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Goods and Services
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on (a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.
Mr. McLoughlin : Departmental purchasing information systems do not differentiate between acquiring and commissioning goods and services. However, information on departmental purchasing expenditure from 1986-87 is set out in the annual reports of the Central Unit on Purchasing, copies of which are available in the Library.
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Concessionary Fares
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will amend section 93(7)(a) of the Transport Act 1985 to enable transport authorities to grant fare concessions to men aged 60 to 64 years.
Mr. Freeman : We have no plans to change the present arrangements which link eligibility for travel concessions for elderly people to state pensionable age.
Midland Metro
Mr. Beaumont-Dark : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the latest position with regard to the appraisal of line 1 of the Midland Metro scheme proposed by the West Midlands passenger transport executive ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : Considerable work has been done on the appraisal, which is further advanced than that for any other light rail scheme outside London currently being considered by the Department. The formal appraisal procedure is not yet complete. If it proves favourable, my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Transport will be ready to consider paying development grant in 1991-92 under section 56 of the Transport Act 1968 towards the cost of preparing the scheme in greater detail so that the scheme itself may be considered for being funded in 1992 -93.
Woolwich Ferry
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the latest estimates of the number of vehicles using the Woolwich free ferry ; and what were the comparable figures at a similar point in each of the preceding five years.
Mr. Chope : The average number of vehicles carried per day was as follows :
|Number
----------------------------
November 1990 |2,480
November 1989 |2,515
November 1988 |1,956
November 1987 |441
November 1986 |1,816
November 1985 |2,945
Road Accidents
Mr. Andrew Hargreaves : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the number of fatalities in accidents involving heavy duty goods vehicles over the past five years, together with the number of fatalities over the same period not involving heavy duty goods vehicles.
Mr. Chope : Following is the information :
Fatal casualties in accidents, 1985-89 Year |HGV involved involved |Total ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1985 |811 |4,354 |5,165 1986 |908 |4,474 |5,382 1987 |910 |4,215 |5,125 1988 |900 |4,152 |5,052 1989 |989 |4,384 |5,373
This table shows that there was a 22 per cent. increase in fatal casualties in accidents in which at least one HGV was involved between 1985 and 1989.
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Over the same period, HGV traffic, when measured in vehicle kilometres, rose by an estimated 30 per cent.Illegal Parking
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the response to his Department's discussion document issued to local authorities on solving the problems created by parking on pavements.
Mr. Chope : Over 450 responses were received, expressing a wide range of views. We have concluded that new statutory powers are needed to allow authorities to target problem areas effectively. We are now discussing with the local authorities advice on available engineering measures to deter parking on footways and verges.
Car Phones
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans to meet the Association of Chief Police Officers, or any other relevant organisation, to discuss the safety implications of the use of hand-held car telephones in moving vehicles ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : I shall take the opportunity of a meeting I shall be having with ACPO on 17 December to raise this issue.
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has issued any guidance to the police authorities concerning the safety implications of using hand-held car telephones in moving vehicles.
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information directed to the public his Department has published on the safety implications of the use of hand-held car telephones in moving vehicles.
Mr. Chope : Advice to drivers not to use a hand-held microphone or telephone while the vehicle is moving is given in the Highway Code and several other publications.
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received expressing concern at the use of hand-held car telephones in moving vehicles.
Mr. Chope : I have received several letters on this subject in recent months.
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to require suppliers of hand-held car telephones to issue safety warnings at the time of purchase concerning their use in moving vehicles.
Mr. Chope : No. British Telecom already issues advice to purchasers which is consistent with the Highway Code. Officials have written to Oftel about continued publicity.
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to introduce legislation restricting the use of hand-held car telephones in moving vehicles.
Mr. Chope : No specific legislation is necessary. Drivers are already required to maintain full control over their vehicles.
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Defective Eyesight
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the total number of motor traffic accidents in the last five years where defective eyesight was found to be a contributory factor ; if he will express the figures as a percentage of all moving traffic accidents for each of the years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : Statistics recording accidents are derived from a factual record made by the police at the scene of the accident. They do not include an assessment of the cause and it is not therefore possible to provide information about the number of accidents attributable to a particular factor.
Manchester Relief Road (Consultation)
Mr. Sumberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will make it his policy to ensure that the proposed public consultation on the route of the Greater Manchester western and northern relief road will be carried out at venues and times convenient to residents of the Bury South and Bury North parliamentary constituencies.
