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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 5 July 1990
HOME DEPARTMENT
Correspondence
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the reason for the delay in replying to the letter to him from the chief constable of Staffordshire on 8 May concerning residency qualifications for applicants to the police force.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The chief constable's letter concerned a citizen of Nigeria who wishes to join the police. His residency qualifications and his later application for leave to remain in this country have been the subject of detailed inquiries. This was explained to the chief constable in an interim reply on 24 May. A substantive reply will be sent as soon as practicable.
Begging, London
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 steps he is taking to protect the public from intimidatory begging on the streets of London ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Decisions about the deployment of resources to tackle crime are an operational matter for the commissioner. I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the police will arrest for begging where there is some element of threatening or intimidating behaviour.
Irish Terrorism
Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the level of co-operation between police forces in the United Kingdom and those in Belgium in the fight against Irish terrorism ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waddington : Police forces in the United Kingdom are co- operating fully with those in Belgium and will continue to do so.
Homosexuals
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Department has any plans to require police forces to monitor and record areas of violence against homosexuals where there is evidence of homophobic motives.
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward proposals for police action to protect lesbians and gay men from violent attacks.
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Mr. Peter Lloyd : Decisions about police action against specific offences are an operational matter for chief officers of police, but they attach a high priority to tackling violent crime.
Bomb Incidents
Mr. Dykes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has held discussions with the Metropolitan police following the recent bomb incidents in London.
Mr. Waddington : As I told the House in my statement on 26 June, I had a discussion with the commissioner that morning.
Vagrancy Act
Mr. Watson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many successful prosecutions were brought under the Vagrancy Act 1824 in 1989 (a) in the Metropolitan police district and (b) in other parts of England and Wales.
Mr. Waddington : Information for 1989 will not be available until the autumn.
Security Service
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the operation of the Security Service Act.
Mr. Waddington : The Security Service Act 1989, which came into force on 18 December last year, provides for effective oversight of the service.
Fine Defaulters
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average cost of imprisoning a fine defaulter in England and Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waddington : The average cost of imprisonment in 1988-89 was £288 per inmate per week. No separate records are held for different categories of offender.
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fine defaulters were committed into custody in England and Wales during 1988 and 1989 ; what is the current daily population of fine defaulters ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waddington : Information on persons received into prison service establishments in default of payment of a fine is published anually in "Prison Statistics England and Wales"--table 7.3 of the volume for 1988, Cm. 825--copies of which are in the Library. The provisional receptions figure for 1989 is 17,700 and the average population was about 460.
Psychiatric Hostels
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many psychiatric hostel places were available for offenders in England and Wales for the latest date available ; what percentage were occupied ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Waddingdon : There are no places specifically designed for offenders in need of psychiatric support in the statutorily approved probation/bail hostels, but only those suffering from severe subnormality or psychopathic disorder are statutorily precluded from admission to these hostels. There are 212 bed spaces specifically available for discharged prisoners in need of psychiatric support within the Home Office voluntary after-care accommodation grants scheme (VACAGS). The latest available figure, which relates to 1989, for occupancy of these bedspaces is 72 per cent. I am aware that a number of other projects within VACAGS occasionally accept such residents, as do other special needs accommodation projects not funded by the Home Office.Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average weekly cost for the latest available date of a psychiatric hostel place in England and Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waddington : The Home Office gives a contribution to the total income received by accommodation projects within the voluntary after-care accommodation grants scheme. The average weekly cost of a psychiatric hostel place requires information on total costs and cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost.
Prison Statistics
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many category A, category B, and category C places were available in each prison region in England and Wales for the latest date available ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waddington : The certified normal accommodation of category B and category C training prisons in each of the four regions in England and Wales on 31 March 1990 was as follows :
)
Certified normal
accommodation in
|Category |Category
|B prisons|C prisons
-----------------------------------------
North |2,140 |3,228
South-East |2,687 |2,912
South-West |1,038 |1,517
Midland |565 |3,088
Category A places are provided in some category B training prisons and some local prisons and remand centres. These places are upgraded as and when necessary for the secure custody of category A prisoners.
