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Bail
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to introduce a new offence of committing a crime while on bail ; and if he will make a statement on Northumbria police's recent report on the subject.
Mr. John Patten : Home Office researchers have been reviewing recent studies by Northumbria police, and others, of offending on bail. In the light of the results of the review, we shall consider urgently what further action could reduce offending on bail.
Independent Television Levy
Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has completed his review of the ITV levy rates ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : On 1 January 1990 a mixed levy on profits and advertising revenue was introduced, with the intention of recovering in the 1990-92 ITV contract extension period broadly the same yield as would have arisen under the 66.7 per cent. levy on domestic profits which operated until 1986, other things being equal. Although advertising revenue is likely to rise in real terms in 1992, to date it has been considerably lower than was expected when the new rates were set. This means that over the three years the levy is likely to raise more than we intended. I therefore propose to adjust the levy rates for the final year of the levy's existence in its current form. The free slice on net advertising revenue-- NAR--will be raised from £15 million to £25 million and the rate of NAR levy reduced from 10 to 2.5 per cent. The levy on profits will remain unchanged.
These changes will take effect once the necessary regulations have been approved by both Houses of Parliament.
Psychiatric Patients (Homicide)
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many psychiatric patients discharged from Home Office institutions have committed homicide in each of the last five years.
Mrs. Rumbold : I regret that this information is not available.
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Burglary
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he will give to funding crime prevention measures, including improved street lighting, to help reverse the increased level of burglary in Stoke-on-Trent, North constituency ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : Grants for specific crime prevention projects are made under the Home Office safer cities programme and the Department of the Environment's estate action and urban programme schemes. These are targeted largely at inner city areas where crime rates are generally higher than elsewhere. Staffordshire police are taking action to tackle the incidence of burglary in Stoke-on-Trent. Measures such as the development of neighbourhood watch schemes and encouraging householders to take steps, often at little or no cost, to secure their property can be simple but effective. Recent research for the Home Office has shown, however, that while good street lighting can help to reduce the fear of crime, it has little effect on crime itself.
Fire Services (Chiswick)
Sir Barney Hayhoe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will ensure that there is no reduction in the provison of fire services covering the Chiswick area as a result of reorganisation of the London fire service.
Mr. John Patten : It is for the London fire and civil defence authority to consider the deployment of its resources in the light of the recent review of fire cover in the capital. Should the authority subsequently propose to close any fire stations, or to reduce the number of operational firefighters or appliances, my right hon. Friend's approval would be required under section 19 of the Fire Services Act 1947. My right hon. Friend would not grant this unless we were satisfied that the authority would maintain the nationally recommended minimum standards of fire cover.
Begging and Sleeping Rough
Mrs. Golding : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were (a) prosecuted for begging, (b) convicted of begging, (c) prosecuted for sleeping rough and (d) convicted of sleeping rough in each police district in England and Wales in the year ending 31 December 1990.
Mr. John Patten : Information is not yet available for 1990. The table shows the number of prosecutions and convictions for begging and sleeping out offences by police force area in 1989.
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Number of defendants prosecuted and convicted for the offences of begging and sleeping out under the Vagrancy Act 1824 by
Police Force Area 1989
England and Wales
Begging Sleeping Out
Police Force Area |Prosecutions |Convictions |Prosecutions |Convictions
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon and Somerset |15 |14 |- |-
Bedfordshire |2 |1 |1 |-
Cambridgeshire |10 |9 |- |-
Cumbria |3 |3 |- |-
Devon and Cornwall |20 |19 |- |-
Dorset |3 |2 |- |-
Essex |- |- |1 |1
Greater Manchester |2 |1 |3 |1
Hampshire |5 |3 |2 |-
Hertfordshire |1 |1 |- |-
Humberside |1 |1 |2 |2
Kent |1 |1 |- |-
Lancashire |7 |3 |1 |1
London, City of |5 |5 |- |-
Merseyside |7 |6 |1 |-
Metropolitan Police District (MPD) |1,251 |1,188 |12 |10
North Yorkshire |1 |1 |- |-
Staffordshire |1 |1 |- |-
Surrey |1 |1 |- |-
Sussex |19 |17 |- |-
Thames Valley |40 |37 |1 |1
West Midlands |2 |1 |- |-
Wiltshire |3 |3 |- |-
South Wales |2 |1 |- |-
England and Wales |1,402 |1,319 |24 |16
No prosecutions were recorded in the Police Force Areas of Cheshire, Cleveland, Derbyshire, Durham, Gloucestershire,
Leicestershire,
Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Northumbria, Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Warwickshire, West Mercia,
West
Yorkshire, Dyfed Powys, Gwent and North Wales.
