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The Prime Minister [holding answer 23 July 1991] : My office received a letter addressed to me from Mr. Bob Ingham on 30 August 1990 on the subject of sewage, which my office acknowledged, noting the contents and stating that the letter was being sent on, for information, to the Department with policy responsibility for the matter raised.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the total number of confirmed cases of BSE in each county or Scottish region at the latest available date in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Gummer : The information up to 19 July 1991 is as follows :
County |Cases
-------------------------------------
England:
Northern
Cleveland |39
Cumbria |608
Durham |112
Humberside |134
Northumberland |136
Tyne and Wear |4
Yorkshire, North |1,164
Yorkshire, South |98
Yorkshire, West |135
|----
Total |2,430
Midlands and Western
Cheshire |904
Derbyshire |506
Herefore and Worcester |595
Lancashire |699
Leicestershire |759
Manchester |33
Merseyside |14
Nottinghamshire |193
Salop |752
Staffordshire |593
West Midlands |18
Warwickshire |328
|----
Total |5,394
Eastern
Bedfordshire |88
Cambridgeshire |110
Essex |143
Hertfordshire |137
Lincolnshire |257
Norfolk |524
Northamptonshire |274
Suffolk |378
|----
Total |1,911
South-East
Berkshire |190
Buckinghamshire |285
Hampshire |1,182
Isle of Wight |228
Kent |645
London |18
Oxfordshire |489
Surrey |288
Sussex, East |417
Sussex, West |790
|----
Total |4,532
South-West
Avon |647
Cornwall |2,363
Devon |3,538
Dorset |2,692
Gloucestershire |920
Somerset |2,915
Wiltshire |1,941
|----
Total |15,016
Wales
Clwyd |377
Dyfed |1,377
Mid Glamorgan |77
Glamorgan, South |84
Glamorgan, West |16
Gwent |233
Gwynedd |88
Powys |296
|----
Total |2,548
Scotland:
South
Borders |53
Central |30
Dumfries |207
Lothian |23
Strathclyde |272
North
Fife |62
Grampian |201
Highland |56
Orkney |10
Shetland |3
Tayside |85
Western Isles |1
|----
Total |1,003
Northern Ireland:
Antrim |66
Armagh |18
Down |45
Fermanagh |20
Londonderry |25
Tyrone |41
|----
Total |215
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many BSE carcases have been (a) incinerated and (b) buried in 1991 in England.
Mr. Gummer : In the period January to May 1991 9,593 BSE carcases were incinerated and 306 buried in England.
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Cereal Production
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the amount of land in each county which has been under cereal production for each year since 1987.
Mr. Gummer : The information requested is given in the following table. Data are taken from the 1987 to 1990 June agricultural censuses and hence exclude estimates for minor holdings not in the annual census.
Census of agriculture June 1987-90
Distribution of cereals area by county
'000 hectares
|1987 |1988 |1989 |1990
-----------------------------------------------------------
Avon |17.0 |17.6 |17.1 |16.2
Bedfordshire |55.3 |53.3 |54.3 |51.5
Berkshire |37.5 |37.2 |36.2 |33.7
Buckinghamshire |54.7 |52.4 |51.5 |47.0