Some 14,704 places are provided for male prisoners in local prisons and remand centres. These establishments hold prisoners identified as being within a variety of security categories and unsentenced prisoners who are unclassified for security purposes.
Remand Prisoners
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners currently under sentence or on remand in England and Wales are (a) mentally ill or (b) have a psychiatric history for the latest date available ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waddington : The number of inmates with a psychiatric history is not recorded centrally. On 30
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September 1989, the latest date for which figures are available, 329 inmates--140 sentenced and 189 unsentenced--were reported by prison medical officers to be mentally disordered as defined by the Mental Health Act 1983. Of these, 264--90 sentenced and 174 unsentenced --were reported to be mentally ill.On 30 June 1979 prison medical officers considered that 557 inmates were detainable within the terms of the legislation then in force. On the census dates in recent years the number has fluctuated between 250 and 350.
The Government encourage the diversion of mentally disordered offenders from the penal system whenever custody is not necessary in the public interest.
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many psychiatric reports were prepared on remand prisoners in England and Wales for the latest year available ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waddington : A court requiring medical advice on a defendant's mental condition may remand that person to prison for a report. During the period 1 April 1988 to 31 March 1989 a total of 6,081 psychiatric reports to court, including 512 offered where not specifically requested were prepared by prison medical officers. The Government encourage the use of other means of obtaining such reports including bail or remand to hospital where custody is not necessary in the public interest.
Children Leaving Home
Dame Jill Knight : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up a national record of children under 16 years of age who leave either their own or local authority homes.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : My right hon. and learned Friend is currently examining different ways of establishing a national register of all vulnerable missing persons, including missing children. He hopes to announce his conclusion shortly.
Natural History Museum
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the consequences for forensic science of the changes at the natural history museum.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : We do not anticipate that the organisational changes being made at the natural history museum will have significant consequences for forensic science.
Mrs. Sarah Conlon
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans he has to compensate Mrs. Sarah Conlon for the false imprisonment of her husband, Giuseppe, and her son Gerard ; (2) how much he plans to pay Mrs. Sarah Conlon for the cost of the return of her husband's body to Belfast.
Mr. Waddington : I explained to the House on 14 June at column 454 that in the light of the view of the Director of Public Prosecutions the convictions of the Maguire family and their co-defendants are unsafe and unsatisfactory. The correct course would probably be for me to refer
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the case to the Court of Appeal, but I did not think it was right to do so until all the submissions on that issue had been presented to the May inquiry and Sir John May had had an opportunity to respond to them. As soon as I receive Sir John May's report on the relevant evidence so far presented to his inquiry, I will consider referring the cases to the Court of Appeal under section 17(i)(a) of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968.Should the late Mr. Giuseppe Conlon's conviction be set aside, I will consider any application which Mrs. Conlon may make for compensation in respect of her husband's conviction. The amount of any such payment would be determined by an independent assessor, who in reaching his decision would consider detailed submissions as to the matters to be taken into account.
On the advice of the independent assessor, an interim payment of compensation has already been made to Mr. Gerard Conlon in respect of his wrongful conviction for offences arising out of the Guildford and Woolwich pub bombings. Further payment will be made on the advice of the independent assessor.
Drug Rehabilitation Places
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many residential and non-residential drug rehabilitation places in both the statutory and voluntary sectors are available for offenders in England and Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waddington : There are no places specifically designated for drugs offenders in the statutorily approved probation/bail hostels, but there are 577 bed spaces specifically available for such discharged prisoners within the Home Office voluntary after-care accommodation grants scheme. I am aware that a number of other projects within the scheme occasionally accept such residents as do other special needs accommodation projects not funded by the Home Office. It is not possible to calculate the number of drugs offenders attending non-residential facilities.
Prison Building
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the cost to date of the prison building programme ; what is the estimated cost of the remaining planned institutions ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waddington : The total capital cost of the 8 prisons already constructed is £223 million, at outturn prices. The costs of the remaining 16 prisons in the current prison building programme are estimated at £1,132 million, also at outturn prices, of which £336 million had been spent up to the end of March 1990.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Cambodia
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what allocations have been made from the £1 million pledged for 1990-91 for international agencies working in Cambodia.
