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Column 571
Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 13 February 1992
TRANSPORT
Eurocontrol
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the future of Eurocontrol.
Mr. McLoughlin : I believe that Eurocontrol has an increasingly important role as the key organisation in Europe for co-ordinating the planning of air traffic management and related research and development, and the collection of enroute air navigation charges. In particular, Eurocontrol will continue to be responsible for building and operating the central flow management unit ; for the management of the European air traffic control harmonisation and integration programme, which is likely to be expanded shortly to include air traffic control systems at airports ; and for the operation of the European co-ordination team to identify measures to improve air traffic control capacity in the short term.
Eurocontrol will be opening negotiations on an agreement on strengthened co -operation with the EC Commission. It will also be considering whether its convention is appropriate to meet its future needs.
Twelve states have signed the Eurocontrol convention to date, and 15 states are members of the Eurocontrol route charges system. A number of other states attend Eurocontrol meetings as observers. Transport Ministers of the European Civil Aviation Conference have encouraged those member states which have not yet applied for membership of Eurocontrol to do so at the earliest opportunity.
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he is taking to improve co-ordination and the work of Eurocontrol and the European Commission in respect of a pan-European air traffic control system, in order to avoid duplication.
Mr. McLoughlin : As the result of a United Kingdom proposal at the meeting of the permanent commission of Eurocontrol on 3 December 1991, Eurocontrol, in co-operation with both the EC Commission and member states of the European Civil Aviation Conference, will formulate an outline plan for the future air traffic management system of its member states. This initiative provides a valuable opportunity to avoid duplication of work. During the forthcoming United Kingdom presidency of the EC the Government will encourage the Commission to support fully Eurocontrol's work on the future system by providing increased support for research and trials.
Air Traffic Control
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the European air traffic control harmonisation and inspection programme ; and what is the financial contribution by member states.
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Mr. McLoughlin : Following a United Kingdom initiative, Transport Ministers of the member states of the European Civil Aviation Conference agreed in April 1990 a strategy under the title of the European air traffic control harmonisation and integration programme, and invited Eurocontrol to manage the programme. The first phase of this strategy, which has just been completed on time, consisted of a comprehensive assessment of the present arrangements for air traffic control in Europe. The second and third phases will comprise programme development and acquisition and implementation of new equipment. The final phase will consider the air traffic management system needed in the longer term.
On 17 March my right hon. and learned Friend will be chairing a meeting in London of Transport Ministers of ECAC member states, to consider further measures to reduce flight delays and cope with growth in air traffic. We expect the meeting to reach agreement on a major extension of the current strategy for air traffic control. The programme's management costs are met by Eurocontrol, who estimate that these will be 5.8 million ecu per annum for 1992 onwards. Investment in the equipment necessary to implement the programme will be made by the participating ECAC member states.
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the work being done by the Atlas study group on air traffic control in Europe, and on the costs incurred and how they are funded.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Atlas study is being carried out for the EC Commission. Its objective is to define and provide specifications for the creation of a single unified air traffic management system for European airspace. I understand that the cost of the study, which will be fully met by the Commission, is likely to be some 7.5 million ecu.
British Rail
Mr. Gregory : To ask the Secretary of State for transport if he will give a breakdown of British Rail's funding in 1990-91 and an estimate on the same basis for the current year.
Mr. Freeman : The information requested is as follows.
British Rail sources of funds
£ million cash
|1990-91 |1991-92<1>
-------------------------------------------------------
Requirements
Investment |850 |1,125
Operating losses |350 |575
Interest |50 |75
|------- |-------
Total |1,250 |1,775
Sources
Borrowing |375 |600
PSO grants |600 |900
Level crossing grants |25 |25
PTE Grants |100 |125
Asset sales |125 |75
Working capital |25 |50
|------- |-------
Total |1,250 |1,775
<1> Estimate.