Vagrancy Act 1824
Mrs. Golding : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has received and from whom in respect of the Vagrancy Act 1824 and its operation.
Mr. John Patten : In the past 12 months we have received 11 representations from right hon. and hon. Members and 16 from members of the public about the Vagrancy Act 1824. We have also responded to 12 parliamentary questions and noted one early-day motion on the subject. These figures include representations from those who support the present legislation or want to see more powers as well as those who oppose it.
United Kingdom Immigrants Advisory Service
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the United Kingdom Immigrants Advisory Service about the increases in resources for its work.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Discussions have been continuing between the Home Office and representatives of UKIAS on the resources needed to enable the organisation to respond to an increased workload. An initial payment of £200,000 has been made to UKIAS to enhance the refugee unit and further amounts will be made available for this purpose as they become necessary.
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost to the taxpayer of legal aid provided through the legal aid service and through the United Kingdom Immigrants Advisory Service to asylum seekers for the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I understand that legal aid for all immigration cases was £2.65 million for 1990-91. No
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separate figure is available for asylum- related costs. For the year ending March 1991, the Home Office provided UKIAS with £72,690, as part of the annual grant in aid, towards the cost of its refugee unit.Crime Statistics
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were (a) recorded and (b) reported but unrecorded relating to (i) vandalism, (ii) theft from vehicles, (iii) burglary,(iv) wounding, (v) theft of vehicles, (vi) theft from persons, (vii) robbery and (viii) theft from homes, in each police authority area in Wales for every year between 1979 to 1990.
Mr. John Patten : Information available to the Home Office is for recorded crimes--notifiable offences--only and tables are published for police force areas for Wales in table 32 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales" for the year 1979 : for 1980 to 1989 in "Criminal Statistics England and Wales Supplementary Volume 3", table 3.1. Copies of these publications are in the Library, as are tables for 1990. Information about crime reported to the police but not recorded by them is not collected centrally. There is no specific offence of vandalism, but criminal damage is usually regarded as covering this type of offence.
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of total crimes was accounted for by (a) burglary, (b) robbery, (c) criminal damage, (d) fraud and forgery, (e) sexual offences, (f) violence against the person, (g) theft and (h) other offences, in each police authority area in Wales for every year between 1979 to 1990.