DEFENCE
Sri Lanka
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any British service personnel have been made available to the Government of Sri Lanka for any purposes during the last four years ; and if he will make a statement.
Advertising
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will publish a table showing the amount spent in each of the last five years by his Department on (a) advertising in the press, (b) advertising on television and radio, (c) other advertising and promotion and (d) promotion videos and sound cassettes.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The information is not held centrally. I will write to the hon. Member.
Goods and Services
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will publish tables showing the amount spent on (a) acquiring and (b) commissioning goods and services by his Department in each of the last five years.
Mr. Alan Clark : This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost and effort.
Radar Masts, Sennybridge
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals exist for the construction of radar masts or any communications system at Mynydd Eppynt near Sennybridge, Dyfed.
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Mr. Alan Clark : A requirement for new defence communication facilities is under consideration, but no decisions on location have yet been taken.
Iraq (Supergun)
Mr. Caborn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the involvement of the Advanced Technology Institute in the Iraqi gun order.
Mr. Alan Clark : The Advanced Technology Institute was established as a company in 1987. Since earlier this year, when we became aware of its possible association with the Iraqi gun project, we have maintained a close watch on it. The hon. Member will appreciate I cannot comment further.
Space Research Corporation
Mr. Caborn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what information has been received by his Department on the Space Research Corporation's contract, Babylon, with British companies ; (2) what information his Department received on the order placed by the Space Research Corporation for project 839 with British companies.
Mr. Alan Clark : The Space Research Corporation placed no contracts with British companies in this context.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Company Records
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the charge made at each Companies House satellite office from an inquirer who (a) will collect the microfiche records of the company from the satellite office or (b) gets the microfiche records of the company posted to his or her office or home ; and how the charges are arrived at.
Mr. Redwood : Those customers who collect their microfiche records from the satellite offices are charged the £2.75 statutory fee per company record. Searches ordered from satellite offices are normally returned to the satellite office the next morning for the standard search fee of £2.75. Should however a customer require his search to be forwarded by post to an address of his choice, this is not carried out from the satellite office.
Lloyd's
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will review the workings of the self-regulatory status granted to Lloyd's under the Financial Services Act 1986 in the light of the actions of and the internal inquiries into the syndicates managed by Outhwaite, Oakley Vaughan, Warnlow and Feltrim.
Mr. Redwood : The committee of inquiry into regulatory arrangements at Lloyd's, whose report was published in 1987 (Cm. 59), considered the position of Lloyd's with respect to the Financial Services Act. Its recommendations have been implemented, and are designed to improve accountability of syndicates to names.
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CEN Committees
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what Government support is available to trade union representatives to attend and contribute to CEN standard-setting committees ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Leigh : My Department funds, and the British Standards Institution (BSI) administers, the assisted international travel scheme. This scheme meets part of the travel costs of certain United Kingdom representatives, including trade union representatives, who act as delegation leaders or principal experts at standards-making meetings overseas. A fixed allowance, basically equivalent to 75 per cent. of the economy class air fare, is payable. The funding provided for 1990-91 is intended to be sufficient to meet, inter alia, all eligible claims for attendance at standards meetings of CEN.
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HOME DEPARTMENT
Burglary and Theft
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people were sentenced for domestic burglary in England and Wales in each of the last five years for a term exceeding 10 years ; and what proportion of the total number of people sentenced to prison for domestic burglary in those years they represent ; (2) how many people were sentenced for theft in England and Wales in each of the last five years for a term exceeding seven years ; and what proportion of the total number of people sentenced to prison for theft in those years they represent.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information requested is given in the table.
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Persons sentenced to immediate custody
|1985|1986|1987|1988|1989
----------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Domestic burglary
Numbers sentenced to over 10
years |6 |3 |6 |3 |6
Percentage of all those sentenced
to custody |0.05|0.03|0.06|0.03|0.08
(b) Theft
Numbers sentenced to over 7 years |2 |1 |- |2 |1
Percentage of all those sentenced
to custody |- |- |- |0.01|-
- Less than 0.01 per cent.
Missing Persons
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide funds for missing persons support groups to run a helpline for those who have had friends or relatives go missing.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : We are considering a request from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust to fund such a helpline.
