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Mr. Nicholls : I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 13 February 1990, Official Report , column 203. No further information on persons counted twice in the employment totals is available.
Work Placements
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the latest figures for the number of action credit work placements which have been completed for each of the three pilot sites of Chatham, Sunderland and Bristol ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : The information requested will not be available until after the end of the action credit scheme pilot, which is due to finish at the end of August 1990.
Action Credit
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment why he decided to launch the action credit scheme before the three pilot schemes have finished ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : No decision has been taken to launch an action credit scheme nationally. At present the Training Agency is running a small pilot in three areas of the country for ET leavers.
Construction Industry Training Board
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what factors he considered in deciding to continue to make it compulsory for construction firms to participate in the operations of the construction industry training board.
Mr. Nicholls : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to her on 22 November 1989.
Benefit Claimants
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment by standard region of Great Britain, including Greater London, what is the current average length of time between a claimant's referral for adjudication and an adjudication officer's decision on grounds of restricted availability and non-availability for work.
Mr. Eggar : Information is not available in the precise form requested. However, the speed with which adjudication officers make decisions--the time between their receiving a referral and reaching a decision--is monitored in a 5 per cent. sample of cases. The sample shows that for the three month period ending 31 December 1989, the percentage of restricted availability and
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availability questions decided within four weeks of referral to an adjudication officer, for each employment service region, was as follows :
|Availability|Restricted
|availability
|Percentage |Percentage
----------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern |98.1 |91.2
Western |79.2 |68.8
West Midlands |96.7 |97.3
Yorkshire and Humberside |87.1 |79.3
South West |85.2 |81.5
Northern |95.8 |100.0
East Midlands |83.8 |78.9
Wales |96.1 |100.0
Scotland |89.2 |87.8
North West |80.7 |76.0
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment for the three-month period to the end of (a) September 1989 and (b) December 1989, if he will give the decisions of adjudication officers on doubtful fresh claims, renewal claims and reviewed claims for unemployment benefit showing the numbers allowed, disallowed, referred to a local tribunal, revised in favour of claimants, revised adversely to claimants and not revised in the following categories of questions : (a) employed to full normal extent, (b) engaged in employment, (c) availability, (d) restricted availability, (e) leaving voluntarily, (f) for misconduct, (g) neglecting to avail of employment, (h) refusal of employment, (i) refusal or premature termination of training, (j) refusal to carry out written recommendations and (k) restart.
Mr. Eggar : I refer the hon. Member to the letter I sent her on 29 December 1989 enclosing details of the various decisions requested for the three month period ending 30 September 1989.
Figures for the period ending 31 December 1989 are not yet available but I will write to the hon. Member when they are to hand. Analysis of adjudication officer's decisions are published quarterly by the Department of Social Security, under the title "Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Analysis of Decisions of Adjudication Officers". This shows the number of adjudication officer's decisions in each category of question of doubt together with the number of cases allowed, disallowed, or disqualified. These publications are available in the House of Commons Library.
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment by standard region of Great Britain, including Greater London, what is the current average length of time between an unemployed claimant receiving an adjudication officer's decision on grounds of restricted availability and non-availability for work and a subsequent appeal.
Mr. Eggar : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 23 October 1989, Official Report, column 326.
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many claimants have gained a bridging allowance ; and, of these, how many have been awarded to pregnant claimants under 18 years.
Mr. Eggar : A total of 277,769 young people have made successful applications for bridging allowance from its
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introduction on 11 September 1988 to 8 February 1990. Information on the number of awards made to pregnant claimants is not available.Earnings
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the proportion of female part-time workers in Great Britain, in April 1989, whose hourly earnings, exclusive of overtime, fell below (a) £2.80, (b) £3.00, (c) £3.20, (d) £3.60, (e) £4.00 and (f) £4.50.
Mr. Nicholls : The estimated percentages of part-time adult female employees earnings below specified amounts in the new earnings survey sample in April 1989 were :
Hourly |Percentage earnings less than £ ------------------------------------------ 2.80 |39 3.00 |48 3.20 |57 3.60 |69 4.00 |77 4.50 |83
Hourly earnings excluding overtime ; earnings not affected by absence.
Greece (Exhibition)
Sir Bernard Braine : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if his Department has considered an application for an exhibition relating to traditional settlements in Greece to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.
Mr. Maude : I have been asked to reply.
I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Services Committee, arrangements have been made with the authorities of the House for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from 26 to 30 March.
WALES
Official Visits
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list those parliamentary constituencies in Wales that he has visited in an official capacity since being appointed to his present post.