Mr. John Patten : Information for the years 1988-90 is contained in the table. Information for earlier years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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Percentage of notifiable offences recorded in Wales by police force area
Number of offences
|Burglary |Robbery |Criminal |Fraud and |Sexual |Violence |Theft |Other
|damage | forgery |offences |against the |offences
|person
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1990
Dyfed Powys |16.5 |0.1 |17.9 |6.4 |1.5 |8.8 |47.9 |1.0
Gwent |16.5 |0.3 |17.1 |3.7 |1.0 |7.0 |53.7 |0.7
North Wales |22.0 |0.2 |18.7 |3.1 |0.8 |6.2 |48.3 |0.7
South Wales |20.2 |0.2 |20.4 |2.2 |0.4 |3.2 |52.9 |0.5
1989
Dyfed Powys |15.4 |0.1 |19.6 |6.4 |1.5 |8.2 |47.7 |1.1
Gwent |15.2 |0.2 |17.6 |4.2 |1.3 |7.8 |53.1 |0.6
North Wales |21.3 |0.2 |17.8 |5.2 |1.5 |6.5 |46.8 |0.7
South Wales |21.2 |0.2 |19.1 |2.3 |0.4 |3.8 |52.4 |0.5
1988
Dyfed Powys |16.3 |0.1 |19.2 |8.0 |1.6 |6.3 |47.5 |1.1
Gwent |17.1 |0.2 |16.1 |4.3 |1.2 |7.3 |53.1 |0.7
North Wales |25.0 |0.2 |15.0 |5.3 |0.9 |6.2 |46.9 |0.5
South Wales |21.5 |0.2 |16.0 |2.3 |0.4 |3.3 |55.9 |0.4
Immigration (Carriers' Liability)
Mr. Mudd : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will instruct the immigration service not to impose the £2,000 penalty on carriers in circumstances of passengers' non-possession of valid United Kingdom entry documents, in the case of transit passengers required to be permitted to proceed to an onward destination, pursuant to the current instructions under the Immigration (Carriers' Liability) Act 1987.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Charges are not imposed under the Immigration (Carriers' Liability) Act 1987 in respect of passengers who fulfil the published criteria of the visa waiver for transit purposes.
Bus Lanes
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what have been the number of prosecutions of motorists for illegal driving in bus lanes during restricted hours in Greater London in each of the last three years.
Mr. John Patten : The information requested is not separately identified in the motoring offences statistics collected centrally. However, I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that 16,525 fixed penalties notices were issued by the Metropolitan police during 1990 for the offence of contravening a bus lane, a category which excludes parking offences.
Football Offences Act
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give a breakdown of the dates and venues of the matches from which arose each of the offences under sections 2 to 4 of the Football Offences Act outlined in his answer to the hon. Member for Stalybridge and Hyde of 17 October 1991, Official Report, column 188 .
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 5 November 1991] : The information requested is as follows.
Date |Match |Number of
|arrests
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 2 (throwing of missiles)
17 August |Scarborough v. Mansfield Town |3
|Rotherham United v. Burnley |1
23 August |Wigan Athletic v. Chester City |3
24 August |Newcastle United v. Watford |1
5 October |York City v. Scarborough |1
|Arsenal v. Chelsea |1
Section 3 (indecent or racialist chanting)
17 August |Arsenal v. QPR |2
24 August |Tottenham Hotspur v. Chelsea |4
|Wimbledon v. West Ham United |1
28 August |Chelsea v. Notts County |1
31 August |Chelsea v. Luton Town |1
|Arsenal v. Manchester City |6
4 September |Newcastle United v. Watford |1
7 September |Arsenal v. Coventry City |4
|Hartlepool United v. Leyton Orient |1
14 September |Newcastle United v. Watford |1
21 September |Newcastle United v. Millwall |1
Section 4 (going on to the playing area)
17 August |Doncaster Rovers v. Carlisle United |1
|AFC Bournmouth v. Darlington |2
|Brighton v. Tranmere |1
|Barnsley v. Sunderland |3
21 August |Derby County v. Middlesbrough |1
31 August |West Ham United v. Notts County |1
4 September |Millwall v. Brighton |1
|Newcastle United v. Plymouth Argyle |1
7 September |Notts County v. Liverpool |2
|Derby County v. Barnsley |1
|Burnley v. Crewe Alexandra |2
|Rotherham United v. Hereford United |7
14 September |Stoke City v. Fulham |1
|Bury v. Huddersfield Town |1
17 September |Swindon Town v. Leicester |3
|Stoke City v. Hartlepool United |1
21 September |Everton v. Coventry City |1
|Hartlepool United v. Birmingham City|1
|Rotherham United v. Maidstone United|1
28 September |Middlesbrough v. Sunderland |2
|Newcastle United v. Derby County |2
|Stoke City v. Stockport County |2
|Barnet v. Cardiff City |2
Royal Parks
Mr. Gould : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration has been given to the security implications of the contracting out of the management of the royal parks for those public buildings and royal palaces under the protection of the Metropolitan police.