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young people missing from their homes in other parts of the country are estimated by the Metropolitan police to be living in London.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The only relevant figure available is the number of young people who have been reported missing to the Metropolitan police by other police forces in the United Kingdom. As at 7 December 1990, 357 such missing person reports were still outstanding. These figures relate to all reports concerning missing young persons received from other police forces, and it is not possible to say in how many cases there was particular reason to believe that the subject of the report might be living in London.
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the Government have any plans to co-operate with other European nations through Interpol for international searches for missing persons, especially children and other vulnerable people.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The use of Interpol is an operational matter for the police. All forces are aware of the facilities provided by Interpol to assist them in their inquiries.
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Animal Experiments
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many scientific procedures were carried out on animals during 1989 in each of England, Scotland and Wales.
Mrs. Rumbold : Very full information is published annually in the "Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals : Great Britain" (1989 : Cm. 1152). To disaggregate these figures nationally might risk individual establishments being identified and the threat of violent attack is so real that we take care to protect confidentiality.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how the likely benefits of a scientific procedure are assessed when a project licence application under section 5(4) of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 is considered ; and whether any assessment is made of the value of the products and use ; (2) how many project licences have been issued in each of the last three years for the testing of cosmetics ; and whether any assessment is made during the examination of the licence application of the utility of the product being tested.
Mrs. Rumbold : Section 5(4) of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 requires that, before a project licence is granted, the likely adverse effects on the animals concerned must be weighed against the benefit likely to accrue from the proposed work. A number of factors contribute towards such assessments which must necessarily be subjective, and these are set out in chapter 4 of the Home Office "Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986" (1990 : HC 182).
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As for project licences for the regulatory testing of substances, including cosmetics, the central benefit is ensuring that such substances do not present a hazard in manufacture or transport and are safe for use by the consumer. Since the Act came into force in 1987, a total of six project licences have been issued for the safety testing of cosmetics.Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to accept any of the recommendations contained in the recent RSPCA/FRAME report on the use of non-human primates as laboratory animals in Britain.
Mrs. Rumbold : We share the underlying concerns of this report that non-human primates should not be used in scientific procedures unnecessarily and that where their use can be justified scientifically they should be adequately housed and cared for. The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 recognises the special position of non-human primates and section 5(6) requires that they may be used only where no other species are suitable for a proposed programme of research. Government policy on the use of non-human primates was set out fully in response to a question on 16 November 1987 by my hon. Friend the Member for Derby, North (Mr. Knight) at columns 386-88. The special requirements of such animals are set out in the Home Office code of practice for the housing and care of laboratory animals (1989 : HC 107).
As the RSPCA/FRAME report makes clear, much of the work covered by the survey was conducted before the special controls of the 1986 Act came into force and before the recommendations for housing and care were published in the code of practice.
Prison Suicides
Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish the review of suicide prevention management policies and procedures in prisons conducted by Her Majesty's chief inspector of prisons.
Mrs. Rumbold : Shortly. Arrangements for publication are already in hand.
Remand
Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now end the practice of holding mentally disturbed persons on remand in Brixton.
Mrs. Rumbold : The prison service is obliged to hold people who are remanded in custody by the courts, and it is the function of Brixton to deal with remand prisoners and trials from the London area. It is nevertheless the Government's policy that mentally disordered offenders should be diverted from the criminal justice system to the care of the health and social services except when custody is deemed to be in the public interest. This policy is reiterated in Home Office circular 66/70, a copy of which is in the Library. Where custody cannot be avoided maximum use is made of the Mental Health Act to transfer those mentally disturbed inmates who require hospital treatment.
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is (i) the number of inmates,
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(ii) the number on remand separately distinguishing the length in months they have been remanded, and (iii) the number serving sentences of longer than six months at (a) Cardiff and (b) Swansea prisons.Mrs. Rumbold : (a) On 5 December 1990, the latest date for which this information is readily available, there were 438 inmates in Cardiff prison of which 206 were on remand. The length in months for which they have been remanded is as set out in the table :
|Number
-----------------------------
Up to 3 months |159
4 to 6 months |44
7 to 9 months |0
Over 9 months |3
The number of inmates serving longer than six months is 37. (b) On 5 December, the latest date for which this information is available, there were 266 inmates in Swansea prison, of which 98 were on remand. The length in months for which they have been remanded is set out in the table :
|Number
-----------------------------
Up to 3 months |73
4 to 6 months |22
7 to 9 months |3
Over 9 months |0
The number of inmates serving longer than six months is 37.