Mr. Peter Walker : Information on constituencies visited is not collected centrally, but I have, of course, visited all the main areas of the Principality since taking up office as Secretary of State for Wales.
Public Expenditure
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what amount of public expenditure is spent (a) by his Department, (b) by Welsh county councils, in total and separately and (c) by Welsh district councils, in total and separately.
Mr. Peter Walker : The total of the Department's central Government expenditure was £1,730 million in 1988-89 compared with £1,546 million in 1987-88. The full
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information requested for county councils and district councils in Wales is only available for 1987-88 because a small number of authorities have yet to make complete returns to the Department for 1988-89. The information for 1987-88 is shown in the table :
1987-88 outturn expenditure within the Secretary of State's
responsibility
£000
|Current |Capital |Total
|spending |spending |spending
---------------------------------------------------------------
County Councils:
Clwyd |154,193 |20,833 |175,026
Dyfed |138,415 |15,363 |153,778
Gwent |169,319 |22,470 |191,789
Gwynedd |96,949 |8,791 |105,740
Mid Glamorgan |219,819 |25,076 |244,895
Powys |51,815 |7,728 |59,543
South Glamorgan |142,813 |38,472 |181,285
West Glamorgan |145,538 |25,777 |171,315
|------- |------- |-------
Total |1,118,861|164,510 |1,283,371
|------- |------- |-------
District Councils:
Alyn and Deeside |4,185 |3,768 |7,953
Colwyn |3,293 |2,372 |5,665
Delyn |4,112 |2,293 |6,405
Glwyndwr |2,963 |1,427 |4,390
Rhuddlan |4,299 |2,763 |7,062
Wrexham Maelor |8,830 |7,842 |16,672
Carmarthen |3,809 |2,827 |6,636
Ceredigion |3,833 |3,283 |7,116
Dinefwr |2,272 |2,256 |4,528
Llanelli |6,466 |4,343 |10,809
Presceli/Pembrokeshire |3,629 |3,100 |6,729
South Pembroke |2,773 |4,398 |7,171
Blaenau Gwent |7,090 |14,697 |21,787
Islwyn |4,625 |10,947 |15,572
Monmouth |4,437 |3,840 |8,277
Newport |10,557 |14,405 |24,962
Torfaen |7,036 |6,986 |14,022
Aberconwy |4,014 |650 |4,664
Arfon |4,540 |4,155 |8,695
Dwyfor |2,031 |2,464 |4,495
Meirionnydd |2,539 |1,281 |3,820
Ynys Mon |5,320 |5,829 |11,149
Cynon Valley |5,288 |9,170 |14,458
Merthyr Tydfil |6,532 |6,762 |13,294
Ogwr |9,151 |8,440 |17,591
Rhondda |8,456 |14,523 |22,979
Rhymney Valley |8,627 |10,666 |19,293
Taff-Ely |6,183 |4,910 |11,093
Brecknock |2,967 |2,553 |5,520
Montgomeryshire |2,363 |2,454 |4,817
Radnor |1,252 |670 |1,922
Cardiff |19,545 |26,167 |45,712
Vale of Glamorgan |6,425 |3,717 |10,142
Port Talbot |4,340 |3,852 |8,192
Lliw Valley |3,506 |4,560 |8,066
Neath |4,492 |5,879 |10,371
Swansea |16,189 |14,577 |30,766
|------- |------- |-------
Total |207,966 |224,826 |432,792
Water Pollution
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make an assessment of the pollution effects of eutrophication on Bosherton Lakes in Pembroke.
Mr. Grist : It is for the National Rivers Authority to consider what action may be necessary.
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Leukaemia
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will institute a study to make recommendations as to whether workers at nuclear power stations in Wales run any risk of passing leukaemia on to their offspring ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist [holding answer 5 March 1990] : In its second and third reports, the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) recommended that studies of the health of the offspring of radiation workers should be instigated. The Government have accepted these recommendations in full and are urgently considering a number of relevant research proposals.
SCOTLAND
Woodland
83. Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total acreage of broadleaved woodland planted in the last five years.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information is given in the table, which covers broadleaved planting undertaken or grant-aided by the Forestry Commission in the years concerned.
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Year ended |New planting|Restocking |Total 31 March |hectares |hectares |hectares ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1985 |656 |1,188 |1,844 1986 |905 |1,798 |2,703 1987 |1,618 |2,593 |4,211 1988 |2,868 |3,151 |6,019 1989 |3,035 |2,953 |5,988
Labour Statistics
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the level of unemployment in Scotland at the most recent date.
