| Previous Section | Home Page |
Merseyside Police Authority
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to meet the chief constable of Merseyside to discuss capital budgets for the Merseyside police authority.
Column 18
Mr. Peter Lloyd : My right hon. and noble Friend discussed these and other issues with the chief constable and members of the police authority during a recent visit to Merseyside.
Murder Statistics
Mr. Quentin Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many murders were committed in the United Kingdom in 1989 ; in connection with how many of these arrests have been made or convictions secured ; and if he will give the comparable figures for 1950, 1960, 1970 and 1980.
Mr. John Patten : The data for homicides in England and Wales is given below. Equivalent figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland are published by the Scottish Home and Health Department and by the Northern Ireland Office.
In the absence of a court decision it is not always possible to distinguish between offences of murder, manslaughter and infanticide ; they are known collectively as homicide.
|c|Homicides recorded and cleared up in selected years|c|
Year |Homicides |Cleared up<1>|Per cent.
|recorded
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1950 |346 |328 |95
1960 |282 |270 |96
1970 |393 |369 |94
1980 |620 |600 |97
1988 |624 |601 |96
<2>1989 |641 |589 |92
<1>Mainly by suspect being arrested.
<2>Provisional
Sources:
Criminal statistics, England and Wales Statistical Bulletin 10/90.
Drug Arrests, Ynys Mo n
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been arrested for possession of (a) heroin, (b) cannabis and (c) amphetamines in each year since 1986 on Ynys Mo n.
Mr. John Patten : Separate statistics are not available centrally for Ynys Mo n. In the North Wales police force area the number of persons dealt with by the courts for possession of the specified drugs, which may exclude a small number of persons arrested and dealt with in other ways, was as follows :
Drug |1986 |1987 |1988
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heroin |10 |13 |19
Cannabis |148 |176 |238
Amphetamines |24 |17 |35
Note: Persons dealt with for possession of more than one of the specified drugs at a
single court appearance appear against each drug in the table.
Prisoners (Life Sentences)
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners serving life sentences have been granted parole or released on licence during the past 20 years in (a) England and (b) Wales.
Mr. Mellor : Life sentence prisoners are not eligible for parole but are released on licence. Statistics are not
Column 19
available centrally of the areas to which prisoners are released. Information on releases before 1972 is not readily available. The numbers released in each of the years 1978-88 were published in table 8.5 of Prison statistics England and Wales 1988 (Cm 825), a copy of which is in the Library. The table gives figures for those released in the years 1972 to 1977, and 1989.|c|Life sentence prisoners<1> first released on licence from prison service|c| |c|establishments in England and Wales, 1972-77, 1989|c| Year |Number ---------------------- 1972 |27 1973 |35 1974 |46 1975 |41 1976 |85 1977 |70 <2>1989 |68 <1> Including persons detained under section 53 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933. <2> Provisional.
Metropolitan Police (Complaints)
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Metropolitan police officers are currently under investigation following complaints against them.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I understand from the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis that complaints are being investigated in relation to 4,708 police officers in the force. The number of complaints in progress at any one time is a function of the time taken by each investigation, as well as of the number of complaints made. Complaints against officers of the Metropolitan police have been on the decline for some years. In the early 1980's they averaged over 8, 500 a year : since 1985 they have generally been fewer than 5,500 a year. In 1989, 5,350 complaints were made against members of the force.
Child Care
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions the ministerial group on women's issues has had about mechanisms for providing child care ; and what conclusions were reached.
Mr. John Patten : The ministerial group on women's issues has discussed child care at three meetings (April 1989, October 1989 and February 1990).
The group has concluded that choice and quality are paramount considerations. A range of measures has been agreed, therefore, designed to maintain and improve the standards of the wide range of those providing child care for parents who choose to use their services.
Summaries of the initiatives on child care agreed by the group are contained in the press release issued after the group's meetings in April 1989 and February 1990, copies of which have been placed in the Library.
Women's Issues
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the ministerial group on women's issues last met ; and what subjects were discussed.
Mr. John Patten : The ministerial group on women's issues last met on 26 February 1990 and discussed
Column 20
domestic violence and child care. The group also received a report of the United Kingdom's presentation in January to the United Nation's committee on the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women.The group will next meet on 19 June.
Between meetings of the group there are regular meetings between officials in the Departments concerned to ensure that action agreed by the group is taken forward.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Taxation (Performers)
Mr. Gerald Howarth : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes there have been in the tax treatment of actors.