Mrs. Chalker : Following discussions with international agencies active in Cambodia, Britain will grant £500,000 to UNICEF for its programmes in health, nutrition, water
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and sanitation. This will enable further progress to be made in priority activities to which Britain recently contributed £250,000. A further £300,000 will be provided to the World Food Programme to purchase rice in support of UNICEF's well and pond digging programme. This is an essential component of a nutrition programme already benefiting 7,480 families. Malaria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Cambodia. I have therefore decided to provide £200,000 to the World Health Organisation for their new anti-malaria programme.I am sure that our contributions will make a significant impact on these key programmes of humanitarian assistance to the people of Cambodia. We shall monitor progress very closely.
DEFENCE
Low Flying
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the specified radius in nautical miles of low-flying avoidance around towns and villages ;
(2) what definition is used for major conurbations and built-up areas in the instructions to pilots concerning overflight of major conurbations and built-up areas in the United Kingdom low-flying system ;
(3) if simulated attacks on moving civilian road traffic are permitted in the United Kingdom low-flying system ;
(4) what are the regulations concerning simulated attacks on targets of opportunity in the United Kingdom low-flying system.
Mr. Neubert : The points raised are the subject of recommendations by the House of Commons Defence Committee whose report on low flying (HC 120) is currently being considered by the Government and to which a response will be made in the normal way.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will list all the avoidance sites which have been disestablished in the tactical training areas since 1984 ;
(2) if he will list all the avoidance sites which have been newly established in the tactical training areas since 1984.
Mr. Neubert : It is not our practice to release detailed information on flying restrictions in individual areas.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if all users of the United low-flying system are required to plan and brief an exact route for their sortie before take-off ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what is the maximum permitted lateral deviation from planned route for aircrew attempting to maintain visual meteorological conditions in poor weather at low level.
Mr. Neubert : Comprehensive planning is required for all sorties in the United Kingdom low-flying system. The precision with which the actual route is planned will vary with the type and role of aircraft and with the nature of the low-flying exercise which is to be undertaken. Aircrew will take account of the possibility of adverse weather in their planning but no maximum permitted lateral deviation is laid down.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which types of aircraft's noise levels produced by NATO allied air forces which are common users of the United
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Kingdom's low-flying system, will be included in the forthcoming noise survey to be conducted by his Department.Mr. Neubert : The noise measurement trial conducted at the Royal Aerospace West Freugh range last month covered the following common users of the United Kingdom low-flying system : F-111, Hawk, Harrier GR5, Jaguar, Tornado and Tucano aircraft.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the nature, purpose and title of the low-flying exercise to be held in the vicinity of Swanton Morley, Norfolk, between 25 June and 20 July ; how many and what types of aircraft are due to take part ; what is the minimum altitude authorised for (a) helicopters and (b) fixed-wing aircraft participating in the exercise ; and what notification has been given to the public of this exercise.
Mr. Neubert : There are no plans to hold a low-flying exercise in the vicinity of Swanton Morley over the period in question.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date that part of the London/Thames valley avoidance area encompassing Braintree, Witham and Heybridge, Essex, was abolished ; what was the reason for its abolition ; if he will list the parliamentary constituencies over which low flying is newly permitted, or within which the area available for low flying is extended, as a result of this measure ; and what instructions are now issued to military pilots concerning low flying over (a) Witham (b) Braintree and (c) Heybridge.
Mr. Neubert : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 28 July 1989 at column 1031.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the maximum number of aircraft permitted to operate at low level at any one time in the hilly areas of Wales ; if this restriction applies to the whole of low-flying area 7 ; and if he will list any changes made to this maximum number since 1979.
Mr. Neubert : No more than 30 aircraft, excluding helicopters, are permitted to book into low flying area 7 at any one time during the period 0700 to 1800 local time Monday to Friday. No changes have been made to this figure since its introduction in 1987.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints were received about military low flying over the national eisteddfod at Glyn Llifon agricultural college, Caernarfon, between 28 May and 2 June.
