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Food Hygiene
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his response to the representations of the Scottish Association of Master Bakery in relation to temperature control of bakery- crafted produce and food hygiene.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The representations made by the association will be taken fully into account in the revision of the food hygiene regulations.
Seal Culling
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the level of illegal seal culling in fish farming areas.
Mr. Lang : Any evidence of a suspected offence under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970 in Scotland should be reported to the police or procurator fiscal. The outcome of any subsequent proceedings is a matter for the courts.
The Scottish Salmon Growers Association has developed, in collaboration with various wildlife conservation interests, including the Nature Conservancy Council, a code of practice on salmon farming and predatory wildlife. This was published in February this year and lays down the general policy, which my right hon. and learned Friend welcomes, that shooting or other methods of destructive control must be considered only as a last resort. In relation to seals, the code of practice emphasises that the killing of a particular animal may be considered only after reasonable measures have been taken to exclude seals from salmon farms.
Education Budget
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the change in cash and percentage terms to his education budget in 1990-91 as against 1989-90 (a) including student support and (b) excluding student support.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 13 March 1990] : Education expenditure will increase by £49 million or 13.1 per cent. between 1989-90 and 1990-91. Excluding student support, the increase is £5 million, or 2.1 per cent. No valid comparisons can be made between these separately calculated increases because of the effect on higher educational institutions of the switch to higher student fees.
Inverclyde Enterprise Zone
Mr. Clay : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many jobs have been created in the Inverclyde enterprise zone.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 14 March 1990] : Two hundred and fifteen jobs have been created and a further
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347 jobs forecast by firms which have established or announced their intention to establish in the Inverclyde enterprise zone.HOME DEPARTMENT
Electoral Registration
Dr. Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his reply of 8 March to the hon. Member for Copeland, Official Report, column 818, if he will provide (a) a breakdown by country of the £760,000 for overseas electoral registration expenditure for 1990-91 and (b) a breakdown of the £486,000 expenditure in Great Britain.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information requested is not readily available. I will write to the hon. Member.
Race Relations (Prisons)
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account of race relations issues is taken by the prison department in the drafting of new contracts with individual prison governors.
Mr. Mellor : Regional directors have been asked to ensure that every governor's contract for 1990-91 includes objectives relating to the race relations liaison officer, the race relations management team and ethnic monitoring.
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to allow prisoner representation on race relations and other internal committees in England and Wales.
Mr. Mellor : We are considering what guidance we might offer to governors about prisoner representation on race relations committees. As regards committees generally, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Tooting (Mr. Cox) on 16 January 1990 at column 176.
Ethnic Minorities (Prisons)
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the total and ethnic minority numbers for the latest date available in (a) HMP Long Lartin, (b) HMP Parkhurst, (c) HMP Wakefield, (d) HMP Holloway, (e) HMP Frankland, (f) HMP Albany, (g) HMP Full Sutton, (h) HMP Gartree, (i) HMP Maidstone, (j) HMP Nottingham, (k) HMP Lewes and (l) HMP Wormwood Scrubs.
Mr. Mellor : The latest readily available information is given in the table :
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Population<1> of specified Prison Service establishments in England and Wales on 30 September 1989: by establishment and ethnic origin. Number
Mr. Colin Wallace
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reassessment he has now made of his parliamentary answers and Adjournment debate replies in the case of Colin Wallace.
Mr. Waddington : I have nothing to add to the answer given to the question from the hon. Member on 14 February 1990 at column 238.
Breathalyser Technology
Sir Ian Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now issue a general circular to chief constables confirming the position stated by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport on 14 March 1988, Official Report, column 974, that the police have no powers to prevent clubs or pubs from installing breath alchohol testing machines.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : No. I see no need to do so.
Remand Prisoners
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department at the latest available date, how many male and female prisoners in England and Wales are currently remanded in custody awaiting medical reports.