Mr. Lilley : From 6 April 1990 theatrical employers were required by the Inland Revenue to operate PAYE on the emoluments of actors engaged under standard contracts based on terms agreed between Equity and theatre managements. The Inland Revenue's view that these are contracts of employment is based on decisions in the Courts, and has been the subject of discussions with the theatre industry for a number of years. There are, however, transitional arrangements which allow established actors, with a history of payment tax under schedule D, to continue to pay their tax under that schedule, and to receive their earnings without deduction of tax under PAYE.
Customs Procedures
Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account he has taken of the impact of the single market on customs-free travel in 1992 when considering the need for pre-boarding customs checks at the proposed international passenger terminal at Waterloo.
Mr. Ryder : The Government have repeatedly stressed the need to retain essential customs checks on EC traffic after 1992 to guard against drugs smuggling and similar threats to society. Against this background, customs checks on channel tunnel travellers are being design to be as selective and unobtrusive as possible. Checks on departing passengers are expected to be minimal and only a very small percentage of passengers arriving at Waterloo will experience any delay as they pass through familiar airport-style checks.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what evaluation his Department made of the feasibility of carrying out all customs procedures on board trains using the proposed international passenger terminal at Waterloo.
Mr. Ryder : A joint working party of officials and British Rail carefully consider the options. Channel tunnel traffic arriving at Waterloo is expected to be heavy, with up to four trains an hour at peak times. The working party concluded that, in preference to checks on board trains, traditional airport-style customs checks at Waterloo would be more cost- effective. Under this system, more than 95 per cent. of passengers can expect to pass through customs without being stopped.
Column 21
European Investment Bank
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he was consulted in his capacity as director of the European investment bank over the recent decision to extend the loan to the channel tunnel company by a further £300,000,000 ; and which body or organisation provided a guarantee for this further loan.
Mr. Ryder : Community Finance Ministers and the Chancellor of the Exchequer form the board of governors of the European investment bank. The board of directors is composed of senior officials and private sector representatives from the member states. In accordance with European investment bank procedure, the loan to Eurotunnel was approved by the board of directors.
The loan is guaranteed on the same basis as the European investment bank's previous loan to Eurotunnel : that is, by means of letters of credit from a group of first-class commercial banks, and a pro rata share with the syndicate banks in the charge on the project revenues and assets.
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the normal practice of the European investment bank in seeking guarantees for loans ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ryder : The statutes of the European investment bank state that :
"When granting a loan to an undertaking or to a body other than a Member State, the Bank shall make the loan conditional either on a guarantee from the Member State in whose territory the project will be carried out or on other adequate guarantees."
The guarantee for each project is determined on a case by case basis.
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the impact on the Scotch whisky industry resulting from the elimination of intra-European Community duty free trade ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ryder : There are no formal proposals in this area but the Commission have made it clear that as a consequence of the completion of the single market, duty-free shopping for intra-community travel should cease.
The Government understand the Commission's view that it makes no sense to grant a tax concession for crossing a frontier when fiscal frontiers have been abolished. Equally, the Government are aware of the economic significance of the United Kingdom duty-free trade. The Scotch whisky industry and others have made representations about the effects of abolishing duty-free shopping within the Community. The Government will examine all the arguments carefully before any decisions are reached within the Community.
HMSO (Contracts)
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Hunterprint company had, or has outstanding, contracts with Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
Mr. Ryder : During 1990 HMSO has awarded eight printing contracts to Hunterprint plc. Six of these contracts have been completed, one remains due for completion by July and the other is on-going.
Column 22
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Nuclear Accident, Greenwich
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans or studies have been made by his Department to assess measures that would have to be taken in the event of contamination by airborne plutonium resulting from a nuclear weapons accident aboard a Royal Navy ship docked at Greenwich in relation to the impact on schoolchildren studying in the area.
Mrs. Rumbold : Action in the event of a nuclear accident involving one of Her Majesty's ships is primarily the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence.
Disabled Students
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he collects from institutions of higher education on provision to facilitate access on the part of students with disabilities.
Mr. Jackson : This information is not routinely collected.
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will estimate current transitional expenditure on special facilities, residential accommodation and teaching aids for disabled students in higher education.
Mr. Jackson : The responsibility for such expenditure lies with the institutions, which determine their own priorities within the total resources at their disposal. The information is not collected centrally.
