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School Premises
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about the dates for and progress towards the implementation of the 1981 school premises regulations.
Mr. MacGregor : The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1981 applied to new school buildings with effect from 1 August 1981. The regulations provide a transition period for existing schools in respect of specific requirements which represent a marked changed from those in the 1972 regulations and require work to be undertaken. The date when the full regulations will apply to all schools is 1 September 1991. Under section 10 (2) of the Education Act 1944, as amended, the responsibility for meeting the requirements of the regulations rests with local education authorities and school governors.
Country Sports
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received about the use in schools of "Finding Out About Country Sports" published by Hobsons publishers for the Countryside Foundation.
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Mrs. Rumbold : My right hon. Friend has received a number of representations about the publication "Finding Out About Country Sports". The representations claim that the publication is biased in favour of hunting. The Government are very much opposed to indoctrination of any kind in schools. Local education authorities, school governing bodies and head teachers are under a statutory duty to secure that where controversial issues are brought to the attention of pupils, they are presented in a balanced manner. (Section 45 of the 1986 Education (No. 2) Act). Anyone who has evidence that the use of this publication in a particular school does not conform with section 45 may make a complaint to the local education authority by which the school is maintained.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Terrorism
11. Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider removing the right to parole for any individual convicted of a crime related to terrorist activity.
Mr. Waddington : Our proposals for reform to the parole system are set out in the White Paper "Crime, Justice and Protecting the Public" and are intended to ensure that the time served by all prisoners is much more closely related to the sentence passed.
As we made clear in the White Paper the proposed criteria for parole and the associated risk assessment which will give greater weight to violent crimes will make it likely that most offenders convicted of terrorist offences will not be released on parole.
Sunday Trading
12. Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received concerning amendment of the Shops Act 1950.
Mr. Mellor : Since answering a similar question from my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, West (Mr. Hughes) on 14 June, 223 written representations broadly in favour of Sunday trading and 38 against have been received.
40. Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to find a compromise solution to the problem of the trading hours of small local shops, following recent decisions on Sunday trading by the European Court and courts in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Mellor : We continue to encourage the interested parties to try to reach agreement on a way forward which is likely to command parliamentary support.
Special Constables
14. Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he intends to take to improve the training of special constables.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : We are already reviewing the training needs of special constables with the intention of producing a national training package. This will include training in
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basic policing skills and knowledge, such as powers of arrest, classification of offences, stop and search powers, traffic law and community involvement, with management training for those in supervisory roles.Religious Movements
17. Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the funding of groups monitoring new religious movements.
Mr. John Patten : We are at present considering the case for further Government funding in this area when the start-up grant for INFORM runs out later this year.
Domestic Employees (Work Permits)
18. Mr. Archer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases foreign domestics have been found to be employed without a work permit in the last period of 12 months for which statistics are available.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Work permits are not issued for domestic work, but as a concession outside the immigration rules a domestic servant may be allowed to come to the United Kingdom as part of the household of an employer for whom he or she has worked abroad. The statistics about people found to be here in breach of their conditions of stay do not identify domestics as a separate category.
National Identity Card
21. Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans for legislation to introduce a national identity card.
Mr. John Patten : No. When the introduction of a compulsory system of identity cards was proposed last year by my hon. Friend the Member for Norfolk, North (Mr. Howell), the Government's response was that the advantages of such a system would be insufficient to justify the costs, both financially and in terms of the possible adverse effect on relations between the police and the public. We remain unpersuaded that a compulsory system of identity cards should be introduced. The arguments relating to a voluntary system are somewhat different. The possibility of the Government introducing a voluntary card is kept under review.
Newspapers
23. Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations his Department has received concerning the findings of the Calcutt committee.
Mr. Mellor : I have received four written representations, and two requests for meetings, on aspects of the Calcutt recommendations.
Deaths (Police Procedures)
26. Mr. Loyden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedure is followed by the police in cases when persons are found dead in circumstances where there are no other persons present to notify their next of kin.
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Mr. Peter Lloyd : I refer the hon. Member to my replies to his written questions last week.
Rehabilitation
27. Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many schemes he funds for the rehabilitation of ex- offenders.
Mr. John Patten : The Home Office gives grants to some 412 schemes dealing with the resettlement of ex-offenders.
Metropolitan Police
Mr. Evennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis ; and what was discussed.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : My right hon. and learned Friend last met the Commissioner at a social function on 21 June when they discussed a number of matters.
Children (Legal Education)
30. Mr. Gill : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what initiatives he is considering to encourage parents to develop a knowledge of the law in their children.
Mr. John Patten : The proposals in the White Paper "Crime, Justice and Protecting the Public" for involving parents when their children offend will promote a better understanding of the effect of the criminal law and the criminal justice process and make parents aware of their responsibilities.
Young Offenders
31. Sir Michael McNair-Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any experimental work is going on into alternative prison regimes for young offenders.
