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Sao Tome and PrincipeSaudi Arabia
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Solomon Islands
Somalia
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Syrian Arab Republic
Thailand
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Tuvalu
Uganda
Uruguay
Venezuela
Vietnam
Western Samoa
Yemen, Republic of
Yugoslavia
Zaire
Notes :
1. Taiwan (not recognised as a State by Her Majesty's Government) signed the Treaty in Washington on 1 July 1968 and deposited an Instrument of Ratification in Washington on 27 January 1970. 2. North Korea (not recognised as a State by Her Majesty's Government) acceded to the Treaty on 12 December 1985 in Moscow.
GATT
Mr. McAvoy : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the implications for developing countries of the United States, European Community, Japanese and Nordic proposals for the current Uruguay round of GATT to include liberalisation of the services sector.
Mr. Redwood : I have been asked to reply.
With services accounting for a growing proportion of world trade, the proposals being considered in the GATT Uruguay round for a multilateral agreement on trade in services, stand to benefit all participants, developed and developing countries alike. The United Kingdom and its European Community partners are working for an agreement with the widest possible participation, and which achieves the greatest liberalisation. It is recognised that the commitments expected of developing countries will need to take account of development of their service sectors, and this is reflected in the draft agreement recently tabled by the EC.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Sexual Offences
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) in each of the years from 1980 to 1989 inclusive how many gay and/or bisexual men in England and Wales were convicted of importuning in public places, contrary to section 32 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956 ;
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(2) in each of the years from 1980 to 1989 inclusive how many men were convicted for the offences of gross indecency and indecency between males in England and Wales.Mr. John Patten : The information requested is given in the table. Data for 1989 will not be available until the autumn.
Males convicted of specified sexual offences 1980 to 1988
England and Wales
Offence |Soliciting or impor-|Indecency between
|tuning by a man |males
|(Section 32 of
|Sexual Offences Act
|1956)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1980 |1,184 |1,603
1981 |878 |1,420
1982 |783 |1,145
1983 |719 |1,232
1984 |399 |821
1985 |452 |730
1986 |452 |714
1987 |500 |951
1988 |545 |1,333
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many men in England and Wales were convicted of the offences of procuring or attempting to procure the commission of acts of buggery and gross indecency in each of the years 1980 to 1989, inclusive.
Mr. John Patten : The information requested is given in the table. Data for 1989 will not be available until the autumn.
Male defendants convicted of
procuration of males 1980 to 1988
England and Wales
|Procuration
|of males
------------------------------------
1980 |143
1981 |121
1982 |140
1983 |125
1984 |194
1985 |350
1986 |193
1987 |246
1988 |332
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what guidance his Department issues to police forces on what constitutes an immoral purpose for the purposes of prosecution for importuning in a public place for immoral purposes ; (2) what guidance his Department issues to police forces as to those acts which might be construed as representing gross indecency.
Mr. John Patten : None. The law has been interpreted by the courts. If necessary the police can turn to the Crown prosecution service for advice.
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department issues to police forces on criteria to be employed when deciding between prosecution for the offences of indecency between men and gross indecency ; and what is his Department's definition of indecency between males as used in its sexual offences statistics.
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Mr. John Patten : None. Charges brought under section 13 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956 are for acts of gross indecency between men. There is no lesser offence of indecency as opposed to gross indecency.
Crime Prevention
Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the steps which Her Majesty's Government have taken since 1979 to promote crime prevention.
Mr. Waddington : The Government's strong belief in the potential for the whole community to contribute to crime prevention is reflected in the range of measures we have taken which include the following :
(i) Publication in 1984 and in 1990 of circulars to local authorities and a variety of relevant agencies, recommending the development of locally based crime prevention schemes through partnership between local authority departments, the police and commercial and voluntary interests.
(ii) A series of national publicity campaigns using TV and press advertising. The most recent, which is not yet complete, features the latest edition of the handbook of crime prevention advice entitled "Practical Ways to Crack Crime". Over 3 million copies of this handbook have been distributed.