Mr. Mellor : The data on remands in custody awaiting a medical report are collected annually and are not available centrally in a form which would enable a figure to be given for the number held on remand for this purpose on a particular date. This could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in each year since 1979, how many male and female prisoners in England and Wales were remanded in custody for medical reports.
Mr. Mellor : The number of male and female prisoners in England and Wales remanded into custody for medical reports since 1980 is as follows :
1980 |7,587 |1,058
1981 |7,225 |1,006
1982 |7,506 |832
1983 |7,507 |840
January 1984-March 1985 |8,289 |1,032
1985-86 |7,578 |782
1986-87 |5,860 |676
1987-88 |5,493 |481
1988-89 |5,043 |652
Figures are not available for 1979 and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.
Acid House Parties
Mr. Jack : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received about acid house parties held in Lancashire.
Mr. John Patten : We have received a number of representations, both from hon. Members and members of the public, about acid house or pay parties. Some of these representations referred to Lancashire in particular but it is not possible to determine which particular events caused concern to our correspondents.
Police (Pay)
Mr. Dykes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the real increase in a police constable's pay over the last 10 years.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Between March 1980 and March 1990, the basic pay of a police constable increased by 100 per cent., from £5,334 to £10, 671 a year. Over the same period, the retail prices index increased by 86.9 per cent. and the tax and prices index by 77.3 per cent.
Firearms Certificates
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on fees for firearms and shotgun certificates.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : It has been the policy of successive Governments that there should be full recovery from fees of the cost of operating the firearms licensing system. As a step towards this end my right hon. and learned Friend laid before Parliament on 27 February the Firearms (Variation of Fees) Order 1990, a copy of which is in the Library.
Voluntary Organisations
Mr. Neil Hamilton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give details, listing the sums provided and the names of the organisations, of all voluntary organisations working in penal affairs to which his Department gives grants and other financial assistance.
Mr. John Patten [holding answer 13 February 1990] : I list in the table the voluntary organisations to which the Home Office gives grants for their work with offenders and ex-offenders and the amounts of those grants in 1989-90 :
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Voluntary after-care accommodation grants scheme
Abbot Housing Society-2 projects |13,951
Adullam Homes Housing Association-3 projects |111,071
Alone in London |17,953
Alpha House |2,153
Base 3 Move-on Accommodation |612
Brighton YMCA |3,085
Bristol Cyrenians |3,219
Caldmore Area Housing Association |6,000
Cardiff Single Women's Housing Group |1,286
Carr-Gomm Society-4 projects |32,766
Central Methodist Church |4,511
Centre Point |15,076
Church Housing Association Ltd.-2 projects |33,507
Churches Housing Association of Dudley and District |14,597
Coventry Cyrenians Ltd. |11,286
Croydon Association for Young Single Homeless |7,372
Croydon Housing For the Young Unemployed |1,613
Cwm Rhymni Housing Association |2,000
Didcot Young Persons Housing |1,810
Doncaster Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders |12,700
Durham Action on Single Housing |1,050
East Bristol Youth Housing Association |3,701
Effra Trust |16,652
Ekaya Housing Association |1,555
Elizabeth Housing Association |4,949
Exeter Shilhay Community |2,500
Grace Tebbutt Housing Trust |15,401
Handsworth Single Homeless Action Group |14,320
Hargrave House |15,340
Harlow Council for Voluntary Services |17,117
Harringey Umbrella Housing Association |8,670
Havant Housing Association |3,502
Haven Project-2 projects |21,504
Homeless Action and Accommodation |15,325
Intake |9,778
Inward House |7,580
Kaleidoscope Youth and Community Project |3,062
Kare Housing Association |17,777
Kenward Trust-3 projects |19,016
Langley House Trust-12 projects |561,229
Leahurst Hostel |2,048
Leeds Housing Concern-4 projects |26,802
Leeds Young Persons Housing Trust-2 projects |19,302
Life for the World Trust |17,462
Macedon Trust |7,072
Margery Fry Memorial Trust-9 projects |131,122
Meta House |23,894
NACRO Community Enterprises-13 projects |139,520
Norcare Ltd.-6 projects |106,477
Norman House-Leicester |16,185
Norman House-Sheffield |3,620
North Devon Housing Society |10,708
North East London Shared Housing |9,374
North West London Housing Association-7 projects |144,370
Nottingham Help the Homeless Association |1,828
Outlet Ltd. |1,650
Oxford Cyrenian Community |11,010
Patchwork Community Ltd. |18,204
Penrose Charity-3 projects |15,560
Phoenix House-5 projects |153,814
Potteries Housing Association-2 projects |32,871
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Privatisation
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total sum paid out in fees to outside organisations in the furtherance of privatisation by his Department in 1979-80 and in each subsequent year ; and what is his estimate for 1990-91.
