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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 8 February 1990 ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Civil Legal Aid
Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Attorney-General if he will list the numbers of those who in 1989 and each of the preceding four years (a) applied for civil legal aid, (b) had their application for civil legal aid refused because they did not have a reasonable case, (c) had their application for civil legal aid refused because they did not meet the financial requirements and (d) were successful in securing civil legal aid on appeal against not having a reasonable case.
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The Attorney-General : An analysis of applications for legal aid, which includes the number of applications made and the number refused on legal and financial grounds, is set out at appendix 2B(1)(a) of the Law Society's annual reports.
Statistics relating to appeals are set out in appendix 2F of the reports for 1987-88 and 1988-89. Information on appeals for earlier years is not available.
Figures for 1989 are currently available only to 31 March of that year.
THE ARTS
Arts Funding (North-west)
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Minster for the Arts if he will make a statement on funding of art galleries and museums in the north-west.
Mr. Luce : Grants to centrally funded museums and galleries in the north-west are as follows :
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£ million
|1988-89|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92|1992-93
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greater Manchester Museum of Science |1.473 |1.561 |1.725 |1.829 |1.906
and Industry
National Museums and Galleries on |10.220 |11.006 |12.302 |12.258 |12.852
Merseyside
Tate Gallery (Liverpool) |0.700 |0.800 |n/a |n/a |n/a
n/a = figures not available.
I understand that for local museums and galleries, the north-west museum and art gallery service grant-in-aid assistance, and funding of conservation and design services, amounted to £326,602 in 1987-88 and £348,374 in 1988-89. I also understand that the Museums and Galleries Commission has provided capital grants of £89,499 in 1987-88 and £95,900 in 1988-89 to north-west museums and art galleries.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Tobacco
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the annual income to the Exchequer from tobacco-related taxes and duties.
Mr. Ryder : In 1988-89 excise duty revenue from tobacco taxation was £4,990 million ; value added tax of around £1,050 million would also have accrued.
European Commission
Mr. Pike : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last had discussions with the president of the European Commission ; and what was discused.
Mr. Ryder : My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer last met Mr. Delors at the Council of Economic and Finance Ministers on 18 December last year, as I reported to the House on 20 December, Official Report, Vol. 166, c. 244.
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Self-employment
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how, for tax purposes, the Inland Revenue defines self-employed.
Mr. Lilley : The Inland Revenue applies case law laid down by the courts to the facts of particular cases. The essential question is, "Are you in business on your own account?"
A joint Inland Revenue--Department of Social Security leaflet provides guidance to those who are unsure about their employment status. Copies of the leaflet (IR56/NI39), available from any local tax office or DSS office, are held in the Library.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Angola
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total outstanding debt owed to Her Majesty's Government by the MPLA Government ; what arrangements have been made for repayments and if he will make a statement ; how much MPLA debt to this country is guaranteed by Her Majesty's Government for repayment ; if he will place in the Library a copy of an agreed debt cut between Her Majesty's Government and the MPLA Government ; and if he will estimate the amount of private sector debt owed to companies in the United Kingdom by the MPLA Government.
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Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of any debt list agreed between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of Angola.Mr. Maude : Angola's outstanding debt to Her Majesty's Government is all owed to ECGD. For commercial reasons, ECGD does not reveal detailed figures for debt that it is owed by individual countries, or for its outstanding guarantees. A copy of the United Kingdom-Angola debt agreement No. 1 (1987) which rescheduled some of Angola's debt payments to ECGD is available in the Library of the House. A second rescheduling was negotiated last year and an agreement will be signed shortly. Lists of debt covered by the rescheduling are not published. As for private sector debt, figures for debts to United Kingdom banks are given in table 15 of the Bank of England's Quarterly Bulletin, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. Figures for debts to other private sector institutions are not available.
Bangladesh
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met members or officials of the Government of Bangladesh ; what issues are outstanding ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maude : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs looks forward to making his first contacts with Bangladeshi Ministers when opportunity arises. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Overseas Development is visiting Bangladesh at the moment and plans to call on President Ershad today. We have excellent relations with Bangladesh, and are not aware of any major outstanding issues between us.