(iii) The establishment of Crime Concern, an independent body (funded initially by the Home Office) which seeks to encourage and facilitate local crime prevention activity, and to draw the business sector into crime prevention.
(iv) The safer cities programme. Projects have been set up in 16 inner-city areas with the objectives of reducing crime, lessening the fear of crime and creating conditions in which economic enterprise and community life can flourish.
(v) The establishment of the standing conference on crime prevention, giving the opportunity for a wide range of groups and agencies to discuss ideas on crime prevention.
(vi) Enhancement of the training offered to the police service by the Home Office crime prevention centre, including specialist areas such as architectural liaison and designing out crime.
(vii) A seminar in 1986, chaired by the Prime Minister, brought together representatives from the private sector, the unions, the police and central and local government to discuss action on crime prevention. This event led to the setting up of the ministerial group on crime prevention, through which Ministers from 13 Government Departments co-ordinate an interdepartmental approach to crime prevention.
Immigration
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many nationals of (a) Trinidad and Tobago, (b) Guyana, (c) Barbados and (d) Jamaica have (i) been admitted and (ii) been refused admittance and removed during each of the first five months of the current year.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The available information is given in the following table :
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Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados and Jamaica admitted to, and refused leave
to enter and removed from, the United Kingdom
1990
|January |February|March |April |May
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trinidad and Tobago
Total admitted<1> |1,200 |700 |1,400 |1,400 |1,400
Total refused leave to enter and removed |11 |11 |10 |9 |11
Guyana
Total admitted<1> |300 |300 |400 |500 |400
Total refused leave to enter and removed |6 |3 |6 |3 |4
Barbados
Total admitted<1> |500 |300 |400 |700 |700
Total refused leave to enter and removed |2 |1 |3 |3 |4
Jamaica
Total admitted<1> |1,600 |2,000 |1,900 |2,100 |2,400
Total refused leave to enter and removed |50 |52 |58 |42 |48
<1>Provisional figures.
Birmingham Prison
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a month-by-month breakdown of the number of attempted suicides by inmates in Birmingham prison during the first six months of 1990.
Mr. Mellor : The number of inmates who were recorded as having attempted suicide at Birmingham prison in each of the first six months of 1990 is as follows :
|Number
-----------------------
January |1
February |1
March |2
April |2
May |9
June |4
|--
Total |19
Remand Prisoners
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are still remanded in custody awaiting trial following the incidents in Trafalgar square on 31 March.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Students (Deportation)
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his Department's current policy and practice on enforcing deportation decisions against students who have been found to be working in breach of their conditions of entry ; what definition is used of student ; and whether he will list the colleges which he would not recognise as providing courses of study for overseas students acceptable under the immigration rules.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Any overseas student who wishes to work during his free time or vacations may do so by obtaining the requisite permission from the Department of Employment. Each case in which a student is found working without such permission is considered on its
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individual merits : as required by the immigration rules, the case for deportation is considered in the light of all known relevant factors. For this purpose a student is a person who at the time meets the requirements of the immigration rules for the grant of leave to enter or remain as a student. The Immigration and Nationality Department keeps records of information which has come to light about individual colleges. In dealing with individual applications from students, account is taken of any material which is available to the Department about the circumstances of, and courses offered by, the colleges concerned. Caseworkers are made aware of what information is available by means of internal notices which are part of staff instructions and are not published.Criminal Records Office
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken to (a) receive the original notes and (b) identify the authors of criminal records office file no. 10368/74.
Mr. John Patten : These are among the matters which are being considered by the Devon and Cornwall constabulary, whose report my right hon. and learned Friend will consider very carefully in due course.
Football Licensing Authority
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to meet representatives from the Football League to discuss the work of the Football Licensing Authority ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : My right hon. and learned Friend has no such plans at present. My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister of State has had such a meeting and has recently written to the chief executive of the Football League on this subject.
Firearms
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next intends to meet the chairman of the firearms consultative committee to discuss firearms certification procedures.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : My right hon. and learned Friend has no immediate plans to meet the chairman of the firearms
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consultative committee. It is for the committee to keep under review the working of the administration of the Firearms Acts 1968 to 1988 and to make to my right hon. and learned Friend such recommendations as the committee may from time to time think necessary for the improvement of that working.Bombing Cases
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has discussed the Guildford and Woolwich or the Maguire cases with (a) the Lord Chief Justice or (b) the Master of the Rolls.