Cambridgeshire |170.5 |166.2 |164.9 |161.2
Cheshire |29.8 |29.7 |28.5 |26.2
Cleveland |14.7 |14.2 |14.6 |13.2
Cornwall<1> |46.2 |46.1 |43.9 |40.4
Cumbria |24.6 |24.0 |22.4 |20.3
Derbyshire |32.0 |32.4 |32.7 |31.1
Devon |74.3 |74.4 |70.0 |65.6
Dorset |56.7 |56.9 |56.7 |53.6
Durham |36.5 |37.3 |37.6 |34.9
East Sussex |31.1 |30.4 |28.8 |26.6
Essex |161.2 |155.2 |158.9 |153.7
Gloucestershire |81.0 |80.4 |76.9 |70.3
Greater London |4.6 |4.6 |4.3 |4.1
Greater Manchester |6.1 |6.2 |6.1 |5.9
Hampshire |104.6 |105.9 |105.2 |101.2
Hereford and
Worcester |90.8 |91.4 |90.7 |84.3
Hertfordshire |59.4 |58.4 |58.7 |56.5
Humberside |178.9 |178.0 |179.7 |172.6
Isle of Wight |8.8 |9.3 |9.1 |8.1
Kent |92.8 |89.2 |92.7 |86.1
Lancashire |19.5 |20.0 |19.0 |17.2
Leicestershire |87.4 |86.0 |87.2 |80.9
Lincolnshire |290.6 |285.3 |290.5 |279.3
Merseyside |10.0 |10.0 |9.9 |9.1
Norfolk |214.3 |210.1 |210.6 |204.5
North Yorkshire |196.7 |196.2 |198.6 |189.9
Northamptonshire |94.8 |92.8 |93.0 |85.5
Northumberland |74.9 |76.0 |77.0 |72.9
Nottinghamshire |81.7 |80.5 |81.3 |75.8
Oxfordshire |110.2 |107.7 |107.5 |99.8
Shropshire |84.2 |85.0 |85.4 |80.5
Somerset |45.8 |47.7 |47.6 |44.2
South Yorkshire |35.7 |35.6 |35.1 |32.7
Staffordshire |46.1 |46.1 |46.6 |42.8
Suffolk |173.3 |169.5 |172.5 |169.0
Surrey |15.1 |14.1 |13.5 |12.5
Tyne and Wear |8.2 |8.2 |7.9 |7.3
Warwickshire |68.0 |66.7 |67.7 |62.4
West Midlands |5.6 |5.6 |5.5 |5.4
West Sussex |44.8 |43.8 |41.5 |40.0
West Yorkshire |22.5 |22.3 |23.0 |22.0
Wiltshire |114.2 |113.4 |113.1 |106.6
|---- |---- |---- |----
England |3,312.9|3,273.0|3,275.1|3,105.1
<1> Includes Scilly Isles.
Notes: Minor holdings are excluded.
Triticale is included from 1989.
Oil Seed Rape
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the amount of land in each county under oil seed rape since 1987.
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Mr. Gummer : The information requested is given in the following table. Data are taken from the 1987 to 1990 June agricultural censuses and hence exclude estimates for minor holdings not in the annual census.
Census of Agriculture June 1987-90
Distribution of oil seed rape area by county
'000 hectares
|1987 |1988 |1989 |1990
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon |0.5 |0.5 |0.5 |0.7
Bedfordshire |7.9 |7.3 |6.2 |7.9
Berkshire |2.8 |2.4 |2.7 |3.3
Buckinghamshire |6.4 |5.9 |6.0 |7.4
Cambridgeshire |18.5 |16.5 |15.9 |19.2
Cheshire |2.2 |1.9 |1.6 |1.8
Cleveland |2.3 |2.1 |1.9 |2.8
Cornwall inc Scilly Isles |0.7 |0.7 |0.3 |0.6
Cumbria |0.5 |0.5 |0.3 |0.3
Derbyshire |3.7 |3.6 |3.0 |3.4
Devon |0.9 |0.8 |0.7 |0.9
Dorset |1.0 |1.1 |1.0 |1.4
Durham |5.3 |4.9 |4.8 |6.8
East Sussex |2.1 |2.1 |1.7 |2.2
Essex |22.5 |21.3 |20.5 |22.8
Gloucestershire |5.5 |5.3 |5.5 |7.1
Greater London |0.6 |0.5 |0.6 |0.7
Greater Manchester |0.5 |0.4 |0.4 |0.6
Hereford and Worcester |5.3 |4.7 |4.6 |5.8
Hertfordshire |8.6 |7.3 |7.4 |8.8
Humberside |25.7 |23.1 |21.0 |24.5
Isle of Wight |0.5 |0.6 |0.7 |0.9
Kent |14.4 |12.9 |11.4 |15.1
Lancashire |0.9 |0.8 |0.8 |1.3
Leicestershire |13.4 |12.7 |11.6 |14.1
Lincolnshire |40.7 |34.8 |32.0 |38.6
