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Mrs. Chalker : The humanitarian assistance that we have provided is as follows :
£ thousands
|Via British|Via |Via
|NGOs |ICRC |UNWRA
------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |- |- |-
1980 |4 |- |-
1981 |- |- |-
1982 |- |100 |-
1983 |- |400 |-
1984 |- |500 |1,000
1985 |1 |500 |-
1986 |8 |150 |-
1987 |- |400 |250
1988 |- |200 |-
1989 |- |- |-
1990
A proportion of the United Kingdom annual contribution to UNRWA's general programmes is also spent in Lebanon. Details of that spending are, I regret, unavailable.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Leaflets
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what were his reasons for producing the leaflet, "Get It Right Before You Go" ; and whether a request for such a leaflet was received from consumer or tourist groups.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The "Get It Right Before You Go" leaflets are a Foreign and Commonwealth Office initiative. They aim to improve understanding of what consuls can do and to encourage self-help, including adequate insurance and safeguarding of money, passports and tickets by British holidaymakers in order to reduce common, avoidable problems.
Reducing the pressure on consular staff overseas enables them to respond quickly and comprehensively to British nationals needing help in real emergencies.
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the estimated annual cost of producing the consular leaflet, "Get It Right Before You Go".
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Design and printing costs for the new leaflet "Checklist for Travellers--Get It Right Before You Go" will be £28, 000. Additionally, the Post Office's
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charges for distributing the leaflet with the estimated 2.2 million new British visitor's passports issued annually will be £132,000. Reprint and distribution costs for the original leaflet "Consular Assistance Abroad--Get It Right Before You Go", mainly issued through travel agents, are around £20,000.Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether consular services abroad are described in leaflets or documents available from his Department other than in the leaflet, "Get It Right Before You Go".
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : There are two "Get It Right Before You Go" leaflets : "Consular Assistance Abroad" and "Checklist for Travellers" and both give general travel advice. The former also explains what a consul can and cannot do for a Briton in trouble abroad, while the latter concentrates on a few key messages, including adequate insurance and safeguarding valuables.
Consular services abroad are also described in the annual review of consular work, but this is not targeted at British holidaymakers and does not include travel guidance.
South Atlantic Fisheries
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to impose a 12-mile fishing limit around South Georgia.
Mr. Garel-Jones : The extension of the territorial sea of South Georgia to 12 nautical miles came into effect on 1January 1990.
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library copies of the agreements signed with other nations to fish in the south Atlantic.
Mr. Garel-Jones : There are no agreements to fish in the south Atlantic between the United Kingdom or its dependent territories and other states. Some agreements have, however, been signed between the Governments of certain dependent territories and private fishing companies or associations.
In addition there are European Community agreements, entered into on behalf of all member states, which have been signed with Angola, Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Equatorial, Ivory Coast, Sao Tome and Principle, and Senegal. Copies of proposals for these agreements will have been made available to the House through the normal procedure for European Community documents and the final agreements appear in the Official Journal of the European Community.
Punjab
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Indian Government concerning human rights violations in the Punjab ; what information his Department has as to the number of people arrested, injured or killed by security forces in the last two years ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We support the Indian Government in their efforts to deal with a serious challenge from terrorist violence in the Punjab. We have regularly encouraged the use of maximum restraint and the need to respect human rights, most recently on 11 December. Up-to-date official figures for deaths and detentions are not available. Estimates vary. We believe some 1,218 people have been killed by the security forces between January and November this year, and some 3,520 by terrorists.
Burma
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy in respect of the Australian proposal for international economic sanctions against Burma/Myanmar's military regime ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : I assume that the hon. Lady is referring to United States congressional proposals. We are discussing these and other ideas for expressing our displeasure at the anti-democratic action of the Burmese military regime with our EC partners and other like-minded countries.
Thai-Burma Border
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has concerning the number of displaced people on the Thai-Burma border ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The latest border population figures are 44,539 persons on 1 November 1990. These figures were provided by a group of non- government organisations providing humanitarian assistance to refugees and displaced persons on the Thai-Burmese border, at the request of the Thai Government.
Pakistan
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will obtain for his departmental library a copy of the printed testimony given to the hearing of the House Foreign Affairs sub-committee on Asian and Pacific affairs of the United States Congress on 2 October, concerning the present status of Pakistan's nuclear weapons capability.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The official record of the hearing to which the hon. Gentleman refers will be available at the end of January 1991 ; this Department will then obtain a copy.
British Embassy, Kuwait
Mr. Hague : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will withdraw the remaining staff of the British embassy in Kuwait.