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Mr. Heseltine : I have been asked to reply.The security implications for the royal palaces, public buildings and MoD property of contracting out the garden and landscape maintenance work in the royal parks are considered in the same way as they are whenever a contractor's staff undertakes work in such buildings or their gardens.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Accommodation Strategy
Mr. Michael Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if any conclusions have yet been reached following his Department's review of its accommodation strategy.
Mr. Leigh : The review is not yet completed.
Taiwan
Sir Eldon Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the value of British export sales to Taiwan in each of the past 10 years and the equivalent figures for France and Germany.
Mr. Redwood : The information is available from an OECD publication called "Monthly Statistics of Foreign Trade" held in the House of Commons Library.
Enterprise Initiative
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what evaluation there has been so far of the usefulness of his Department's enterprise initiative to (a) consultancy companies and (b) entrepreneurs in receipt of assisted consultancy advice ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Leigh : Since it was introduced in January 1988 the enterprise initiative consultancy scheme has made a major contribution towards overcoming the reluctance of small and medium-sized firms to use outside expertise to improve their competitiveness : more than 90,000 firms have sought assistance under the scheme, the majority of which have never before used consultants.
The need for monitoring and evaluation has been built into the enterprise initiative consultancy scheme from its inception. On going in-house monitoring is supplemented by independent evaluation. This is centered on interview surveys with two samples of assisted firms, carried out by independent consultants, Segal Quince Wicksteed Ltd. The two panels of firms are interviewed shortly after project completion and then again one to two years later. Reports of the first three stages of the four-stage survey programme have been completed and published as follows :
(a) Evaluation of the Consultancy Initiatives by Segal Quince Wicksteed, published in 1989 by HMSO, ISBN 0 11 514677 6.
(b) Second Stage, published by HMSO in 1991, ISBN 0 11 515269 5. (c) Third Stage, published by HMSO in 1991, ISBN 011 515270 9. The results of the fourth stage will be published in the new year.
Evaluation has demonstrated the benefit to firms of an assisted consultancy project. It has found that 70 per cent. of assisted firms began to reap clear commercial benefits
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within a year of their assisted consultancy project and expected to recover their full project costs within three years. Firms had experienced improvements in the relationship between operating costs and turnover ; and had experienced wider benefits in terms of improvements to management capability and an increased confidence in running the business.One of the major aims of the enterprise initiative consultancy scheme is to encourage the use of consultants among small and medium-sized firms. Evaluation has found that 51 per cent. of assisted firms were more likely to use full-price consultancy in future. The benefits to consultancy companies of the scheme are the opportunity to work on projects encouraged and supported by the scheme ; and, in the longer term, the general opening up of the small and medium-sized firm market to consultancy.
Indonesia
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will now make it his policy to provide information on export credits made available to Indonesia.
Mr. Lilley : The full range of Export Credits Guarantee Department facilities is available to support short and medium-term transactions with Indonesia subject to the ECGD's normal underwriting judgment being satisfied.
Efficiency Reviews
Mr. David Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he intends to ask the Monopolies and Mergers Commission to undertake an efficiency review of a publicly owned body under section 11 of the Competition Act 1980.
Mr. Redwood : As part of its regular programme of efficiency studies of publicly owned bodies, the commission has been asked to look into the service provided by the Commonwealth Development Corporation. The formal reference was made today. It asks the MMC to look at whether, in carrying out its functions under the relevant legislation, the CDC could improve efficiency, reduce costs and improve the quality of service provided.
The commission will report in five months.