Mr. Mellor : Young offender institutions seek to help offenders sentenced to custody to prepare for their return to the community by providing a programme of activities, including education, training and work, designed to develop personal responsibility and self-discipline and to assist offenders to obtain suitable employment after release. There are also many examples of constructive and innovative work to help inmates to confront their offending behaviour. Since the enactment of the relevant provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, the number of sentenced male young offenders in custody has fallen by24 per cent.
Prison Population
33. Mr. Squire : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current ratio of prisoners to prison officers ; and what it was in 1979.
Mr. Mellor : On 31 December 1979 there were 13,974 prison officers in post. The daily average of prisoners in 1979 was 42,220, giving an officer to inmate ratio of 1 : 3.02. On 1 June 1990 the number of inmates (including those in police cells) was 3,088 higher at 45,308 and the number of officers 6,612 higher at 20,586 giving an officer to inmate ratio of 1 : 2.01.
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Mr. Yeo : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the size of the prison population at the latest available date.Mr. Mellor : On Wednesday 11 July 1990 there were 44,611 prisoners held in prison service establishments in England and Wales. In addition, a further 882 were held in police cells.
Video Evidence
34. Mrs. Golding : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will make a statement on the report of the advisory group on video evidence.
Mr. John Patten : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Taunton (Mr. Nicholson) on 20 June at column 570 .
European Council of Ministers
35. Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the last three meetings he attended of the Council of Ministers ; what subjects were discussed ; and which Ministers were in attendance.
56. Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the last three meetings he attended of the Council of Ministers ; what subjects were discussed ; and which Ministers were in attendance.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier today to the question from the hon. Member for Angus, East (Mr. Welsh).
Vehicle Watch Scheme
36. Dr. Michael Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to support the vehicle watch scheme.
Mr. John Patten : I am aware that a pilot vehicle watch scheme is currently in operation in Southend, and that similar schemes are in existence in a number of areas around the country. These are imaginative schemes and I look forward to hearing of the results they achieve. I have asked my officials to make arrangements for the crime prevention centre to disseminate information about the existing schemes to all police forces, and have referred the issue to Crime Concern.
Under-age Drinking
37. Mr. Duffy : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received on the problem of under-age drinking.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Eight letters specifically on the subject of under -age drinking have been received to date in 1990.
Winson Green Prison
39. Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the numbers of sentenced and remand prisoners currently being held in Winson Green prison, Birmingham.
Mr. Mellor : On Friday 6 July there were 565 sentenced prisoners and 418 remand prisoners at Her Majesty's prison Birmingham.
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Hampshire Constabulary
43. Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give further consideration to the need to increase the establishment of the Hampshire constabulary.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The Hampshire police authority has applied for approval for 69 extra police officers in 1991-92. My right hon. and learned Friend will consider this, with the advice of Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary, in the coming months together with applications from the other police authorities. The aim is to announce decisions before the end of the year.
Missing Persons Register
44. Mr. Allen Adams : 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 : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given today to a question from the hon. Member for Aberdeen, North (Mr. Hughes).
Mr. Kevin Taylor
45. Mr. Franks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will order an independent inquiry into the prosecution of Mr. Kevin Taylor.
Lockerbie Bomb
46. Mr. Ron Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with whom he has discussed the Lockerbie bombing in the last six months ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waddington : The investigation into the Lockerbie attack is the responsibility of the Dumfries and Galloway police, overseen by my noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate ; but I have discussed the wider implications of this attack from time to time with ministerial colleagues and with representatives of other Governments.
Crime Prevention
49. Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Government's crime prevention measures.
Mr. John Patten : The Government's crime prevention measures are kept under constant review through the Home Office's research and development programme, and the results of particular evaluation exercises are regularly published and placed in the Library. In addition, all major elements of the crime prevention advertising campaign are subjected to market research for both development and monitoring purposes. Implementation of the recent inter-departmental circular "Crime Prevention- -the success of the partnership approach" is being monitored by an independent working group of the Home Office standing conference on crime prevention.
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Race Relations
50. Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the implications for race relations of the development of strongly separated ethnic cultural traditions in the United Kingdom.
Mr. John Patten : The United Kingdom has long accommodated many diverse cultural traditions. Our guiding aim is that people of all races should participate fully in the mainstream of British society. Modern Britain has plenty of room for cultural and religious diversity, but there cannot be room for separation or segregation.
Isle of Man
51. Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to visit the Isle of Man to discuss human rights.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : My right hon. and learned Friend has no plans to visit the Isle of Man for this specific purpose. The island is fully aware of its obligations and these are brought to its attention if necessary. On the outstanding matter of amending Manx law to conform with European Court judgments concerning homosexuality, a Select Committee of the House of Keys was seen by a Minister of State at the Home Office on 11 June.
55. Mr. Holt : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken or intends to take in respect of financial scandals on the Isle of Man ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The control and regulation of the finance sector in the Isle of Man is a domestic matter for the island authorities. We are aware that they have introduced stringent new requirements since the collapse of the Savings Investment Bank in 1982.