Mr. Hurd : Now that the overwhelming majority of the British community has been evacuated from Kuwait we have decided to withdraw our remaining embassy staff. We
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have asked them to prepare to leave within the next week. Thereafter we shall no longer be able to provide assistance to any remaining British nationals. We therefore strongly urge them to leave Kuwait.We continue to recognise the legitimate Government of Kuwait, who have been informed of our decision to withdraw the embassy staff. We utterly reject Iraq's illegal occupation and annexation of Kuwait.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Primary School Enrolments
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the present trend in primary school enrolments ; and what projections there are for primary school enrolments in each of the next five years.
Dr. Mawhinney : Primary school enrolments have risen steadily over the past five years. Latest projections, however, indicate that there will be a slight decline over the next five years. The figures, at January each year, are as follows :
|Actual total
| enrolment
---------------------------------------
1986 |181,087
1987 |181,893
1988 |182,499
1989 |184,241
1990 |185,767
|Projected
|enrolment
------------------------------
1991 |185,590
1992 |185,030
1993 |185,410
1994 |185,150
1995 |184,280
Detention
Mr. Trimble : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many arrests have been made under the Police and Criminal Evidence (NI) Order since 1 January ; how many persons have been detained for more than 24 hours under the said order ; how many warrants of further detention have been issued under article 44 of the said order ; and in how many cases access to legal advice has been delayed under article 59(8) of the said order.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information requested is as follows for the period 1 January 1990 to 31 October 1990 :
D
|Number
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of arrests under the Police and Criminal
Evidence (NI) Order 1989 |18,428
Number of persons detained for more than 24 hours
under the Order |368
Number of warrants of further detention under Article
44 of the Order |14
Cases of delayed access to legal advice under Article
59(8) of the Order |21
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AIDS
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons have died from AIDS in each of the past five years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : The number of persons with AIDS who are known to have died each year in Northern Ireland since 1985 is given in the table :
|Number
---------------------
1985 |1
1986 |-
1987 |1
1988 |1
1989 |7
1990 |<1>8
<1> to 30 November
Nursery Education
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many, and what percentage of, pre-school children in Northern Ireland are enrolled in maintained, integrated and controlled nursery schools in Northern Ireland ; and whether he proposes to fund an increase in nursery school provision.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information is as follows :
|January 1990
--------------------------------------------
Maintained pupils |1,091
Percentage<1> |2.0
Integrated pupils |0
Percentage<1> |0
Controlled pupils |3,762
Percentage<1> |6.9
Total pupils |4,853
Percentage<1> |8.9
<1> The number of pupils as a percentage of
the 3 and 4-year-old population.
Limited resources for school building have made it necessary to give priority to provision for children of compulsory school age. It has not therefore been possible to provide an expansion of nursery provision apart from some limited growth in north and west Belfast under the "Making Belfast Work" initiative. I can offer no immediate prospect of change.
European Community Funds
Rev. Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how much money has been expended in the Ballymoney borough council area out of the various EEC funds ;
(2) how much money has been expended in the Moyle council area out of the various EEC funds ;
(3) how much money has been expended in the Ballymena borough council area out of the various EEC funds.
Dr. Mawhinney : There are numerous sources of EC grant and while, in most cases, figures for the Province as
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a whole are available they are not analysed on the basis sought by the hon. Gentleman. Consideration is, however, being given to how such information might be made available in relation to future payments from the EC structural funds.ENERGY
Nuclear Waste
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the quantities of (a) spent nuclear fuel, (b) cladding for spent nuclear fuel and (c) nuclear waste that have been imported into the United Kingdom for each year from 1970 to 1989 inclusive ; if he will give projected levels of imports for each category for each year from 1990 to 2000 inclusive ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : British Nuclear Fuels plc and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority have imported some 4,000 tonnes of uranium as spent fuel since reprocessing began in the mid-1960s. They do not import nuclear waste, nor do they import cladding other than as part of the fuel. The projected levels are a commercial matter for the reprocessing companies.
Connection Charges
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what discussions he has had with the chairmen of the 12 regional distribution companies about the future level of connection charges for new houses.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : None. It is for the Director General of Electricity Supply to adjudicate where disputes arise as to the reasonableness of connection costs.