Mr. Lang : The level of unemployment in Scotland on 11 January 1990 stood at 219,176.
Prisons
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the penal establishments in Scotland, by security category, giving the number of inmates in each at a convenient date in (a) 1979 and (b) 1989.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The categories of the penal establishments in Scotland, together with the number of inmates in each in November 1979 and November 1989 are set out in the table.
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Category |Penal establishments listed by Security Category |Inmate population at |Inmate population at
|27 November 1979 |24 November 1989
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B |Her Majesty's Prison, Aberdeen |181 |132
B |Her Majesty's Prison, Barlinnie |956 |814
B |Her Majesty's Special Unit, Barlinnie |6 |7
B |Her Majesty's Prison and Young Offenders Institution, Cornton Vale|162 |127
B |Her Majesty's Young Offenders Institution, Dumfries |144 |122
B |Her Majesty's Prison, Edinburgh |648 |544
B |Her Majesty's Prison and Young Offenders Institution, Glenochil<1>|536 |428
B |Her Majesty's Prison, Greenock |24 |188
B |Her Majesty's Prison, Inverness |109 |85
B |Her Majesty's Remand Institution, Longriggend |278 |208
B |Her Majesty's Prison, Perth |539 |429
B |Her Majesty's Prison, Peterhead |244 |124
B |Her Majesty's Young Offenders Institution, Polmont<2> |294 |398
B |Her Majesty's Prison, Shotts |58 |448
C |Her Majesty's Prison, Dungavel |108 |117
C |Her Majesty's Prison, Friarton |71 |44
C |Her Majesty's Prison, Low Moss |315 |311
C |Her Majesty's Young Offenders Institution, Castle Huntly<2> |82 |108
D |Her Majesty's Prison, Noranside<1><2> |62 |114
D |Her Majesty's Prison, Penninghame<1> |49 |72
|--- |---
|Total |4,866 |4,820
<1> Glenochil was a Young Offenders Institution and Detention Centre in 1979.
<2> Polmont, Castle Huntley and Noranside were Borstal Institutions in 1979. Female Borstal inmates were accommodated at Cornton Vale.
Housing (Glasgow)
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the capital programme expressed at constant prices available to Glasgow district council for housing in each year from 1975 to the nearest available year.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Block allocations have been issued in respect of housing capital expenditure only since 1978-79. Gross allocations issued to Glasgow district council, incorporating the estimate of capital receipts made at the start of each year and any supplementary allocations made during the year, are set out in the table, expressed in 1989-90 prices.
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City of Glasgow district council-HRA and
non-HRA gross
allocations (1989-90 prices)
|HRA |Non-HRA
|(£ million)|(£ million)
------------------------------------------------
1978-79 |126.2 |28.6
1979-80 |121.9 |26.5
1980-81 |104.6 |28.7
1981-82 |92.4 |29.6
1982-83 |82.6 |39.1
1983-84<1> |88.4 |39.4
1984-85 |60.5 |104.3
1985-86 |71.2 |48.6
1986-87 |79.7 |48.8
1987-88 |95.8 |61.5
1988-89 |94.2 |53.8
1989-90 |96.1 |54.7
Special arrangements applied in 1983-84 when authorities were allowed to exceed consent subject to certain conditions.
Policing (Strathclyde)
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what financial resources were available for policing in Strathclyde region in each year since its inception ; and what was the proportion of central and local government expenditure in each year ;
(2) what is his estimate of the financial resources available to Strathclyde regional council for police services in each financial year since its inception ; and if he will express the figures in each year from the second year onwards as a percentage increase or decrease on the previous year and also show against each year the annual rate of inflation ;
(3) what policies the Government intend to pursue to offset shortfall in the Strathclyde police force ;
(4) what recent representations he has received from Strathclyde regional council about the need to direct more resources to filling the shortfall in police officers ;
(5) when was the latest assessment made of manpower level needs for Strathclyde police.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Assessment of the manpower needs of Strathclyde police is a matter for Strathclyde regional council, subject to the establishment of the force authorised by the Secretary of State in the light of advice from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary. The police establishment of the force was last determined in 1982. The allocation of resources to eliminate the current shortfall of actual strength as compared with authorised establishment is the responsibility of the regional council. My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State has received no recent representations in this matter but he stands ready to pay police grant on all approved net expenditure on the police. Since 1986-87 grant has been at the rate of 51 per cent. of net approved expenditure ; previously the rate was 50 per cent.