Mr. Waddington [holding answer 12 March 1990] : For information up to 1988-89, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Member for Grantham (Mr. Hogg) on 6 April 1989 at column 240. In 1989-90 payments in respect of preliminary expenses on the privatisation of the Independent Broadcasting Authority's transmission system are expected to total £237,000. Parliamentary authority for such payments amounting to £752,000 in 1990-91 will be sought in the supply estimates.
Management Consultants
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the total fees paid out by his Department to management consultants in 1979-80 and in each following year ; and what is his latest estimate for the current year and budget for 1990-91.
Mr. Waddington [holding answer 12 March 1990] : For information prior to 1987-88 I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given my hon. Friend the Member for Grantham (Mr. Hogg) on 6 April 1989 at column 240. The equivalent estimate of payments made for the financial year 1988-89 is £1,257,000 ; the latest estimated expenditure for 1989-90 is £1,547,525 and the budget for 1990-91 is £2,159,300.
John Harker
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his inquiries into the case of Mr. John Harker are now complete ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : No. The case is still under consideration. I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as we have been able to complete our inquiries.
Asylum
Mr. Wells : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if in the light of the decision of the High Court to override the immigration authority's decision not to permit Lebanese asylum seekers staying over in Britain en route for a third country to remain here, he will either appeal against the decision or introduce legislation to plug this loophole.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The High Court found that in the particular circumstances of these applications directions could not be issued requiring removal to Brazil. My right hon. and learned Friend has decided that the Government will not appeal against this judgment and the claims for asylum will now be considered in this country. We shall keep the position under review in case any changes in procedures, or legislation become necessary.
Special Constables
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out by reference to police forces the number of special constables in post in 1985 and in 1989.
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Mr. Peter Lloyd : The number of special constables in post as at 31 December in each police force in England and Wales was as follows :
Avon and Somerset |480 |503
Bedfordshire |215 |137
Cambridgeshire |216 |169
Cheshire |252 |219
Cleveland |131 |139
Cumbria |182 |210
Derbyshire |275 |251
Devon and Cornwall |791 |852
Dorset |297 |218
Durham |172 |149
Dyfed Powys |143 |189
Essex |367 |445
Gloucestershire |185 |209
Greater Manchester |392 |473
Gwent |112 |95
Hampshire |480 |362
Hertfordshire |249 |203
Humberside |277 |249
Kent |510 |500
Lancashire |408 |432
Leicestershire |220 |327
Lincolnshire |345 |365
Merseyside |373 |296
Norfolk |178 |269
Northamptonshire |203 |240
Northumbria |606 |538
North Wales |215 |175
North Yorkshire |311 |334
Nottinghamshire |516 |485
South Wales |289 |253
South Yorkshire |261 |316
Staffordshire |513 |566
Suffolk |323 |329
Surrey |252 |174
Sussex |653 |530
Thames Valley |715 |568
Warwickshire |344 |347
West Mercia |633 |542
West Midlands |724 |673
West Yorkshire |486 |568
Wiltshire |232 |268
City of London |75 |60
Metropolitan |1,560 |1,362
|--- |---
Total |16,161 |15,589
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to review the training programmes for special constables.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The training of special constables is to be reviewed by the central planning and training unit, commencing this spring.