Merseyside |0.4 |0.5 |0.5 |0.6
Norfolk |11.2 |8.9 |7.1 |9.4
North Yorkshire |19.6 |17.5 |16.4 |19.5
Northamptonshire |18.6 |16.4 |16.0 |18.3
Northumberland |7.1 |6.7 |6.9 |10.0
Nottinghamshire |13.5 |11.6 |10.7 |12.5
Oxfordshire |11.6 |11.3 |10.4 |12.7
Shropshire |4.2 |3.5 |2.9 |3.5
Somerset |1.2 |0.9 |0.7 |0.9
South Yorkshire |6.1 |6.0 |5.3 |5.8
Staffordshire |4.5 |4.1 |3.3 |4.0
Suffolk |17.5 |13.3 |12.6 |13.9
Surrey |1.1 |1.3 |1.2 |1.4
Tyne and Wear |1.2 |1.1 |1.2 |1.5
Warwickshire |10.4 |9.4 |8.8 |9.9
West Midlands |0.6 |0.5 |0.5 |0.6
West Sussex |3.7 |3.0 |2.9 |3.6
West Yorkshire |3.1 |2.9 |2.6 |3.0
Wiltshire |5.4 |5.0 |4.6 |6.4
England |340.6 |303.5 |282.7 |342.5
Note: Minor holdings are excluded.
Grants and Subsidies
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the amount of money which was paid out by each of his divisional offices for each (a) agricultural subsidy scheme and (b) grant scheme available to farmers in 1990.
Mr. Gummer : The money dispersed by each of my divisional offices on the principal grant and subsidy schemes in 1990 is shown in the table :
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Divisional office |Environ- |Farm and |Farm diver- |Farm |Hill live- |Sheep |Suckler |Set-aside
|mentally |conserva- |sification |woodland |stock com- |annual |cow
|sensitive |tion grant |grant |scheme |pensatory |premium |premium
|areas |scheme |scheme |allowances |scheme |scheme
|£ '000 |£ '000 |£ '000 |£ '000 |£ '000 |£ '000 |£ '000 |£ '000
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South western region
Exeter |- |2,350 |221 |46 |3,360 |9,273 |2,625 |283
Gloucester |- |1,222 |206 |144 |- |3,551 |1,331 |1,376
Taunton |822 |2,001 |207 |4 |1,161 |4,311 |1,380 |377
Truro |327 |667 |131 |9 |992 |3,288 |1,554 |219
Eastern region
Chelmsford |- |260 |95 |31 |- |528 |388 |1,183
Huntingdon |- |148 |33 |71 |- |2,497 |647 |1,530
Lincoln |- |221 |42 |27 |- |1,064 |872 |526
Norwich |3,286 |545 |93 |133 |- |1,035 |1,043 |1,279
Northern region
Beverley |201 |513 |52 |20 |1,024 |2,130 |1,329 |310
Carlisle |64 |1,530 |85 |19 |7,654 |10,618 |2,393 |66
Newcastle |372 |356 |90 |29 |7,338 |9,093 |4,153 |400
Northallerton |534 |1,201 |160 |24 |4,860 |8,504 |1,959 |165
South eastern region
Guildford |26 |478 |61 |42 |- |2,132 |1,068 |1,245
Maidstone |605 |428 |177 |14 |- |3,919 |718 |802
Oxford |- |399 |89 |60 |- |2,502 |911 |1,885
Midlands and Western region
Crewe |629 |3,698 |173 |31 |2,213 |6,643 |2,038 |390
Nottingham |556 |704 |81 |32 |1,221 |4,175 |1,345 |350
Preston |- |1,113 |59 |- |1,688 |3,678 |828 |118
Worcester |- |541 |84 |69 |2,679 |7,501 |1,536 |316
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Horses and Ponies (Exports)
Mr. Ward : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made by Her Majesty's Government in their negotiations with the European Commission and other member states with regard to preventing a renewal of an export trade in horses and ponies for slaughter.
Mr. Maclean : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing, North (Mr. Greenway) on 18 July 1991, Official Report, column 282.