Maintenance Orders
52. Mr. Ian Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to bring forward his legislative proposals to give the courts new powers to enforce maintenance orders ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : We intend to bring forward legislative proposals at an early legislative opportunity.
Prison Workshops
53. Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to increase the amount of work available for prisoners to carry out in prison workshops.
Drug Trafficking
54. Mr. Rathbone : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the present extent of information exchange between the United Kingdom and other members of the European Community in order to combat most effectively trafficking in illegal drugs.
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Mr. Mellor : Officers of the police and Customs services regularly exchange information about individual cases with their counterparts in other Community countries. In addition, the national drugs intelligence unit exchanges such information with other national units where these exist. These exchanges have proved highly effective and we should like to build on them. We therefore welcome the endorsement by the Dublin European Council of the United Kingdom proposal to speed up work on the establishment of a European central drugs intelligence unit.
These are regular exchanges about operational aspects of the fight against illicit drug trafficking within the framework of the Trevi and Customs mutual legal assistance groups. More generally, the recently formed European committee to combat drugs and the Council of Europe's Pompidou group have shown themselves to be useful fora for sharing national information about the problem and for the development of new measures designed to strengthen European co-operation against such trafficking.
Crime (Clear-up Rate)
57. Mr. Sumberg : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the clear-up rate for notifiable criminal offences committed in the north-west of England during the last 12 months for which figures are available and in the previous 12 months.
Mr. John Patten : Information on clear-up rates by police force area is published in table 10 of Home Office Statistical Bulletin 10/90, a copy of which is available in the Library.
Football Matches
58. Mr. Orme : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning the scheduling of Saturday night Football League matches ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : My right hon. and learned Friend has received one which was from the right hon. Member.
Football Licensing Authority
59. Mr. Ashton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who will be the next chairman of the Football Licensing Authority.
Mr. John Patten : My right hon. and learned Friend has today announced that he is to appoint Mr. Norman Jacobs as chairman of the Football Licensing Authority.
Drugs
Mr. Sheerman : 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 as to the type and quantity of drugs which were seized during the drugs raid on Broadwater Farm estate on 29 September 1989.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the police made 31 seizures of herbal cannabis amounting to 315 grammes ; 32 seizures of cannabis resin amounting to 592 grammes ; and two seizures of cocaine amounting to nearly 5 grammes.
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Magistrates Courts (Fines)
Mr. Coleman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will publish in the Official Report the amount of fines imposed in magistrates courts in England and Wales in each of the years 1987, 1988 and 1989 ;
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(2) if he will publish in the Official Report the amount of unpaid fines imposed in magistrates courts in England and Wales for each of the years 1987, 1988 and 1989.Mr. John Patten : In 1987 the amount of fines imposed in magistrates courts in England and Wales was £108.7 million. In 1988 the figure rose to £120.9 million. Data for 1989 will not be available until the autumn.
Information is not collected centrally on the amount of unpaid fines imposed in magistrates courts.
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Wormhoudt Massacre
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement regarding facilities provided by the Metropolitan police for the West German prosecuting authorities to take witness statements from survivors of the Wormhoudt massacre ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : Facilities were provided by the Metropolitan police for the West German prosecutor to interview survivors of the Wormhoudt massacre on 5 October 1989.
Further statements were taken at the prosecutor's request in May this year and forwarded to him through diplomatic channels on 20 June.
Immigration
Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Norwegians have visited the United Kingdom through Scotland's ports and airports since the latest immigration rules were introduced.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The latest statement of changes in immigration rules (HC 251) has effect from 1 May 1990. The available information relates to May when 1,740 Norwegian visitors were admitted to the United Kingdom at Scottish ports of entry.
Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will outline the immigration rules which apply to Norwegian girls who are betrothed to Scots living and working in Scotland ;
(2) if he will give details of the immigration rules which apply to Norwegians who wish to enter the United Kingdom through Scotland's ports and airports.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The current immigration rules are set out in the statement of changes in immigration rules (HC 251) which was laid before Parliament on 23 March 1990. A copy is in the Library. Paragraphs 47 and 48 of the rules relate to the admission of fiance s and fiance es.
Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many Norwegians have been refused entry into the United Kingdom by immigration officials at Scotland's airports and ports since the latest immigration rules were introduced ; (2) how many Norwegians have had their passports held by immigration officials and been instructed to return to Norway at (a) Edinburgh airport and (b) Dyce airport under the latest immigration rules.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The latest statement of changes in immigration rules (HC 251) took effect on 1 May 1990. Since that date the number of Norwegians refused entry and removed to Norway at (a) Edinburgh airport is nil and (b) Aberdeen airport is four. The number for Scotland's other ports and airports during the same period is nil.
Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Norwegians were refused entry into the United Kingdom at Scotland's ports and airports in each of the last 10 years.
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