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total annual cost of special constables.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The total annual cost of special constables as recorded by police authorities for 1988-89 was £2,456,561.
Avon and Somerset Constabulary
Mr. Hayward : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ask for a report from the chief constable of Avon and Somerset constabulary on the events outside Bristol council house on 6 March.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I understand from the chief constable of Avon and Somerset that in the early afternoon of 6
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March demonstrators began to gather outside the council house in Bristol where the city council was meeting to consider the level of community charge. By 3.30 pm the crowd had grown to around 600 people. The crowd included some supporters of Militant and the Anti-Poll Tax Federation. At 3.45 pm a number of demonstrators attempted to force their way into the council house. They were prevented from doing so by the police.Further sporadic outbreaks of disorder occurred throughout the afternoon and early evening as elements of the crowd tried unsuccessfully to break the police lines. Missiles were thrown from the crowd and officers were kicked and punched. The demonstrators began to disperse at around 7.30 pm when the council meeting was concluded. A section of the crowd then proceeded to march into the city centre causing serious traffic congestion. A number of cars were damaged and three shops had their windows broken. A number of demonstrators returned to the council house and held a short meeting outside. These demonstrators had dispersed by 9.15 pm. Twenty-one people were arrested, mainly for public order offences. Five police officers were injured, three requiring hospital treatment.
Penal Establishments
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the penal establishments in England and Wales, by security category, giving the number of inmates in each, at a convenient date in (a) 1979 and (b) 1989.
Mr. Mellor : Prison service establishments are classified by main function ; subdivision into security category is practised only for male training prisons. A list of all establishments in England and Wales with their inmate populations on 31 December each year has been deposited in the Library. For a variety of reasons, training prisons may hold a number of inmates whose individual security classification is lower than that of the establishment itself.
Police Rent Allowance
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement concerning the outcome of representations he has received on his decision to set aside certain elements of the police negotiating board's recommendations on rent allowance.
Mr. Waddington [pursuant to his reply, 25 January 1990, columns 884- 85] : Amending regulations were laid before both Houses of Parliament on 9 March. I have received representations from several quarters about the effect of these on officers in police forces whose maximum limits of rent allowance were last reviewed in 1988, on the grounds that they are at a disadvantage as compared with officers whose forces had a review date in 1989. I have therefore decided that officers whose allowances were last reviewed in 1988 and who are due to have their rent allowances protected at their existing amounts on 31 March should have those amounts increased as from 1 April by the movement in the retail prices index since their force maximum limit was last reviewed. Further amending regulations to give effect to my decision will be made as soon as possible.
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This is in addition to the arrangements already provided for in the amending regulations whereby no officer in receipt of rent allowance on 31 March will receive less after that date than he was getting then.I have also decided that officers in accommodation provided by their police authorities should receive a transitional allowance of £300 a year for three years. This is provided for in the amending regulations already laid. This decision is in recognition of the fact that up till now such officers have occupied their accommodation free of rates.
HEALTH
Population Statistics
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what are the current estimates and projections of the population aged 16 years and over, men and women, by standard region including Greater London for June each year from 1975 to the current year ;
(2) what are the current estimates and projections of the population of working age, men and women, by standard region including Greater London for June each year from 1975 to the current year.
Mr. Freeman : I have placed the information in the Library.
Community Care
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision is being made to provide community facilities for the mentally ill and handicapped.
Mr. Freeman : It is for health authorities and social services authorities to collaborate to provide, within reasonable resources, community facilities for mentally ill
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and mentally handicapped people. Subject to the enactment of current legislation, resources will be augmented by a transfer from social security to local authorities and by the introduction of a specific grant to help increase the social care available for people with a mental illness.Psychotherapy
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what National Health Service in-patient facilities exist, other than the Cassel hospital, Richmond, Surrey, to provide psychotherapeutic treatment for severely disturbed patients and families.
Mr. Freeman : This information is not held centrally.
Cassel Hospital, Richmond
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received about the proposal by the Riverside health authority to close the Cassel hospital, Richmond.