Mr. Neubert : I am not aware of any such complaints.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has further to reduce the number and size of low-flying avoidance areas covering special rules airspace around civil airports ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Neubert : I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 26 July 1989, Official Report , column 317.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the nature, purpose and title of the low-flying exercise held in the vicinity of the Llyn Brianne reservoir
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on 11, 12 and 13 June ; how many and what types of aircraft took part ; what was the minimum altitude authorised for (a) helicopters and (b) fixed-wing aircraft participating in the exercise ; and what notification was given to the public of this exercise.Mr. Neubert : Fighter evasion training involving one Hunter aircraft and two Lynx helicopters was conducted in the area of the Llyn Brianne reservoir over the period concerned within the normal minimum height constraints applicable in the United Kingdom low-flying system. No notification was given to the general public of this routine training activity.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many low- flying sorties took place over the United Kingdom during this year's Exercise Central Enterprise.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on what date flow control for low-flying military aircraft in a southerly direction between the city of Hull and danger area D. G306 was first established ;
(2) on what date flow control was first established in the United Kingdom low-flying system in a south-westerly direction (a) between RAF Marham and the Stanford practical training area and (b) in the vicinity of Harlesdon, Norfolk ;
(3) on what date flow control was first established in the United Kingdom low flying system in a north-westerly direction in the vicinity of (a) Watton, Norfolk and (b) Diss, Norfolk ; (4) on what date flow control was first established in the United Kingdom low-flying System in a northerly direction between (a) Brancaster and Blakeney Point, Norfolk and (b) the city of Northampton and Sywell airfield ;
(5) on what date flow control was first established in the United Kingdom low-flying System in a north-easterly direction between (a) RAF Cottesmore and RAF Wittering, (b) King's Lynn and RAF Sculthorpe and (c) on the north side of the RAF Wattisham military air traffic zone ;
(6) on what date flow control was first established in the United Kingdom low-flying system in (a) a southerly direction in the vicinity of Cromer, Norfolk, and (b) a westerly direction between Peterborough and RAF Alconbury ;
(7) on what date the anti-clockwise flow control was first established around the town of Sculthorpe in the United Kingdom low-flying system ;
(8) on what date flow control was first established in the United Kingdom low-flying system (a) between Harworth and
Carlton-in-Lindrick, Nottinghamshire, and (b) in the vicinity of Ackworth, west Yorkshire.
Mr. Neubert : Unidirectional traffic flows have been in use since before the introduction of the current low flying system in 1979 and I regret that the information requested could not be provided without disproportionate cost and effort.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what instructions are given to pilots concerning the minimum height and maximum speed to be flown over the Billing and Boothville suburbs of Northampton, when
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flying through the channel in the United Kingdom low-flying system in a northerly direction between the city of Northampton and Sywell airfield.Mr. Neubert : Aircraft flying in the area concerned are subject to the normal rules of the United Kingdom low flying system.
Research and Development
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration is being given within the options for change exercise to the mechanisms for returning research and development scientists and facilities to civilian manufacturing.
Mr. Neubert : The implications of options for change for the defence equipment programme, including the research programme, are being studied, but it is too early to say what their impact will be.
Exercise Panoramic II
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many aircraft, and of which types, will participate in Exercise Panoramic II ; and from which bases they will operate ;
(2) if he will make a statement on the nature and purpose of the forthcoming exercise entitled Panoramic II ;
(3) if he will make a statement on the measures taken to ensure the safety of civilian sea and air traffic during Exercise Panoramic II.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Panoramic II is a trial designed to investigate the performance of air-to-air missiles. The trial, which began on 2 July and will continue until 13 July, involves four Tornado F3, one Phantom, one Victor, one VC10, one Nimrod and one Canberra aircraft. All the aircraft are operating from RAF Leuchars, with the exception of the Nimrod, which is operating from RAF Kinloss.
Missile firings are taking place within a special airspace reservation area north-west of Saxa Vord. The Nimrod carries out a search for shipping and ensures that the area is clear before any firing takes place. A coastal navigation warning has been issued by the Royal Navy hydrographer. All civilian air traffic routes through the area have been closed for the duration of the trial.
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