Notes:
1. All figures rounded to the nearest £25 million.
2. Operating losses exclude depreciation.
3. The external finance limit comprises borrowing and
grants
(other than PTE grants).
Speed Limits
Mr. Evennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will be consulting on proposals to revise the criteria for setting speed limits.
Mr. Chope : We have today begun consultation on proposals to make more flexible the criteria used for setting speed limits. The new criteria put greater weight on the local environment and should result in speed limits more closely reflecting local conditions. Copies of the consultation document have been placed in the Library of the House.
Hong Kong (Ministerial Visit)
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether, on his visit to Hong Kong in November 1988, the then Secretary of State took part in party political activities in addition to official duties.
Mr. McLoughlin : The then Secretary of State's schedule does not indicate that he took part in any such activities.
ENVIRONMENT
Tyre Recycling
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the result of his monitoring of current initiatives to tackle the stockpiles of used tyres ; whether he proposes to introduce tyre recycling targets ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : A survey of licensed and unlicensed tyre dumps is now being conducted by a consultant on behalf of the Departments of the Environment and of Energy. It is hoped that results, which will be available later this year, will give a clearer indication of what action needs to be taken. No plans for tyre recycling targets exist at present but the United Kingdom is participating in a working group organised by the European Commission as a part of its priority waste stream exercise to examine the issue in a harmonised European manner.
Housing
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the sources of referral to housing associations and the percentages that these nominations take up of housing associations stock for (a) the whole of England and Wales, (b) the north-east region and (c) Greater London.
Mr. Yeo : The latest available information relates to housing association lettings made in the first nine months of 1991 :
Percentage of lettings
|England |<1>North|Greater
|London
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Source of referral
Local authority
nomination |35 |30 |46
Statutory agency |2 |1 |1
Voluntary agency |3 |1 |9
Direct application |35 |50 |11
Mobility scheme |1 |<2>- |2
Within the housing association |19 |15 |25
Other housing association |1 |<2>- |2
Other |4 |3 |4
|-- |-- |--
Total |100 |100 |100
Notes:
<1> North: Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham, and
Cleveland.
<2> Less than 0.5 per cent.
Source: National Federation of Housing Associations.
For information on the position in Wales I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
National Parks (Transport)
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what appraisal he has made of transport needs to and within each of the national parks.
Mr. Baldry : None. The appraisal of transport needs to and within the national parks falls to my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Transport and to the relevant local and highway authorities.
Noise
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the number of complaints regarding excessive noise made to local authorities in each of the last 10 years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : Information is not available in the form requested. The Institution of Environmental Health Officers monitors the number of noise complaints received under the statutory nuisance procedures and records the number of remedies informally achieved or prosecutions carried out. This information appears in the "Digest of Environmental Protection and Water Statistics"--No. 13 of 1990--a copy of which has been placed in the Library. The statistics do not define "excessive noise".
Litter
Mr. Summerson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many members of the public have made and are making use of the anti- litter provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Mr. Baldry : The most recent information on intended or actual prosecutions was given in my answer to the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) on Friday 8 November 1991, Official Report , column 305 . The Tidy Britain Group, which receives grant in aid from my Department, is undertaking further surveys of local authorities to monitor the implementation of part IV of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. We await the results of its latest survey.
Parish Councils
Mr. Roger King : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish the results of Aston business school's survey of parish councils.
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Mr. Key : We have today published Aston business school's report entitled "Parish and Town Councils in England : A Survey". Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. A survey of the report has been sent to all the parish and town councils which took part in the research.Bypasses
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment at what stage of the planning process his Department is consulted over new bypasses.
Mr. Yeo : In the cases of trunk road bypasses, the Department of Transport would invariably consult my Department at the earliest stages of developing route proposals.
Where the bypass is a proposal of the local highway authority, it should be subject to the statutory development plan procedures, and shown in the structure and local plan for the area. This is made clear in PPG 12, "Development Plans and Regional Guidance", published on 10 February 1992. My Department must be consulted at each stage in the process leading to the adoption of the plan. The Secretary of State intends to make a direction shortly, to ensure that he is notified of any local highway authority road scheme which has not been subject to local plan procedures, or is in conflict with the development plan.