Mr. Freeman : I have received letters from a number of hon. Members and others and responded for the Government in an Adjournment debate moved by my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond and Barnes (Mr. Hanley) on 9 February at columns 1201-08.
Hospital Beds
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give for each Yorkshire and Humberside health authority the total available patient beds for each year since 1979.
Mr. Freeman : The information requested is given in the table.
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Average daily available beds, wards open overnight, NHS hospitals, 1979 to 1988-89 <1> Comparable figures not available due to National Health Service restructuring in 1982.
Disabled People
Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place a final copy of the report made under section 11 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 in the Library.
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Mr. Freeman : Copies are available in the Library.
Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if, in the light of the findings of the SSI report, "Developing Services for Disabled People", he plans to
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ring-fence the money allocated for the remaining sections of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986.Mr. Freeman : No money has been allocated for the remaining sections of the Act. In general, we believe that Government support for local authority expenditure is best provided through the revenue support grant, to ensure maximum local accountability.
Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if, in the light of the findings of the SSI report, "Developing Services for Disabled People", he plans to ring-fence the money for community care services for disabled people under his new arrangements for community care ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : No. We believe that Government support for community care expenditure, as with other important local authority functions, is best provided through the revenue support grant. This will ensure maximum local accountability and encourage value for money by enabling local authorities to make decisions about community care based on local factors.
Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date he expects to lay a final draft of the report to Parliament under section 11 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 before Parliament ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : The report was laid before Parliament on 21 December 1989.
Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date the first meeting with local authority associations was held to discuss implementation of sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986.
Mr. Freeman : The implementation of these sections of the Act was discussed in the course of a meeting with the local authority associations on 4 July 1988, when it was agreed that work on other sections should take priority. Officials have now written to the associations to seek their views on the cost and other implications of these sections, and intend to arrange a further meeting with them to discuss these issues in due course.
Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish the findings of the SSI monitoring of sections 5 and 6 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 ; and what steps he will be taking to publicise its findings.
Mr. Freeman : The social services inspectorate's report "Developing Services for Disabled People", published on 6 February, gave the results of an inspection of all sections of the Act in force, including sections 5 and 6. The findings of a more specific study of the progress of six authorities towards implementation of sections 5 and 6 are due to be published shortly, and copies will be placed in the Library.
Overseas Treatment
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has on the average cost incurred by United Kingdom passport holders who, when falling ill abroad, required treatment.
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Mr. Freeman : No information on this subject is collected or held centrally.
Wakefield DHA
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Wakefield of 8 March, Official Report, column 827, if he will make it his policy to make privately available to the hon. Member for Wakefield a copy of the director of audit's report relating to Wakefield district health authority's cook-chill catering system, when it is completed.
Mr. Freeman : No. If a report is issued it will be sent for consideration by Wakefield district health authority, Yorkshire regional health authority and the Secretary of State.
General Practitioners
Mr. Michael Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what allowance will be made for general practitioner remuneration in the light of his Department's non-issue of the child health surveillance fee claim ;
(2) what steps his Department is taking to ensure that general practitioners receive sufficient supplies of child health surveillance fee claim forms by 30 March.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Stocks of the new child health surveillance fee claim form were issued to all family practitioner committees by 5 March 1990 for distribution to general practitioners.
Mr. Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many electoral wards would qualify for general practitioner deprivation payments if a score of 16 rather than 30 had been chosen as the trigger point for payment ; and what would be the extra cost.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley [holding answer 5 March 1990] : The number of wards (1981 boundaries) which have a Jarman score of 16 or more in England is 1,249. If deprivation payments were to be made at this level (16 or more) the cost would have to be met by reducing other fees and allowances within the remuneration system, to ensure that the average net income incurred by GPs did not exceed the level recommended by the doctors and dentists' review body and accepted by the Government. If the payment rate proposed for the band 30-39 was extended down to 16, some £30 million at April 1990 rates would have to be found by reducing other fees and allowances.
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