Preventable Loss
Mr. Norris : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of preventable loss arising from theft or misappropriation in his Department.
Mr. Maude : A revision of the inventory of valuable items in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is in train and should be completed shortly.
Mr. Norris : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will list the number of professionally qualified loss prevention staff employed by his Department and the qualifications held by such staff, excluding qualifications obtained during police or military service.
Mr. Maude : The Foreign and Commonwealth Office employs no specialist loss prevention staff, but we employ our own cadres of security officers, at home and overseas, to supervise security arrangements in buildings for which we are responsible. They receive training in all aspects of their duties, which include loss prevention.
Hong Kong
Mr. Stanbrook : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Hong Kong Government have made provision for war service to be included in the calculation of pensions for their expatriate staff.
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Mr. Maude : The Hong Kong Government are still considering whether to include war service in the calculation of pensions for expatriate staff. At the turn of the year they sought, and were given, further information about the British Government's war service credit scheme for colonial pensioners. I will inform my hon. Friend when a decision has been made.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what he is doing to improve the living and sanitation conditions at detention camps for Vietnamese boat people in Hong Kong.
Mr. Maude : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Mossley Hill (Mr. Alton) on 12 January, c. 791-92.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total number of Vietnamese boat people who have tried to commit suicide in detainment camps in Hong Kong in 1990.
Mr. Maude : Since 1 January 1990, seven people have inflicted injuries upon themselves in Hong Kong's detention centres. None of the injuries has been serious.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to give assistance to improve the environmental health conditions and housing in the Kwun Tong public housing area in Hong Kong.
Mr. Maude : As part of a comprehensive redevelopment programme to renew the urban environment, over 58,000 old public housing flats will be demolished, and about 55,000 new flats will be constructed between 1990 and 2001 in the Kwun Tong area, partly to provide replacement accommodation and partly to provide new housing for those in need. Planned environmental health improvements include the closure of a local refuse dump, restrictions on the sulphur content of industrial fuel oil, and the introduction of vehicle emission controls.
Foreign Affairs Council
Mr. Robert G. Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report a statement on the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council on 5 February.
Mr. Hurd : The Foreign Affairs Council met in Brussels on 5 February. My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my noble Friend the Minister for Trade and I represented the United Kingdom.
Following our informal discussions in Dublin on 20 January, Ministers had a preliminary discussion of the prospects for extending the Community's relations with, and assistance to, the countries of eastern Europe. Preliminary suggestions from the Commission closely reflect United Kingdom ideas, which we put to partners before the Strasbourg European Council. The Commission also presented its proposals for the creation of a European training foundation and a mobility scheme for students (TEMPUS). These fulfil the mandate from the Strasbourg European Council to extend training assistance to the countries of eastern Europe. The Council separately agreed on the importance of the forthcoming CSCE economic conference in Bonn as an opportunity to monitor and encourage the development of market
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economies in eastern Europe, and considered a Commission proposal for a draft concluding document of the conference.Ministers issued a statement welcoming the reforms announced by President de Klerk of South Africa on 2 February. We looked forward to their early implementation, and hoped for further measures leading to the complete abolition of apartheid. Our statement noted that, to the degree that dialogue is instituted in South Africa, the Twelve will be prepared to reconsider their position in respect of sanctions in accordance with the European Council declaration at Strasbourg on 9 December. We agreed to discuss developments in South Africa on this basis at the next meeting on European political co-operation issues, which will be in Dublin on 20 February.
The Council discussed the future regime for imports of Japanese cars, and will revert to the issue in March. The Council expressed its support for the Commission's opinion on Turkey's EC membership application and asked the Commission to draw up detailed proposals for strengthening EC-Turkey relations within the context of the association agreement.
The Council discussed a Commission outline paper on a new Mediterranean policy and asked the Commission to produce detailed proposals taking into account the full range of views expressed at the meeting. The United Kingdom argued for a differentiated approach to individual Mediterranean countries, and in favour of measures to promote trade.