Yugoslavia
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information he has on the level at which British arms manufacturers are currently supplying equipment to the warring factions in Yugoslavia.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 11 November 1991] : None. The Twelve members of the European Community agreed an embargo on the supply of arms to Yugoslavia on 5 July 1991. Her Majesty's Government fully supported this initiative and the DTI, in anticipation, revoked all export licences for weapons and military equipment to Yugoslavia on 3 July 1991. These measures were reinforced by the adoption of United Nations Security Council resolution 713 on 25 September which placed a general and complete embargo on all deliveries of weapons and military equipment to Yugoslavia.
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Iraq Arms Embargo
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list any chemicals with potential military uses which were exported to Iraq in contravention of the arms embargo.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 11 November 1991] : There is no evidence that any chemicals under statutory control have been exported to Iraq in contravention of the statement concerning the supply of lethal defence equipment made by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 29 October 1985.
Development Areas
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consultations are required by the European Commission prior to the United Kingdom Government exercising its right to create new development areas within the United Kingdom.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 12 November 1991] : The European Commission's approval is required for assisted area designations made under section 1 of the Industrial Development Act 1982. Consultations would take place as and when changes were proposed, and from time to time under the Commission's own rolling programme to check member states' support programmes.
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will now consider conferring development area status on travel-to- work areas within the Borders region in south-east Scotland.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 12 November 1991] : No. The Government have repeatedly made it clear that they will not make piecemeal changes to, nor conduct a full review of, the assisted areas map during the present Parliament.
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the powers the Government have under the Assisted Areas Order 1984 to designate new areas under the regional development provisions.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 12 November 1991] : The power to designate development or intermediate area status to areas is contained in section 1(1) and (3) of the Industrial Development Act 1982. The Assisted Areas Order 1984 was made in exercise of these powers.
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will now review the criteria by which development area status is conferred on new areas within the United Kingdom.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 12 November 1991] : In designating assisted areas, the Secretary of State is required under the terms of section 1(3) of the Industrial Development Act 1982 to
"--have regard to all the circumstances actual and expected, including the state of employment and unemployment, population changes, migration and the objectives of regional policies". The particular parameters to be used in constructing the map will be determined when a review is done.
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ENVIRONMENT
Royal Parks
Mr. Gould : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultations were made before the decision to contract out the royal parks was taken.
Mr. Heseltine : It is the Government's policy to buy in services after competitive tender and I see no need for consultation on each occasion that we do so. We are consulting very widely on the future role and use of the royal parks.
Mr. Gould : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) on what basis the decision to close the royal parks apprentice training centre was taken ; and how much money will be saved by the closure ;
(2) what will be the future arrangements for apprentice training and who will fix the pay for apprentices, following contracting out of the management of the royal parks ; and what arrangements will be made for apprentices to gain experience in a range of parks following contracting out.
Mr. Heseltine : When the gardening and landscape maintenance work is contracted out next March the royal parks will no longer employ any horticultural apprentices and there will be no need for the training centre at Eltham. The Department will, however, require companies awarded contracts in the parks to take part in a new royal parks apprenticeship scheme. The academic part of the training will be provided at Southwark college. Successful tenderers will offer employment to existing apprentices and make arrangements for them to complete their training. They will also be required to take on new apprentices each year to continue training at its present level. Where necessary, arrangements will be made for apprentices to move between parks to get a wide range of experience. It will be for the firms concerned to fix the pay for apprentices, but all firms tendering for contracts are being asked to supply information about their proposed rates of pay and that will be taken into account in awarding contracts.
Mr. Gould : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which outside consultants have been involved in the drawing up of specifications for the management of each of the royal parks.
Mr. Heseltine : No specifications are being drawn up for the management of the royal parks, which will remain the responsibility of my Department. The firm of Gillespies has been involved in drawing up the specifications for the day-to-day garden and landscape maintenance work in the royal parks.
Mr. Gould : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what savings he expects to achieve from the contracting out of the management of the royal parks ; and what are the redundancy costs involved.
