable for informal resolution since February 1988.
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