The Council noted with approval the EC's acceptance at the January GATT Council of the GATT panel report on the EC's oilseeds regime. Ministers discussed possible solutions to the hormones dispute and invited the Commission to put forward further proposals for discussion at official level
The Council took note of the Commission's proposals for assistance to Colombia's special co-operation programme and agreed on the importance of supporting the Government of Colombia in their courageous efforts to combat the drugs problem.
Ministers reviewed preparations for the inter-governmental conference on economic and monetary union.
Ethiopia
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action the Goverment are taking to encourage a negotiated long-term solution to the war in northern Ethiopia.
Mr. Waldegrave : Negotiations between the parties to the conflict in Ethiopia offer the only hope of a lasting solution. We have therefore been active in encouraging the parties, both directly and through others who have influence, to pursue seriously the peace talks initiated last autumn.
Middle East
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the number of people killed by terrorist action in the middle east in each of the last three years, setting out in each case the numbers killed by (a) Israelis and (b) Arabs.
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Mr. Waldegrave : We do not keep statistics in the form requested.
Cash Limits
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he proposes to make any changes in his Department's diplomatic wing cash limits and running cost limits for 1989-90.
Mr. Maude [pursuant to the reply 29 January 1990, c. 16] : On changes to this Department's diplomatic wing cash limits and running cost limits for 1989-90, the details in the second paragraph refer to class II vote 2 (Other External Relations).
HOME DEPARTMENT
Bangladesh
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is undertaking to obtain a dependable estimate of the number of (a) spouses and (b) children who are currently awaiting entry clearance from Bangladesh.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Such estimates are available for all three countries in the Indian sub-continent ; 1,700 spouses and 2,300 children in Bangladesh were awaiting a decision on their application for entry clearance for settlement in the United Kingdom at 30 November 1989. Aggregate information for (i) wives, children and persons applying for entry clearance for immediate settlement, and (ii) husbands and male fiances are published in tables 6 and 11 respectively of the annual Command Paper "Control of Immigration : Statistics, United Kingdom" (most recently, for 1988, in Cm. 726), a copy of which is in the Library.
Preventable Loss
Mr. Norris : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the extent of preventable loss arriving from theft or misappropriation in his Department.
Mr. Waddington : The extent of such loss in the Home Office is believed to be very small. Where losses do occur, appropriate measures are taken to minimise the risk of recurrence, including the recovery of moneys obtained by fraud.
Mr. Norris : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will list the number of professionally qualified loss prevention staff employed by his Department and the qualifications held by such staff, excluding qualifications obtained during police or military service.
Mr. Waddington : Staff employed by the Home Office have professional qualifications in several relevant disciplines, such as accountancy, auditing, fire prevention and health and safety. It would require a disproportionate use of resources to list them and their qualifications.
All-seater Stadiums
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a timetable for the possible all-seater status of stadiums included under schedules in the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. John Patten : I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. and learned Friend's statement on 29 January, at column 19, and to the schedule placed in the Library on the same date responding to recommendations 1 to 4 of the final report of the Hillsborough inquiry which set out the timetable for admitting spectators to seated accommodation only.Deer
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will send to the hon. Member for Mansfield a copy of the Nature Conservancy Council report by V. P. W. Lowe on wild and feral deer in Great Britain, reference number NCC NERC Contract HF3/05/43.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : No spare copies of this interim report, which was produced in 1979, are held by either the Home Office or the Nature Conservancy Council. However I will arrange for a photocopy to be sent to the hon. Member as soon as possible and for another to be placed in the Library.
Entry Clearance
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is undertaking to obtain a dependable estimate of the number of (a) spouses and (b) children who are currently awaiting entry clearance other than in the Indian sub-continent.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : None is planned. The collection of data on persons outside the Indian sub-continent applying for entry clearance for settlement in the United Kingdom was terminated at the end of 1979 because it was considered that its usefulness did not justify the resources required to undertake it. Information continues to be collected on persons applying in the sub-continent because of the large number of applications there. Some information on applications for entry clearance by persons in Hong Kong has been collected since the end of 1984 ; this information includes the numbers of spouses and children awaiting first interview but not the total numbers awaiting a decision on their application.