Wildlife and Landscape Conservation
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of regional and national training courses on wildlife and landscape conservation where held for Agricultural Development and Advisory Service officers in 1990 and to date in 1991 ; and how many are planned for the rest of 1991 in each region.
Mr. Gummer : The numbers of national and regional training courses on wildlife and landscape conservation held in 1990 and in 1991, to date, for Agricultural Development and Advisory Service advisers are as follows :
|National|Regional
------------------------------------
1990 |6 |9
<1>1991 |6 |6
<1> To date.
Training courses planned for the remainder of 1991 are as follows :
|Number
-------------------------------------
National |3
Regional:
Eastern |1
Midlands and Western |2
Northern |1
South Western |4
Wales |1
Written Questions
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many parliamentary questions for written answer have been answered by his Department so far this Session, and in the comparable period for the last Session ; and if he will publish a table of how many answers (a) do not give the information requested because of (i) disproportionate cost or (ii) other reasons, (b) give an undertaking to write to the hon. Member who asked the question and (c) were referred for answer to the chief executive of each next steps agency.
Mr. Curry : The Department has answered 1,360 parliamentary questions for written reply in the current parliamentary Session to date, and 1,870 questions for the equivalent period in the last Session. The further information requested by the hon. Member is not collected and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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Salmon
Mr. Beith : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to publish the report on east coast fisheries prepared under the Salmon Act 1986 ; and whether the original report which he receives will be published without alteration.
Mr. Curry : Section 39 of the Salmon Act 1986 requires the presentation of a review to Parliament on the salmon net fisheries off the north-east coast of England and the east coast of Scotland. Scientists at the Scottish Office and from this Department have completed a substantial background paper which is now being considered.
A report will be presented to Parliament as soon as possible.
Mr. Beith : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the significance of the north-east coast salmon fishery as a component of the fishing industry of that area, and of the effect on the industry which would result from a ban on that fishery.
Mr. Curry : The majority of fishermen operating off the north-east coast of England fish for a variety of different species. For those fishermen who fish for salmon it can represent a significant part of their annual income. However, the mixed species nature of the fishery means that it is difficult to quantify the effect that banning salmon fishing would have on the industry.
Ministry Staff, Devon
Mr. Speller : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has for reorganising his offices and staff in Devon.
Mr. Curry : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 23 July to my hon. Friend the Member for Ipswich (Mr. Irvine).
THE ARTS
Written Questions
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Minister for the Arts how many parliamentary questions for written answer have been answered by his Department so far this Session, and in the comparable period for the last Session ; and if he will publish a table of how many answers (a) do not give the information requested because of (i) disproportionate cost or (ii) other reasons, (b) give an undertaking to write to the hon. Member who asked the question and (c) were referred for answer to the chief executive of each next steps agency.
Mr. Renton : The information requested is a matter of public record.
Edinburgh Art Galleries
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Minister for the Arts what representations he has now received about the closure of art galleries in Edinburgh ; and if he will reconsider his decision not to hold an inquiry into the Scottish Arts Council's funding of the visual arts.