Net approved expenditure on Strathclyde police from 1975-76 is given in the table, together with information about percentage increases and the rate of inflation.
Year |Net approved |Percentage |Inflation
|expenditure |increase |per cent.
|£
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1975-76 |41,001,332.03 |- |-
1976-77 |51,474,235.92 |25.5 |15.3
1977-78 |53,767,471.29 |4.5 |14.0
1978-79 |63,745,604.37 |18.6 |8.2
1979-80 |78,076,467.41 |22.5 |15.9
1980-81 |93,141,224.46 |19.3 |16.3
1981-82 |108,631,863.32 |16.6 |11.5
1982-83 |118,244,193.93 |8.8 |7.1
1983-84 |128,569,888.26 |8.7 |4.7
1984-85 |138,692,064.65 |7.9 |5.1
1985-86 |140,293,517.96 |1.2 |5.9
1986-87 |150,396,918.13 |7.2 |3.2
1987-88 |168,779,970.33 |12.2 |3.9
1988-89 |<1>177,522,187.88|5.2 |6.0
<1> Provisional.
Criminal Law
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when the Law Commission last examined the criminal law and the protection it offers to people aged over 60 years.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The Scottish Law Commission has not examined this issue.
Housing
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the housing developments in the Highlands and Islands Development Board area which have been given approval by Scottish Homes since its inception on 1 April 1989.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Such information is not held by the Scottish Development Department as approval of individual housing developments is a matter for Scottish Homes itself. I have asked that body to forward the information requested directly to the hon. Member.
Schools (Safety)
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the safety laws and regulations which apply to schools in Scotland.
Mr. Lang : The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 requires education authorities to ensure that the premises and equipment of all educational establishments under their management are maintained in a condition conducive to the good health and safety of everyone on the premises. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 also applies in schools. In addition, there is an extensive range of regulations relating to safety considerations which could apply to schools as to other institutions in particular circumstances.
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether schools in Scotland are exempted from fire regulations requiring buildings to have a fire certificate ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang : Schools are not required to have fire certificates. Only a limited number of types of premises is designated as requiring fire certificates under section 1 of the Fire Precautions Act 1971. The Government have no plans to extend the range of designation. The question of fire safety in schools is the subject of guidance to education authorities issued in 1982.
Crossroads Scheme
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received about funding of Crossroads by the Greater Glasgow health board ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Officials of the Scottish Office met the chairman of Crossroads (Scotland) care attendant schemes on 8 December 1989 when the funding of a number of local Crossroads schemes, including schemes in Strathclyde, was discussed. It is for the Greater Glasgow health board to decide whether and to what extent it wishes to support Crossroads.
Water Authorities
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current amount of debt owed to the Exchequer by Scottish water authorities ; and what the amount was in the previous year.
Mr. Rifkind : Information on the source of local authority borrowing for specific services is not readily
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available. Figures on the total outstanding debt of Scottish water authorities at 31 March 1989 were given on 13 February 1990, Official Report, column 189. Corresponding figures for 31 March 1988 are given in the table.Capital debt outstanding at 31 March 1988: Water account Region/Islands area |£'000 -------------------------------------------------------------- Borders |8,859 Central |20,416 Dumfries and Galloway |11,772 Fife |30,159 Grampian |57,196 Highland |15,576 Lothian |85,038 Strathclyde |119,324 Tayside |25,546 Orkney |2,412 Shetland |719 Western Isles |2,511
DEFENCE
Nuclear Submarines
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if all United Kingdom ballistic missile nuclear submarines have now been checked, in home port, for possible cracks in reactor coolant pipes.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Members for Liverpool, Garston (Mr. Loyden) and for Dundee, East (Mr. McAllion) on Tuesday 6 March, Official Report, columns 614-15.
Mr. Alan Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if a special safety plan for areas adjoining a Z-berth would be introduced in cases where local councils refuse to co-operate in establishing such a plan.
Mr. Alan Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role and actions would be required of a local council in the event of an incident requiring activation of a special safety plan in the vicinity of a Z-berth.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : In the event of an incident requiring activation of a special safety plan in the vicinity of a Z-berth, as in any other civil emergency, the local authorities would act in support of the emergency services and carry out their normal functions in the light of the situation and of technical advice from the Ministry of Defence and the National Radiological Protection Board.
Trident
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all outside contracts issued by the Atomic Weapons Establishment managment in connection with the Trident programme, including dates and costs.
Mr. Alan Clark : The information that the hon. Member requests is classified.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to which establishments work on the Trident programme has been transferred from the Atomic Weapons Establishment Aldermaston.