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on current financial support available to disabled students ; and what plans he has to uprate this support.
Mr. Jackson : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Epping Forest (Mr. Norris) on 19 March (Official Report, columns 417-18). Social security benefits for disabled students are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security.
Student Loans
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will estimate when the loan element will reach 50 per cent. of student maintenance assuming current inflation figures.
Mr. Jackson : If inflation were to remain at 9.4 per cent. and the total student support from grant (including any parental contribution) and loan were to be increased in line with inflation while the cash value of the grant remained constant, the average maximum loan facility would equal the average maximum basic rate of grant in the academic year 1996-97. The Government's forecast of inflation for the last quarter of 1990 is 7.25 per cent.
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will update his reply to the
Column 23
hon. Member for Oxford, East, of 18 December 1989, Official Report, columns 36-40, estimating the public sector borrowing requirement effect of the student loans scheme for each year for which figures are available assuming 80 per cent., 90 per cent. and 100 per cent. take-up.Mr. Jackson : Present estimates of the public sector borrowing requirement effect of the student loans scheme are as announced on 18 December 1989 (Official Report, columns 36-40). The estimates are being revised to take account of new data, including the latest estimates of student numbers, and will be published in due course.
Armouries (School Premises)
Mr. Dunn : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice he has issued regarding the holding of weaponry and live ammunition at schools maintained by local education authorities ; if he will indicate his policy on this matter ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice his Department gives schools as to the storage of live ammunition on their premises.
Mr. MacGregor : None. Local education authorities are guided in these matters by guidelines issued by the Police Department on regulations issued by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence.
Haberdasher's Aske's CTC
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what consideration is being given to locating new buildings for the proposed Haberdasher's Aske's city technology college other than those connected with physical education on the site of the current schools' playing fields at Nunhead ;
(2) when the feasibility study by his Department on the establishment of a Haberdasher's Aske's city technology college will be completed ; and what arrangements will be made to consult the governors, head teachers and parents at the present schools on the building and curriculum plans resulting from this study.
Mrs. Rumbold : The provision of accommodation and facilities for the Haberdasher's Aske's Hatcham city technology college has been the subject of feasibility studies. This work is scheduled to be completed by the end of July. Further consultations on the details of the building programme and the curriculum of the CTC are a matter for the Haberdashers' Company, the governing body of the present schools and the Haberdasher's Aske's City Technology Trust, when established, to decide.
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what additional provision will be made in the funding agreement for the Haberdasher's Aske's city technology college to ensure that future revenue funding will be distributed between the boys' and girls' sections in direct proportion to the number of pupils of each sex attending the CTC.
Mrs. Rumbold : The arrangements for recurrent funding of the city technology colleges (CTCs) and the city technology college for the technology of the arts (CCTA) are set out in the final funding agreement, a copy of which
Column 24
was placed in the House of Commons Library in July 1989. The Haberdasher's Aske's CTC will be funded as one CTC.Meningitis
Mr. Knapman : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what support is being made available through the Universities Funding Council in the form of block grants to universities for research into meningitis.
Mr. Jackson : Block grant is not earmarked for particular purposes. It is for universities to decide their own priorities for research.
School Closures, Gloucestershire
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schools were closed in each of the past five years in the Gloucestershire education authority.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The number of schools which were closed in each of the past five years in the Gloucestershire education authority area is as follows :
|Number
---------------------
1989 |0
1988 |9
1987 |13
1986 |16
1985 |23
WALES
Eggs
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make representations, prior to the 1 July deadline, to the European Community concerning regulation 2772/75 relating to the marketing of eggs, in order to safeguard the interests of small farmers in this matter.
Mr. David Hunt : No. The proposed Council regulation is only framework legislation. The detail will be included in a Commission regulation which will be adopted under management committee procedure. We shall, of course, bear in mind the interests of all egg producers when the details are discussed and voted on in the management committee.
Menopause Clinics
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many menopause clinics are available in Welsh hospitals.
Mr. Grist : Consultants in a wide range of medical specialties in Wales may hold clinics for menopausal women. However, central records identify out-patient clinics by medical specialty only and menopause clinics are not separately identified.