Mr. Renton : I received five letters about the Edinburgh art galleries, including one from the hon. Member for
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Caithness and Sutherland (Mr. Maclennan). This matter falls within the remit of the chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain, to whom I have referred the correspondence for his consideration and for direct replies. I have, however, been kept closely in touch with developments and I understand that the chairman's view is that an inquiry would be inappropriate. I see no reason to dissent from this.Works of Art
Mr. Faulds : To ask the Minister for the Arts whether he will specify the allocations made to public institutions in the United Kingdom, during the half-year ended 30 June, of individual works of art and museum objects
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pre-eminent for national, scientific, historical or artisitc interest which have been accepted in satisfaction of inheritance tax or capital transfer tax, together with information, where applicable, as to conditions or wishes expressed by testators or executors in the matter of allocation ; whether he will list the works of art and museum objects which are still awaiting allocation, with the respective dates of their acceptance in satisfaction of inheritance tax or capital transfer tax ; and whether a press notice will be issued from his Department covering the information given in his reply.Mr. Renton : The information the hon. Gentleman requests is as follows :
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Item |To whom allocated |Conditions/wishes expressed
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
East Anglian collection of paintings and George III |Norwich Castle Museum |Conditional
Cabinet
Two paintings by Nasmyth |University of Manchester-Whitworth|Conditional
Art Gallery
Painting by Sickert |Tate Gallery |Wish to go to Tate Gallery
Collection of works by and relating to John Piper |Wolverhampton Museum and Art |Wish to go to Wolverhampton
| Gallery | Art Gallery
Four Old Master drawings |National Galleries of Scotland |Conditional
Portrait of Charles Hope by Raeburn |National Galleries of Scotland |Conditional
Stamp Collection |British Library |Wish to go to the British Library
Collection of photographs by and of Cecil Beaton |National Portrait Gallery |Conditional
Portrait attributed to Reynolds |National Galleries of Scotland-to |Conditional
| remain in situ in Paxton House,
| Berwickshire
Items awaiting allocation |Date of
|acceptance
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Portrait by Beechey |20 April 1990
*Painting by Lucas de Heere |20 April 1990
*Two portraits by Gainsborough, one by
Rubens and a landscape by Seghers |20 April 1990
Portrait of Professor Hill by Raeburn |12 March 1991
Harpsichord by Burkat Shudi |12 March 1991
Collection of drawings by Runciman |26 April 1991
Papers of George Bellas Greenough |26 April 1991
Whistler watercolour |26 April 1991
Collection of musical instruments |26 April 1991
Note: The three offers marked * were omitted, in error, from the
answer given to the hon. Member for Warley, East on 21 January
1991 at column 9.
Press notices have already been issued announcing the acceptance of all these items and the allocations that have been made to date.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Local Government Finance
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training or guidance material has been issued for magistrates dealing with poll tax cases ; if he will place copies of such material in the Library ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : Guidance was contained in Home Office circular 23/1990, issued on 14 March 1990, a copy of which is in the Library.
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he now has as to the
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number of people who have served, or are serving, a prison sentence for non-payment of the 1990-91 poll tax, and the length of their sentences ; and if he will make a statement.Mrs. Rumbold : According to the records held centrally, which are approximate, six prisoners had been received into Prison Service establishments in England and Wales by 31 March 1991 following committal for non-payment of the community charge. The periods of committal imposed were 10 days, two weeks, three weeks, one month (2), and three months. Reliable information is not yet available centrally for such prisoners received since March 1991.
Magistrates Clerks
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the salaries of clerks to the magistrates courts are first paid by local authorities and then reimbursed by his Department, or paid directly ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : Salaries are paid by local authorities, which receive specific grant support from the Home Office for magistrates courts expenditure.
Visas
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has given to (a) airlines and (b) British posts abroad about the categories of people who are visa nationals but who are exempt from requiring visas to re-enter the United Kingdom after an absence abroad ; why it was decided not to record this exemption on people's passports ; and if he will publish the guidance.
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Mr. Peter Lloyd : A copy of the guidance given to airlines on the exemption criteria has been placed in the Library. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has, I understand, similarly advised posts abroad. In addition, posters covering the changes have been displayed at all British posts abroad and all applicants granted a visa now receive a standard passport-sized card setting out the terms of the new extended visa exemption scheme. Now that the exemption scheme applies uniformly to all nationalities, a "visa exempt" passport endorsement is no longer necessary.Mrs. Zabeda Begum Yaqoob
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what response he has made to the representations made by the hon. Member for Bradford, West in the case of Mrs. Zabeda Begum Yaqoob (Ref. Y48459) ; when his Department informed the hon. Member for Bradford, West of an intention to deport Mrs. Yaqoob from the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what notices were sent to the Bradford home address of Mrs. Zabeda Begum Yaqoob (Ref. Y48459) prior to her deportation from the United Kingdom ; on what dates such notices were sent ; how they were delivered ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) what representations he has received concerning Mrs. Zabeda Begum Yaqoob (Ref. Y48459) ; following her deportation from the United Kingdom from (a) her representative and (b) other persons or organisations ;
(4) when Mrs. Zabeda Begum Yaqoob, born in 1950, (Ref. Y48459) was deported from the United Kingdom ; who was her representative ; what notices concerning his intention to deport were sent to her representative ; on what dates such notices were sent ; how such notices were sent ; and if he will make a statement ;
(5) what inquiries were made by his officials into hospital treatment being received by Mrs. Zabeda Begum Yaqoob (Ref. Y48459) before she was deported from the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Representations from the hon. Member for Bradford, West on behalf of Mrs. Zabeda Begum Yaqoob were rejected on 17 January 1989 and subsequently on 7 April 1989, when he was informed of the intention to make a deportation order against her. Notice of this decision was sent on 13 April 1989 to her legal representatives, Messrs Carter Gouldsborough of Bradford, by first class ordinary post and on 14 April 1989 to Mrs. Yaqoob at her home address by first class recorded delivery post together with the appropriate appeals forms. Her appeal against the decision was dismissed on 11 September 1990.