Computer Security
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department has taken and is taking to improve the security of its computer systems.
Mr. Waddington : A wide range of steps have been and are being taken to ensure the security of my Department's computer systems : it would not be sensible to make details public. The measures needed to maintain adequate security are kept under review, and take due account of guidance issued centrally.
Abortion Clinics
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his reply of 7 December, Official Report, column 256, what information is available about arrests in the vicinity of abortion clinics and the reasons for those arrests.
Mr. John Patten : None. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to her on 6 December 1989 at column 256.
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John McGranaghan
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the reason for the transfer into segregation of John McGranaghan on 17 October 1989 ; what is the reason for keeping him in segregation since that time ; what is the reason for the delay in informing him of the reason for his segregation ; and when he will be informed of the detailed reasons.
Mr. Mellor : Under the terms of prison rule 43(1), Mr. McGranaghan was removed from normal association on 17 October 1989 for the maintenance of good order or discipline. He returned to an ordinary location though in a different establishment on 14 November but from 22 November until 15 January 1990 he was again removed from normal association for similar reasons. These were explained to him by prison staff on both occasions.
Metropolitan Police Officers
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis on the cost to public funds of (a) training a Metropolitan police officer and (b) the estimated cost of wastage during the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available, arising from resignations, early retirement and transfers of officers to other forces.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The cost of the initial training provided for Metropolitan police officers is estimated at about £12,000 per officer. Continuing training is provided throughout an officer's service. Figures for the numbers of officers leaving the Metropolitan police are given in table 13(iii) of volume 2 of the report of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis for 1988. Information on the cost of this wastage is not available.
Prisoners' Complaints
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department from what sources he receives complaints from prisoners regarding conditions or treatment ; and approximately what proportion of these complaints would come under the jurisdiction of the Parliamentary Ombudsman.
Mr. Mellor : The majority of prisoners' complaints are received directly as petitions to the Secretary of State or indirectly through Members of Parliament, prisoners' friends, relatives or legal advisers. It is not possible to make any reliable estimate of the number which might fall within the jurisdiction of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints he has received from prisoners or from organisations concerned with prisons that hon. Members have not passed on prisoners' complaints to the Parliamentary Ombudsman.
Mr. Mellor : We have no record of having received such a complaint in an individual case.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to appoint a prison ombudsman ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Mellor : We are considering the comments made on this matter in response to the report of the working group on an improved system of grievance procedures for prisoners' complaints and requests.Sentencing
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the proportion of 17 to 20-year-olds being given a prison sentence for criminal damage by area of the country where the case is heard.
Mr. John Patten : The information requested is given in the table. Data for 1989 will not be available until autumn 1990.
Percentage of persons aged 17 to 20 sentenced for criminal damage
offences who received immediate custody by police force area and
type of court-1988
England and Wales Percentage of total persons sentenced
Police force area |Magistrates' |Crown
|courts |Court
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon and Somerset |1 |<2>-
Bedfordshire |<2>17 |<2>38
Cambridgeshire |4 |<2>67
Cheshire |7 |<2>64
Cleveland |7 |<2>63
Cumbria |7 |<2>100
Derbyshire |4 |<2>65
Devon and Cornwall |7 |<2>40
Dorset |- |<2>43
Durham |<2>- |<2>46
Essex |4 |<2>75
Gloucestershire |- |<2>10
Greater Manchester |3 |39
Hampshire |2 |<2>24
Hertfordshire |<2>- |<2>14
Humberside |5 |<2>73
Kent |4 |<2>42
Lancashire |8 |<2>65
Leicestershire |3 |<2>45
Lincolnshire |3 |<2>40
Merseyside |- |26
Metropolitan Police District<1> |2 |26
Norfolk |<2>13 |<2>50
Northamptonshire |6 |<2>50
Northumbria |6 |32
North Yorkshire |10 |<2>33
Nottinghamshire |2 |<2>67
South Yorkshire |7 |46
Staffordshire |8 |<2>48
Suffolk |4 |<2>56
Surrey |3 |<2>31
Sussex |7 |<2>50
Thames Valley |1 |42
Warwickshire |- |<2>40
West Mercia |2 |<2>50
West Midlands |9 |56
West Yorkshire |2 |35
Wiltshire |2 |<2>100
|-- |--
England |4 |43
Dyfed-Powys |2 |<2>40
Gwent |8 |<2>67
North Wales |3 |<2>67
South Wales |3 |<2>67
|-- |--
Wales |4 |63
England and Wales |4 |44
<1>Includes City of London.