Sizewell B
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what estimate he has made of the effects of the reported delays in the completion of the secondary safety computer system for the Sizewell B pressurised water reactor nuclear power station on (a) the non-fossil fuel obligation and (b) the external financing limit of Nuclear Electric ;
(2) what discussions he has had with the chairman of Nuclear Electric concerning delays in completing the software for the operational secondary safety systems at the Sizewell B nuclear power station ;
(3) what information he has received from the nuclear installations inspectorate about delays in the development of the operational secondary safety computer system for the Sizewell B nuclear power station.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The proposed protection system for Sizewell B consists of a computer-based primary protection system and a non-computer based secondary system. The Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate is satisfied with the progress being made in the development of both systems.
The construction of Sizewell B power station is a matter for Nuclear Electric plc. The company has informed me that the construction of the station is proceeding ahead of schedule.
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The Energy Alternative"
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will obtain for his departmental library a copy of "The Energy Alternative" by Walter C. Patterson published by Boxtree Books.
Mr. Moynihan : A copy of this book is already held in the Department's library.
Gas Privatisation
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what fees have been paid to Touche Ross by way of (a) retainers and (b) specific services in connection with its duties as auditors to the flotation of British Gas in each year since its flotation ; and what proportion of such payments is related to services provided in the detection of illegal multiple share applications ;
(2) what fees he has paid to the National Westminster bank registrar's department by way of (a) retainers and (b) specific payments in conection with suspected illegal multiple share applications for British Gas in each year since its flotation.
Mr. Moynihan : The information requested is commercially confidential.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy on how many occasions since the flotation of British Gas in 1986, National Westminster bank registrar's department has provided services to his Department in respect of suspected illegal multiple share applications.
Mr. Moynihan : The registrars have been pleased to assist the police, the Department and the Crown prosecution service as necessary. It would involve disproportionate cost to establish the precise number of times on which assistance has been provided.
Electricity Privatisation
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his total estimate of the total number of the individual applicants for shares in each of the 12 regional electricity companies grouped by head of household jointly with spouse and dependent children and other resident dependent relatives.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The information requested is not available.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, pursuant to his answer of 10 December, when he expects to be in a position to provide statistics for the numbers of shareholders resident within the franchise area of each regional electricity company and the percentage of the total share capital owned by them.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : We made available 54.6 per cent. of the total share capital in each company to the United Kingdom public. Of this, the percentages allocated to employees and preferential customers applying on priority forms are set out in the table. Applications received from customers, other than on priority application forms, cannot be separately identified and are therefore not included in the figures.
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|Number of |Percentage of
|customer and |shares available
|employee priority|to the public
|applications |allocated to
|customers and
'000s |employees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern Electricity |603 |53.4
East Midlands Electricity |303 |37.5
London Electricity |289 |36.0
Manweb |187 |52.0
Midland Electricity |308 |45.6
Northern Electric |165 |53.3
Norweb |306 |49.9
Seeboard |389 |58.9
Southern Electric |472 |48.4
South Wales Electricity |109 |47.6
South Western Electricity |227 |57.5
Yorkshire Electricity |256 |42.0
Subsidence (Compensation)
Mr. Andy Stewart : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects to receive British Coal's annual report on the administration of the subsidence compensation scheme for 1989-90.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I have now received this report from British Coal and have arranged for copies to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses today.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Crime Detection
14. Mr. Squire : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any proposals to improve the crime detection rate.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The crime detection rate for the most serious offences, including violence against the person and sexual offences, remains high, at around 75 per cent. I shall continue to encourage chief officers to target their resources on serious and other crimes of particular concern to the public, although they must decide their own priorities and methods in the light of local circumstances. The police also need the help of the community to reduce the opportunities for crime, and I shall continue to encourage public involvement in crime prevention.
Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the clear-up rates of all crimes, violent crimes and homicides were in the Holmfirth and Huddersfield police districts for each year since 1979.
Mr. John Patten : The information collected centrally relates to police force areas and is published annually ; for 1989, in tables 2.19, 2.20 and 2.21 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales"--Cm 1322. More detailed statistics relating to Holmfirth and Huddersfield are contained in the annual report of the chief constable for West Yorkshire. Copies of these publications are available in the Library.
Remand Prisoners
17. Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give, for the last date figures are available, the number of remand prisoners held in police cells in Greater Manchester ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mrs. Rumbold : Yesterday there were 283 prisoners in cells of the Greater Manchester police. Of these, 73 were convicted and 210 were unconvicted.
Sunday Trading
19. Mr. Knapman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to reform the law on Sunday trading in those areas where there is common agreement among all interested parties.
Mrs. Rumbold : Although there is agreement in principle between the interested parties in a few specific areas, there is still no agreement on specific proposals ; and on Sunday trading as a whole, wide divisions of opinion remain.
Prison System
21. Mr. Martyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to improve the British prison system over the next five years.