No representations on her behalf have been received from her representatives or others following her deportation from the United Kingdom on 14 May 1991. We were not informed that Mrs. Yaqoob was receiving any hospital treatment before she was deported and there was therefore no cause for inquiries to be made.
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Sexual Offences Act
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his Department's policy towards the use of police officers to encourage or in any way induce offences to be committed under section 32 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Measures to detect crime are operational matters for chief officers of police. However, the Home Office has issued guidance to all police forces which stresses that police officers must not incite the commission of offences.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to the incidence of police officers encouraging or inducing offences to be committed under section 32 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Information of methods of detection for offences committed under section 32 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956 is not collected centrally.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the financial cost incurred by the deployment of a single police officer in surveillance of a public toilet for one day.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Available figures on the cost of police officers' time are not related to the duties on which they are engaged ; additional costs are not normally incurred by the deployment of officers on particular duties.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines have been issued relating to police operations applied to the entrapment of homosexual men for soliciting.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The Home Office has issued guidance to all police forces which stresses that police officers must not incite the commission of criminal offences. Instructions relating to particular police operations against suspected indecency are a matter for individual chief officers.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many parliamentary questions for written answer have been answered by his Department so far this Session, and in the comparable period for the last Session ; and if he will publish a table of how many answers (a) do not give the information requested because of(i) disproportionate cost or (ii) other reasons, (b) give an undertaking to write to the hon. Member who asked the question and (c) were referred for answer to the chief executive of each next steps agency.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : The information requested is a matter of public record.
Remand (Young People)
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy that young people on remand should be dealt with in such a way as to maximise public protection and minimise serious re -offending while ensuring cost-effectiveness.
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Mr. John Patten : The Government's policy is to ensure that the courts have the powers they need to deal properly with juvenile defendants having regard to all relevant matters including the protection of the public and the prevention of offending. The Criminal Justice Bill makes the necessary provision.Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is currently (a) the average cost, (b) the highest cost and (c) the lowest cost per week of holding a young person on remand in secure accommodation which is provided (i) in premises other than prison accommodation and (ii) in various types of prison accommodation.
Mrs. Rumbold : Information about remand prisoners is not held separately.
The average weekly cost of holding a juvenile in a closed youth establishment in 1989-90 was £346. At the establishments with the highest and lowest costs the average weekly costs were £450 and £260 respectively.
Information about non-prison service establishments is not available.
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the alternatives to secure accommodation he is currently considering in respect of young people on remand.
Mr. John Patten : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health is establishing a national steering group which will consider the practical arrangements for dealing with remanded juveniles under the Criminal Justice Bill.
Karamjit Singh Chahal
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a further statement on the case of Karamjit Singh Chahal.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to him on 25 June at columns 405-6.
Crimes of Violence
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his Department's policy towards the monitoring of crimes of violence against lesbians and gay men ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The monitoring of crimes of violence against lesbians and gay men is, in common with many other types of crime, a matter for individual chief officers. For example, I understand that the Metropolitan police have identified four divisions in which specific monitoring of such attacks is being undertaken on a pilot basis with a view to developing good practice. Attacks on lesbians and gay men are as unacceptable as any other incidents of violence against individuals, and I have every confidence in the determination and ability of the police to protect all members of the public.