Mental Handicap
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the role of Cartrefi Cymru in the all-Wales mental handicap strategy ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 25
Mr. Grist : Cartrefi Cymru offers to county joint planning teams a range of services concerned with identifying the housing needs of people with a mental handicap, establishing their requirements for support, seeking suitable accommodation from housing providers and appointing, training and managing staff.It works on the basis of contracts with social service departments and health authorities, and has officers based in counties to develop and manage accommodation. There is a central administrative base in Cardiff to co-ordinate and administer the services provided.
M4 (Congestion)
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he is taking to eliminate traffic jams on the M4.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : My plans for major improvements to the M4 are set out in "Roads in Wales Progress and Plans for the 1990s". Traffic management measures are implemented as necessary at particular congestion points and during periods of new construction, improvement and maintenance.
Assembly of Welsh Counties
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to meet the Assembly of Welsh Counties.
Mr. David Hunt : I met the Welsh Consultative Council on Local Government Finance, which includes representatives of the Assembly of Welsh Counties, earlier today.
Ex-service Housing
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to encourage the award of grants for modernisation and improvement of housing in Wales which is provided to meet the specific needs of ex-service men and women.
Mr. Grist : Ex-service men and women, in line with any other owner- occupier, landlord or tenant, can benefit from the revised renovation grant system to be introduced on 1 July.
Physiotherapy
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the estimated deficit in physiotherapy services in Gwynedd for, respectively (a) pre-school children, (b) children in ordinary schools and (c) children in special schools, at the most recent available date ; what were the corresponding figures in 1988 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : This information is not available centrally.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will review the provision of physiotherapy services for children in Gwynedd following the implementation of the Education Act 1981 ; and what assessment he has made of whether Gwynedd health authority have acted in line with their strategic plan of 1984.
Mr. Grist : It is for district health authorities and local education authorities to determine the level of provision of
Column 26
physiotherapy services within available resources. The relevant objectives set out in Gwynedd health authority's strategic plan of 1984 indicated an intent to improve facilities subject to the availability of resources and I am informed that the number of physiotherapist/remedial gymnast staff in post has been increased from 40.8 in 1984 to 48.6 in 1989. (Whole-time equivalent at September in each case.)Mental Illness
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will meet the chair of Gwynedd health authority to discuss the proposal to move psychiatric services to Ysbyty Bryn-Y-Neuadd ; and if he will take steps to ensure that proposals are consistant with the all-Wales strategy for mental illness.
Mr. Grist : I am not aware of any formal proposal to move psychiatric services to Ysbyty Bryn-Y-Neauadd nor have I been asked for a discussion by the chair of Gwynedd health authority.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has received from Gwynedd health authority any proposal for the relocation of psychiatric services out of Ysbyty Gwynedd ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : No. Any proposal entailing a substantial variation in services would of course be subject to the usual requirements for consultation.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether the all -Wales strategy for mental illness recommends reversion to the asylum concept of care for mentally ill people, in place of general-hospital-based services.
Mr. Grist : No. It is recognised that the behaviour or condition of a small proportion of mental illness sufferers will continue to require the provision of a protected environment for them, and it is anticipated that any necessary in-patient treatment will be provided at district general hospital units. However, it is a fundamental principle of the mental illness strategy that the great majority of those who need assessment and treatment should receive it in their own locality and within their usual social environment.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which health authorities have agreed to the all-Wales strategy for mental illness ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : All health authorities in Wales are participants in the relevant multi-agency county-based teams responsible for the planning and implementation of the mental illness strategy at local level. They are thus all party to the local plans which have formed the basis of funding allocated for the current year.
St. David's Hospital, Bangor
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether Gwynedd health authority will be empowered without reference to his Department to sell St. David's Hospital, Bangor, and to use the proceeds from such a sale at its own discretion.
Mr. Grist : Disposal of St. David's hospital, Bangor is a matter for Gwynedd health authority once it has
Column 27
complied with the conditions set down in the Department's decision letter of 3 March 1989. In the event that the property is then formally declared surplus to health service requirements, the authority may dispose of it without further reference to the Department.The health authority will be entitled to retain the proceeds from any sale of the hospital land and buildings for the provision of hospital and community health services for which they are responsible under the present procedures relating to disposal of surplus land and buildings.
Beef
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has given any guidelines to health authorities in Wales on serving beef.
Mr. Grist : The Department has issued to all health authorities the text of a statement made on 16 May by the chief medical officer of the Department of Health. This statement confirmed that British beef can be eaten safely by everyone, both adults and children, including patients in hospital.
| Next Section
| Home Page |