Mental Handicap Homes
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the police release information to directors of social services of local authorities on any previous convictions of persons who apply for registration of privately owned homes that care for severely disturbed mentally handicapped persons.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Except where there is a statutory obligation, the disclosure of police records is at the discretion of chief officers of police. In practice chief officers generally follow guidelines agreed by the Association of Chief Police Officers and issued in Home Office circulars.
In Wales, there are local arrangements between the police and local authorities which enable social services departments to obtain information about the criminal convictions of all applicants for registration under the Registered Homes Act 1984. Similar national arrangements are being set in place and are due to be implemented in April 1991. They will enable local authorities to obtain from the police details of convictions recorded against a potential owner or manager of a residential care or nursing home. The arrangements will cover both local authority and registered homes ; and will apply to small homes once those homes are brought under regulatory control.
Fire Fighting
Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to satisfy himself that the training requirements of the fire service will not jeopardise the continued availability of a local fire fighting crew on islands such as Holy Island.
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Mr. John Patten : The Northumberland fire authority has a duty, under the Fire Services Acts, to ensure that appropriate standards of fire cover are maintained in its area and for the efficient training of members of its brigade. It also has obligations under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988 to ensure that firefighters are adequately trained to meet the dangers of their work.Fire cover on Holy Island is provided by a fire appliance operated by local volunteers augmented, where necessary, by firefighters from the mainland. I understand that the fire authority has been concerned that the volunteer firefighters are not adequately trained and that the authority may, as a result, be in breach of its statutory duties. The authority is considering, in discussion with the volunteers and other inhabitants of Holy Island, what further action it should take.
Data Protection
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Wyre Forest (Mr. Coombs), Official Report, 28 November, column 418, he will list the organisations to which he is writing to invite comments on the EC draft directive on data protection ; and if he will set out the criteria adopted by his Department in selecting these organisations.
Mrs. Rumbold : We are writing to United Kingdom organisations with a known interest in data protection issues. There are about 170 ; I am placing the list in the Library of the House. It is based on the data protection registrar's standard consultation list, together with other organisations which have approached us.
Weapons (EC Documents)
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he has given to the implications for personal liberty and civil liberties arising from European Community documents Nos. 10074/89 and 8836/90 on the controls on the acquisition and possession of weapons.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : We have no reason to believe that the European Commission's proposal for a directive on the control of the acquisition and possession of weapons will have any implications for personal or civil liberties in Great Britain. But if the hon. Member wishes to draw to our attention any such implications which he considers may exist, we shall consider them carefully.
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Trevi group has considered the security implications of European Community documents Nos. 10074/89 and 8836/90 on the control on the acquisition and possession of weapons.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : No. The draft directive on the control of the acquisition and possession of weapons is concerned with the legitimate possession and movements of arms within the Community. The general declaration on articles 13 to 19 of the Single European Act explicitly preserves the right of member states to take such measures as they consider necessary to combat terrorism and crime.
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Public Events (Policing)
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will call for a report as to the total cost of policing the Madonna concerts at Wembley in 1990 ; and how much the promoters of that event were charged for that policing (a) in actual amounts and (b) as a percentage of total policing costs ;
(2) if he will call for a report as to the total cost of policing the Knebworth rock festival for each of the past 10 years ; and how much the promoters of that event were charged for that policing (a) in actual amounts and (b) as a percentage of total policing costs ;
(3) if he will call for a report as to the total cost of policing the Castle Donnington "Monsters of Rock" festival for each of the past 10 years ; and how much the promoters of that event were charged for that policing (a) in actual amounts and (b) as a percentage of total policing costs ;
(4) if he will call for a report as to the total cost of policing Ascot racecourse for each of the past 10 years ; and how much Ascot was charged for this policing (a) in actual amounts and (b) as a percentage of total policing costs ;
(5) if he will call for a report as to the total cost of policing the Glastonbury rock festival for each of the past 10 years ; and how much the promoters of that event were charged for that policing (a) in actual amounts and (b) as a percentage of the total policing costs.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Any charges under section 15 of the Police Act 1964 would have been a matter for the police authority concerned. No information on them is held centrally.
Football Spectators Act
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those sections of the Football Spectators Act not currently in force ; and whether the Government have any current plans to bring each such section into force.
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