Returning Residents
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people, by nationality, have requested entry to the United Kingdom, as returning residents, in each quarter since May 1990 ; how many have been (a) readmitted as such, (b) readmitted for a limited period and (c) been refused entry to the United Kingdom.
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Mr. Peter Lloyd : I will write to the hon. Member.
Cymag
Mr. Onslow : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration his Department is giving to banning the possession and sale of Cymag.
Mr. John Patten : The Poisons Rules 1982 already prohibit the sale of Cymag to the general public. The Poisons Board in November 1990 considered the case for further strengthening controls on the availability of Cymag but concluded that changes to the poisons legislation would not be justified.
Bailiffs
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has now issued best practice guidance on the use of bailiffs by magistrates courts ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : I hope that it will be possible to publish the guidance next month, and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints have been received by clerks of the court as to the actions or conduct of bailiffs involved in the collection of poll tax debts ; and of these how many cases resulted in the complaint being held in favour of the complainant.
Mr. John Patten : Bailiffs used to levy distress in community charge cases are employed by the local authority, and not by the court. Justices' clerks will therefore not necessarily be aware of complaints about their conduct, and we do not have information about their number. However, the Community Charges (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1989 make provision for a person aggrieved by the levy of, or an attempt to levy, a distress to appeal to a magistrates court. A total of 14 such appeals were heard during the last financial year. Information about their outcome is not readily available.
Police Conduct
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is now the total amount paid by the Metropolitan police in (a) out-of-court settlements and (b) in-court awards arising from complaints about police conduct in the past 12 months to date.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the amounts paid by the Metropolitan police in settlements out of court and under awards made by the courts arising from allegations of wrongful acts by Metropolitan police officers are as follows :
|Settlements |Awards made
|out of court
|£ |£
--------------------------------------------------------
1990 |557,214 |188,110
<1>1991 |280,169 |17,901
<1> To 23 July.
Column 797
Summer Projects, Manchester
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on funds offered for summer projects in the Moss Side and Hulme areas of Manchester by his Department ; what requests were received from local groups ; and what was his response.
Mr. John Patten : The hon. Member and others have expressed concern about the risks to children in Moss Side and Hulme of being drawn into crime and drug misuse. Local groups have discussed these concerns with Home Office officials, the local probation service, and officials from the Moss Side and Hulme task force and Manchester and Salford city action team, and have proposed organising a range of activities for young people this summer and beyond, aimed at reducing these risks. Funding of £46,300 to support these schemes has been offered by the Home Office, Department of Education and Science, local task force and city action team.
Prisoners (Searches)
Mr. McNamara : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many strip searches were carried out on female prisoners sentenced category A and remand prisoners being held in Her Majesty's prisons, Durham and Brixton, since November 1989 ; what prison contraband, smuggled item, or illegal correspondence was discovered in any search ; in how many cases prisoners refused to be searched and had to be restrained while the search was being conducted ; and what were the reasons for each search.
Mrs. Rumbold : Between 1 November 1989 and 30 June 1991, category A women prisoners held in Brixton and Durham prisons were strip searched on a total of 254 occasions. No unauthorised article was found. On no occasion did the prisoners refuse to be strip searched. Strip searching is a routine security measure to which all prisoners--male and female--are subject, both for its deterrent effect and as a means of discovering unauthorised articles.
Magistrates Courts
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received about the reorganisation of magistrates courts in England and Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : We have received many comments from interested bodies and individuals on the report of the magistrates courts scrutiny, and have been giving them careful consideration.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes he proposes to make to the formula for cash limiting the magistrates courts system to meet the needs of rural areas.
Mr. John Patten : We shall give careful thought to the representations about the needs of rural areas made in the course of consultations on the proposed formula for the allocation of current grant before reaching final decisions.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has on the reasons for the closure of Darwen magistrates court.
Column 798
Mr. John Patten : I understand that no decision has yet been taken by the Lancashire magistrates courts committee that this courthouse should be closed.
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