Mrs. Rumbold : The current medium-term plans of the prison service for England and Wales are to reduce overcrowding by bringing the average number of prison places into line with the average prison population, and by using all accommodation to its proper extent ; to seek to ensure all cells have integral sanitation or access to night sanitation ; to extend regime opportunities by increasing hours of prisoner occupation, education and association ; and to complete and consolidate improvements in management and staff performance. These plans are kept under review and are formally re-examined annually. Plans for the prison services in Scotland and Northern Ireland are a matter for my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Scotland and for Northern Ireland.
Football Ticket Touts
22. Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to extend the proposed legislation outlawing ticket touting at football matches to other sporting events.
Mr. John Patten : No. We agree with Lord Justice Taylor that the considerations are different. Touting at football matches creates public order problems because it encourages supporters without tickets to attend games, often leading to obstruction and disorder, and it undermines the segregation of supporters of different teams. Touting elsewhere may be offensive, but is not a serious threat to public order.
Crime Prevention
23. Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will next meet the Association of Chief Police Officers to discuss crime prevention initiatives.
Mr. John Patten : My right hon. Friend will be meeting the Association of Chief Police Officers' representatives shortly and expects to discuss a wide range of issues with them, including the fight against crime.
Charity Legislation
Dr. Goodson-Wickes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations he has had concerning the Woodfield report on charity legislation.
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Mr. John Patten : A wide range of charities and other interested bodies and individuals made helpful comments on the Woodfield report. The Government took account of those comments when preparing last year's White Paper on charities and will, of course, give further attention to them when preparing legislation.Drinking Clubs
Mr. Hill : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to review the laws appertaining to illegal drinking establishments with a view to granting confiscatory powers for properties and moneys and increasing penalties for those found guilty.
Mr. John Patten : We have no plans to review the penalties for selling liquor without a licence. Recent sentencing practice suggests that the current maximum penalty of a level 4 fine, which the Criminal Justice Bill will increase from £1,000 to £2,500, and six months' imprisonment adequately reflect the seriousness of the offence. There is already a power to order the forfeiture of property used in the commission of such an offence and to disqualify the offender from holding a licence upon a second or subsequent conviction.
Missing Persons
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide funds to the police for the purchase of a computer that can age people's photographs and thus help identify someone who has been missing for several years.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The provision of equipment for individual police forces is a matter for police authorities. The E-Fit computer system, which was developed by the Home Office, enables a skilled operator to change the appearance of both facial composites and original photographs. The Home Office is currently considering the production of a guide to assist police officers in the use of E-Fit to age faces.
Lorrain Osman
Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received about the Brixton remand prisoner Mr. Lorrain Osman ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : Mr. Osman is not a remand prisoner. He was committed to custody on 1 June 1987 to await his return to Hong Kong. The case remains unresolved because of the series of appeals which Mr. Osman has initiated against his extradition. A fugitive cannot be surrendered while proceedings on an appeal in this country are pending.
Since November, the Home Office has received about 20 letters relating to the case.
Occupational Health Services
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements exist for the provision of an occupational health service for employees
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within his Department, stating (a) how many staff are employed to provide occupational health services, (b) how many of those staff are qualified nurses and (c) how many employees work in his Department in total.Mr. Kenneth Baker : On 5 December 1990 the Home Office had 45,766 permanent staff. Occupational health services for these staff are provided, on a payment basis, by the civil service occupational health service which employs some 100 fully qualified occupational health professionals-- doctors, nurses and hygiene and safety advisers--in a network of regional offices.
Police Forces
Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the size of the police force, both uniformed and civilian staff, in the Holmfirth and Huddersfield police districts in 1979 and in the latest year for which figures are available.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The tables show the police strength in Holmfirth and Huddersfield for December 1979 and November 1990.
Holmfield Sub-division<1>
Strength
|Police |Civilian
-------------------------------------------
1979 (December) |92 |8
1990 (November) |103 |23
Strength
|Police |Civilian
1979 (December) |293 |96
1990 (November) |284 |102
<1> The boundaries of both sub-divisions
have changed since 1979 and therefore the
manpower figures are not directly
comparable.
Huddersfield Sub-division Strength
Police Civilian
1979 (December) 293 96
1990 (November) 284 102
The boundaries of both sub-divisions have changed since 1979 and therefore the manpower figures are not directly comparable.
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he has given to (a) the report of Mr. Geoffrey Dear, inspector of constabulary for the midlands, on the state of Derbyshire police and (b) the extent to which the efficiency of the force has been influenced by controls imposed by Derbyshire county council ; and if he will make a statement.
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