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Mr. Alan Clark : AWE Cardiff is undertaking some non-fissile manufacturing work transferred from AWE Aldermaston.
Combat Body Armour
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give a full description of combat body armour ; and which units of the armed services have been provided with it.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Combat body armour is a lightweight vest covering the torso, designed to protect the wearer against fragmenting munitions. It is a front-opening garment with side vents and adjustable straps to ensure a proper fit. It will be available in six sizes, the medium size weighing 2.5 kg.
No combat body armour has yet been issued, but it will be supplied to service men as an item of personal equipment as supplies become available.
Ambulance Dispute
Mr. Mudd : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost in both cash and in man hours to his Department in providing alternative civilian cover during the ambulance dispute (a) to the most recent convenient date and (b) projected for the period from the commencement and termination of the period of cover.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Up to 31 January 1990, extra costs in the region of £3.5 million arising from service participation in the provision of accident and emergency cover during the ambulance dispute have been identified for recovery from the Department of Health, the Scottish Home and Health Department and the Welsh Office. Up to 6 March 1990 a total of about 1.1 million service man hours had been deployed.
It would not be practicable to make projections either of extra costs or of man hours because the timing of the final withdrawal of service assistance will depend on the outcome of the ballot of ambulance staff and, if the decision is to accept the management offer, the arrangements which are made in different areas for a return to normal working.
Ammunition Contracts
Mr. Warren : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what restrictions are placed upon manufacturers of ammunition in the United Kingdom that wish to bid for Her Majesty's Government ammunition contracts ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Clark : No restrictions are placed on manufacturers in the United Kingdom who wish to bid for ammunition contracts offered in open competition. Certain natures of ammunition for delivery up to 31 March 1993 are procured under the agreement with Royal Ordnance plc which was announced to the House on 27 July 1988 by my hon. Friend the Member for Hove (Mr. Sainsbury), the former Under-Secretary of State for Defence Procurement. In addition, there may be restrictions when a nature of ammunition is procured under collaborative arrangements or is a proprietary item.
Mr. Warren : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what restrictions are placed upon manufacturers of ammunition in the United States that wish to bid for Her Majesty's Government ammunition contracts.
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Mr. Alan Clark : No restrictions are placed upon manufacturers in the United States who wish to bid for ammunition contracts offered in open competition. Certain natures of ammunition for delivery up to 31 March 1993 are procured under the agreement with Royal Ordnance plc which was announced to the House on 27 July 1988 by my hon. Friend the Member for Hove (Mr. Sainsbury), the former Under-Secretary of State for Defence Procurement. In addition, there may be restrictions when a nature of ammunition is procured under collaborative arrangements or is a proprietary item.HOME DEPARTMENT
Wandsworth Prison Gallows
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the name and address of the company contracted to maintain the gallows that are kept at Wandsworth prison ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mellor : The gallows are maintained by the prison's works department.
Civil Defence
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations his Department has received calling for the repeal of existing legislation imposing specific civil defence duties on local authorities ; and if he will list them.
Mr. John Patten : During the las six months the Home Office has received 16 representations from Members of Parliament, local authorities and other organisations calling specifically for the repeal of existing legislation imposing civil defence duties on local authorities.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations his Department has received calling for the preparation of a new Act of Parliament which would impose duties upon appropriate public and private sector organisations to undertake comprehensive emergency planning for peacetime disasters and accidents ; and if he will list them.
Mr. John Patten : My right hon. and learned Friend has asked the civil emergencies adviser to assess local authority requirements for effective peacetime emergency planning. I understand that the adviser has received a number of representations, which are being treated in confidence.
Detainees' Medical Records
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures exist for passing medical information on detained persons from the police to the prison service.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The relevant procedures are set out in paragraph 4.33 and appendix 13 of the consolidated circular to the police on crime and kindred matters. They require the police to complete a form (POL/1) in respect of every prisoner handed over to prison custody or transferred between police forces who is considered to present special risks, including physical illness or mental disturbance.
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Motorists (Video Evidence)
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police forces in the United Kingdom are currently using video equipment to monitor the driving habits of motorists in order to furnish the courts with specific evidence for the prosecution of offenders.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Nine forces in England and Wales and five in Scotland are using in-car video equipment to record evidence of motorists' poor driving behaviour. Recordings are used either to educate the motorist or may be presented in court to support a police officer's evidence that an offence has been committed. I understand that a further four forces in England and Wales are shortly to acquire similar equipment.
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