Mr. Heseltine : The contracting-out of the garden and landscape maintenance work in the royal parks is about maintaining and raising standards and spreading those standards to other parts of the country, while ensuring better value for money. The costs of the redundancies and early retirement have been estimated at around £3 million. This is an acceptable, one-off cost to bear for the benefits of moving this work into the private sector.
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Mr. Gould : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what concern with standards of horticulture has led to the appointment of an advisory committee on standards in the royal parks.Mr. Heseltine : I am determined to ensure that the standards of horticulture in the royal parks are high. Robin Herbert, president of the Royal Horticultural Society, and his panel will provide a source of independent advice to this process.
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the running of the royal parks.
Mr. Yeo : We are determined that in future the existing high standards of quality in the royal parks should be maintained and where possible improved. We have recently undertaken two initiatives aimed at achieving this. A review group, under the chairmanship of Dame Jennifer Jenkins, has been set up to look at the role and the use of the parks. The group is concentrating in the first place on Hyde park and Kensington gardens and will be bringing forward proposals for improving their overall quality. The review group's report is due early next year. In addition, tenders are being invited to carry out the garden and landscape maintenance work in the royal parks from March 1992. Management of the royal parks will remain the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. The contracts will be let by the Department to specifications which lay down high standards and will be closely monitored by the park managers.
Mr. Gould : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations he has received in favour and against the contracting out of the management of the royal parks.
Mr. Heseltine : I have received a number of representations both for and against the exercise.
Mr. Gould : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what horticultural qualifications and experience will be required for the managers of the royal parks when their management is contracted out.
Mr. Heseltine : The management of the royal parks is not being contracted out. The parks will continue to be managed by suitably qualified and experienced people employed by the Department.
Bathing Waters
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those EC countries which have designated inland bathing waters under EC directive 76/160.
Mr. Baldry : I refer the hon. Member to theEC Commission report "Quality of Bathing Water 1989-1990", copies of which are available in the Library.
Red Data Book Birds
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all the red data book birds in the United Kingdom, with details of their current populations.
Mr. Baldry : I will write to the hon. Member.
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Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking to preserve, protect and provide habitat for, British red data book birds ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 some 8 per cent. of Britain's wildlife habitat is protected as sites of special scientific interest--some 5,600 sites. Many of these are important nesting, roosting and feeding sites for species listed in the red data books. The Countryside Commission's countryside stewardship initiative and the programme of environmentally sensitive areas implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, also encourage the conservation of features of our countryside that are important to wildlife, including these birds. I have asked for further advice specific to the needs of these species. I will write to the hon. Member when this is available.
Red Kite
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has taken place in 1991 towards re-establishing the red kite as a breeding species in England and Scotland.
Mr. Baldry : A reintroduction programme now co-ordinated by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the RSPB began in 1989. It has continued in 1991 with the release of further young birds in suitable areas of England and Scotland. These are intended to form the basis of successful breeding population in future years. To date, 78 red kites have been released, of which 62 are known to have survived.
Sleeping Rough
Mrs. Golding : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give his Department's estimates of the number of people sleeping rough for each of the months October 1990 to October 1991, inclusive, and provide a breakdown of the figures for each local authority area.
Mr. Yeo : The most reliable information available to my Department is contained in "1991 Census : Supplementary Monitor on People Sleeping Rough" published by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys on 9 July 1991 ; a copy was placed in the Library.
Water Abstraction
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the statutory instruments relevant to the abstraction of water.
Mr. Baldry : The annual "Index to Government Orders" gives details of all the public general statutory instruments which are in force including those relevant to water abstraction. The annual volumes of statutory instruments contain, at the end of the last volume for each year, a classified list of local statutory instruments.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment to what changes the conditions governing the abstraction of water have been subject since 1 January 1990.
Mr. Baldry : The abstraction of water is regulated both by statutory provisions and by the terms of the licence for
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