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the nine Surrey police officers who were in Birmingham at the time of the pub bombings have been identified.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I refer the hon. Member to the replies given to questions from the hon. Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. Mullin) on 30 October 1989 at columns 39-40. It is not known whether any Surrey officers were in Birmingham at the time of the pub bombings, although I understand that a team of nine Surrey officers was in the west midlands area at the time. This is among the matters relating to the case of the Birmingham pub bombings which are currently under investigation by the Devon and Cornwall constabulary on behalf of the chief constable of the West Midlands police.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the new inquiry undertaken by the Devon and Cornwall police into the Birmingham Six to be completed.
Mr. John Patten : It is not possible at this stage to say when the Devon and Cornwall constabulary will be able to report on the results of its inquiries, but I know that the police are fully aware of the need to complete those inquiries as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.
Television Licences
Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will meet pensioners' representatives to discuss free television licences for all pensioners ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mellor : Such a meeting would serve no strong purpose. Our policy is clear and well known to the hon.
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Member. The licence fee is not a proper instrument of social policy, and we have no plans to change the present concessionary arrangements. Giving free licences to all pensioners would cost £435 million a year, and would necessitate increasing the cost of the licence to everyone else to well over £100.Missing Persons Register
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to establish a national computerised missing persons register ; and if he will make a statement.
Dr. Reid : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to establish a national computerised missing persons register ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : We have been considering the establishment of such a register for some time now. We have been examining two possible options and are now seeking the views of the Association of Chief Police Officers before reaching a conclusion as to the better method.
Criminal Damage
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the cost of vandalism or criminal damage in England in the last year for which figures are available.
Mr. John Patten : The information requested is not available.
Prison Officers, London
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list for each of the London prisons the number of applications for transfer from officers at those prisons to other prisons in England and Wales for each of the last three years ; and what is the number of applications that have been granted ; (2) if he will list the present number of transfer applications that have been submitted by officers serving at each of the London prisons for transfers to another prison in England and Wales ; and what is the longest period of time such an application has been waiting for a decision to be made.
Mr. Mellor : The available information is given in the following table.
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Establishment Number of transfer requests Numbers transferred<1> Earliest outstanding
|request
|1988 |1989 |1990 |1988 |1989 |1990
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Holloway |24 |45 |12 |42 |13 |11 |13 July 1987
Pentonville |47 |40 |10 |25 |15 |6 |16 February 1987
Wormwood Scrubs |62 |77 |16 |47 |49 |9 |24 April 1987
Brixton |58 |103 |37 |80 |35 |10 |4 September 1987
Feltham |13 |70 |18 |16 |17 |11 |29 September 1988
Wandsworth |52 |91 |25 |57 |27 |5 |1 April 1987
Latchmere House |10 |12 |9 |8 |2 |3 |10 May 1988
<1> Includes officers requesting transfer during previous years.
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Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are taken to help prison officers transferred from other establishments into London prisons with accommodation.
Mr. Mellor : Prison officers who are transferred to London prisons on permanent compulsory transfer terms are entitled to reimbursement of the expenses incurred in moving home. They are eligible to receive, for example, travel and subsistence allowances, removal expenses, estate agents' and solicitors' fees, a transfer grant or a miscellaneous expenses grant and in certain circumstances the interest charges on bridging loans.
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Drugs
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug finds there have been in each British prison establishment in each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Waddington : The following relates to England and Wales. Responsibility for prison establishments in Scotland rests with my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland. New instructions for the reporting by prison establishments of finds of illicit drugs and related implements took effect on 1 July 1984. Available information about numbers of finds reported since that time is shown in the table. The information for 1984 and 1985 relates to both substances and implements. The figures for subsequent years relate to substances only.