<2>Denotes fewer than 25 persons sentenced in this age group.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to establish limits on the
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variation in the probability of an offender being given a custodial sentence in different areas of the country for similar offences.Mr. John Patten : Our proposals for a more coherent statutory framework to achieve greater consistency in sentencing are set out in the White Paper "Crime, Justice and Protecting the Public" (Cm 965), published on 6 February.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with which individuals and organisations he has discussed the issue of an agreed national sentencing framework ; and what advice he received.
Mr. John Patten : A wide variety of organisations and individuals have contributed to the public debate about criminal justice which preceded publication of our White Paper "Crime, Justice and Protecting the Public" (Cm 965) on 6 February.
Ambulance Duties
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call upon the chief constables of Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Bedfordshire, Derbyshire, South Yorkshire, Hereford and Worcester and Dorset for a report as to the cost per policeman hour of deploying the police on ambulance duties within their police districts.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I understand from the chief constables of Lincolnshire, Bedfordshire, West Mercia and Dorset that they are charging the relevant regional health authorities an average of £8.48, £8.95, £7.91 and £9.75 respectively per police constable per hour for assisting ambulance services. This basic charge does not include pensions and national insurance contributions, and rent allowance, which will be charged separately.
In Hertfordshire, Derbyshire and South Yorkshire, I understand that the charge is about £20.55, £20.55 and £19.90 respectively per police constable per hour, but that this does include pensions and national insurance contributions and rent allowance.
Charges will also be made for vehicle conversion and running costs, meal and subsistence allowances, civilian costs, and other sundry items.
Firearms
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applicants in the Greater Manchester area have handed in firearms for compensation under the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 ; and how many claims have been (a) allowed and (b) refused.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information requested is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Private Remand Centres
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to publish the results of the consultancy study by Deloitte, Haskins and Sells into the practical feasibility of involving the private sector in the operation of remand centres.
Mr. Mellor : The report by Deloitte, Haskins and Sells, "Practicality of Private Sector Involvement in the Remand
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System", was made public on 1 March 1989. A copy was placed in the Library. As my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr. Hurd) announced in his statement on that date at columns 277- 78, further studies were needed before final decisions could be taken, and we are now considering the results of those studies.Mr. Mohammed Azem
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a decision will be taken on a request made by the representative of Mr. Mohammed Azem, Ref. OVS/41524/88, for refusal to allow him to enter the United Kingdom from Hong Kong to be reconsidered.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The grounds of appeal submitted by Bradford law centre on behalf of Mr. Mohammed Azem in its letter of 16 June 1989 were carefully considered but it was decided to maintain the original refusal decision. An explanatory statement setting out the facts and the reasons for the decision was submitted to the appellate authorities on 9 January.
Mr. Sodagar Hussain
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will call for a report from the post in Islamabad explaining why Mr. Sodagar Hussain, who was born on 21 July 1959, has been refused entry to join his wife in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The post in Islamabad refused the application on Home Office instructions on the ground that we were not satisfied that it was not the primary purpose of the marriage to obtain Mr. Hussain's admission to the United Kingdom. Mr. Hussain has appealed against that decision and the Home Office will shortly be sending an explanatory statement setting out the facts and reasons for the decision to the independent appellate authorities.
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