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Establishment |<1>1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |<2>1990 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Acklington |5 |18 |21 |8 |16 |18 |16 Albany |36 |86 |- |11 |1 |16 |- Aldington |1 |1 |3 |1 |4 |9 |6 Ashford |1 |12 |- |6 |1 |29 |- Ashwell |3 |1 |9 |6 |25 |23 |1 Askham Grange |1 |2 |2 |2 |2 |8 |3 Aylesbury |2 |2 |13 |9 |12 |17 |9 Bedford |13 |17 |12 |11 |12 |5 |8 Birmingham |10 |27 |- |28 |66 |56 |30 Blantyre House |1 |1 |- |- |- |3 |- Blundeston |14 |26 |17 |14 |16 |23 |8 Bristol |7 |10 |- |13 |30 |59 |12 Brixton |46 |111 |118 |199 |205 |251 |122 Brockhill |6 |5 |8 |1 |14 |9 |13 Buckley Hall |- |- |- |1 |1 |2 |- Bullwood Hall |3 |1 |5 |1 |14 |7 |14 Camp Hill |6 |5 |17 |3 |8 |13 |13 Campsfield House |- |- |- |- |1 |1 |2 Canterbury |4 |13 |1 |5 |8 |1 |2 Cardiff |6 |5 |17 |15 |31 |15 |4 Castington |1 |1 |7 |2 |5 |4 |2 Channings Wood |16 |8 |17 |12 |18 |11 |5 Chelmsford |32 |16 |24 |18 |34 |52 |19 Coldingley |6 |6 |3 |5 |7 |9 |1 Cookham Wood |- |1 |11 |14 |- |5 |- Dartmoor |2 |10 |11 |18 |25 |17 |10 Deerbolt |1 |3 |3 |1 |1 |6 |5 Dorchester |5 |3 |6 |1 |5 |2 |1 Dover |5 |24 |19 |16 |16 |9 |7 Downview |- |- |- |- |- |7 |3 Drake Hall |- |8 |3 |11 |2 |9 |1 Durham |7 |13 |39 |31 |19 |26 |4 East Sutton Park |- |4 |1 |7 |10 |7 |2 Eastwood Park |- |1 |2 |3 |2 Erlestoke |- |3 |1 |3 |14 |5 |1 Everthorpe |1 |3 |1 |2 |2 |7 |2 Exeter |1 |6 |14 |15 |11 |13 |1 Featherstone |3 |43 |25 |10 |10 |24 |6 Feltham |9 |33 |21 |23 |59 |107 |83 Ford |8 |17 |40 |37 |59 |64 |19 Frankland |4 |13 |7 |12 |35 |29 |4 Full Sutton |- |- |- |- |18 |15 |1 Garth |- |- |- |- |- |19 |13 Gartree |9 |58 |12 |8 |12 |22 |10 Glen Parva |2 |5 |12 |13 |15 |21 |8 Gloucester |- |1 |- |1 |3 |5 |1 Grendon/Spring Hill |18 |5 |36 |19 |14 |22 |3 Guy Marsh |2 |- |- |- |1 |1 |4 Haslar |- |- |- |- |- |- |- Hatfield |- |1 |1 |- |3 |2 |- Haverigg |15 |42 |45 |50 |34 |30 |10 Hewell Grange |2 |1 |- |5 |8 |3 |1 Highpoint |14 |5 |34 |10 |21 |31 |22 Hindley |7 |8 |3 |5 |8 |10 |8 Hollesley Bay |2 |13 |- |- |41 |37 |8 Holloway |16 |21 |22 |37 |40 |53 |15 Hull |11 |8 |7 |4 |7 |27 |5 Huntercombe/Finnamore Wood |13 |19 |5 |2 |5 |31 |6 Kingston |1 |- |- |- |1 |2 |- Kirkham |- |6 |13 |13 |56 |69 |- Kirklevington |- |- |- |- |- |- |- Lancaster |4 |8 |4 |3 |20 |15 |1 Latchmere House |7 |33 |10 |4 |3 |6 |- Leeds |19 |12 |15 |27 |23 |25 |1 Leicester |5 |6 |13 |10 |4 |18 |- Lewes |51 |18 |- |1 |9 |13 |- Leyhill |2 |1 |- |2 |16 |3 |4 Lincoln |3 |25 |9 |8 |15 |32 |8 Lindholme |- |- |- |- |47 |39 |12 Littlehey |- |- |- |- |21 |23 |13 Liverpool |43 |121 |170 |110 |96 |82 |29 Long Lartin |28 |54 |32 |29 |35 |27 |13 Lowdham Grange |5 |7 |7 |4 |14 |15 |- Low Newton |- |7 |7 |6 |11 |9 |1 Maidstone |15 |18 |21 |37 |10 |13 |2 Manchester |43 |87 |48 |20 |42 |88 |10 Morton Hall |- |- |2 |4 |5 |7 |7 The Mount |- |- |- |- |6 |31 |15 New Hall |3 |- |- |- |4 |5 |- Northallerton |2 |1 |3 |3 |3 |6 |- Northeye |19 |26 |- |4 |27 |17 |20 North Sea Camp |1 |- |- |- |2 |6 |2 Norwich |23 |5 |18 |24 |40 |53 |24 Nottingham |- |6 |4 |3 |4 |5 |1 Onley |2 |11 |7 |9 |9 |26 |2 Oxford |4 |- |6 |3 |5 |1 |- Parkhurst |16 |43 |39 |38 |29 |80 |7 Pentonville |15 |30 |32 |33 |50 |63 |49 Portland |- |3 |- |2 |22 |24 |2 Preston |7 |6 |13 |22 |12 |10 |- Pucklechurch |- |4 |1 |7 |3 |22 |8 Ranby |4 |5 |6 |8 |14 |16 |5 Reading |2 |9 |6 |11 |26 |14 |14 Risley |12 |23 |17 |19 |19 |14 |1 Rochester |14 |10 |31 |16 |57 |27 |14 Rudgate |1 |3 |13 |10 |11 |17 |8 Send |- |- |1 |2 |15 |16 |5 Shepton Mallet |10 |2 |10 |20 |15 |13 |11 Shrewsbury |1 |4 |2 |4 |9 |10 |1 Stafford |26 |35 |21 |33 |35 |42 |8 Standford Hill |29 |18 |- |16 |36 |26 |11 Stocken |- |5 |2 |5 |16 |11 |5 Stoke Heath |6 |5 |13 |5 |12 |19 |- Styal |4 |2 |1 |1 |1 |8 |1 Sudbury/Foston Hall |4 |17 |7 |6 |15 |9 |3 Swaleside |- |- |- |- |4 |11 |19 Swansea |- |4 |23 |3 |8 |2 |- Swinfen Hall |- |- |3 |2 |6 |8 |3 Thorn Cross |- |- |15 |21 |16 |24 |1 Thorp Arch |- |- |5 |11 |10 |12 |4 Usk-Prescoed |- |- |2 |3 |4 |7 |4 The Verne |1 |15 |2 |9 |11 |10 |16 Wakefield |5 |15 |5 |12 |11 |5 |1 Wandsworth |108 |359 |237 |147 |267 |217 |129 Wayland |- |7 |31 |26 |45 |28 |16 Wellingborough |1 |1 |5 |6 |4 |7 |- Werrington |1 |- |1 |1 |- |3 |- Wetherby |3 |2 |- |5 |- |8 |6 Whatton |- |- |- |- |2 |7 |- Winchester |9 |5 |3 |5 |33 |45 |2 Wormwood Scrubs |120 |20 |195 |174 |206 |238 |105 Wymott |10 |19 |11 |41 |16 |20 |16 <1> From 1 July. <2> To 31 May.
New Prison Fazakerley
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will defer any steps towards building a new prison at Fazakerley near Liverpool until the results of a public inquiry are known ;
(2) what plans he has to hold a public inquiry into the proposed new prison at Fazakerley, near Liverpool.
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Mr. Mellor : The construction of a new prison at Fazakerley will not proceed until the objections raised by Liverpool city council have been dealt with. Assuming that it is not possible to resolve the differences between the Home Office and the city council, the matter will be referred to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, who will decide whether it is desirable to hold a non-statutory public local inquiry.
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