Bristol Development Corporation
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list by date created, firm and number of jobs, the jobs established by the Bristol development corporation.
Mr. Key [holding answer 11 February 1992] : This information is not available in the form requested. The corporation's estimate of total employment in the Bristol urban development area, based upon consultants' surveys, was 14,000 jobs in January 1989 and 18,000 jobs at March 1991.
West Yorkshire Transport Museum
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he considered the application by the West Yorkshire transport museum for city grant ; whether it has been approved ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key [holding answer 12 February 1991] : An application for city grant was received on 9 January and is currently under appraisal. A decision on the application will be made as soon as possible.
Stretton Magna Park
Sir John Farr : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will declare the whole of Stretton Magna park in Leicestershire a conservation area to protect the local flora and fauna.
Mr. Trippier : I am advised by English Nature that this area does not meet the criteria necessary for it to be notified by it as a site of special scientific interest. I understand that the area contains a number of species that are protected in their own right under the provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
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Farmland Hedges
Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further steps he is taking to prevent the removal of hedges from farmland.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 2 December 1991] : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on Tuesday 3 December 1991, Official Report, column 79.
Departmental Achievements
Mr. Gregory : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the expenditure and achievements of his Department in north Yorkshire during 1991 ; and what was the comparable position between June 1979 and May 1980.
Mr. Yeo [holding answer 11 February 1992] : The main expenditure of the Department in north Yorkshire is through the revenue support grant system. In 1991-92, the total external support for local councils in north Yorkshire is just over £260 million. In addition the Department has allocated over £12.6 million to local housing authorities in north Yorkshire to support capital programmes expected to total about £24 million this year. The Department also provided revenue support for housing, funding for an estate action scheme of £2.75 million and energy efficiency schemes. Substantial sums are also available from the Housing Corporation funded directly by the Department. Comparable figures for 1979 are not readily available.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Data Information Systems
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Attorney-General what data information systems the Lord Chancellor's Department has (a) agreed and (b) been consulted about with a view to taking part in ; what are the criteria for inclusion in such systems ; whether they will be linked to (i) the police national computer and (ii) other computer systems ; what data protection provisions apply to them ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : The Lord Chancellor's Department is currently developing and installing a computerised case management system for Crown court offices. No direct links from this system to other systems are planned, but data on court appearances currently provided to the Home Office on paper will in future be produced on magnetic media.
Other systems still in the planning stage are for a computerised database of statute law, and case management and accounting systems for the county courts, companies courts, and bankruptcy court. All computer systems within the Lord Chancellor's Department comply fully with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1984, as will all future systems.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Attorney-General what data information systems his Department has (a) agreed and (b) been consulted about with a view to taking part in ; what are the criteria for inclusion in such systems ; whether they will be linked to (i) the police national computer and (ii) other computer systems ; what data protection provisions apply to them ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : The legal secretariat to the Law Officers operates a file-tracking system, but does not
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participate in external data information systems and has not been consulted with a view to such participation. There are no plans for any link with the police national computer or with any other computer system.The Treasury Solicitor's department operates personnel, case-tracking and billing systems and has use of the LEXIS external data information system. There are no plans to link any of these systems to the police national computer or any other computer system.
The Crown prosecution services operates personnel, finance and a number of case-tracking systems. It has also agreed a new standard case-tracking system which is under development. The Crown prosecution service has subscribed to the LEXIS legal data base for a trial period. The criteria for inclusion in information systems are that the data should be necessary for operational, administrative or management purposes. The Crown prosecution service has no plans to link to the police national computer, but is discussing with other criminal justice agencies the possible automated exchange of the case data already passed in paper form for essential operational purposes.
The Serious Fraud Office operates personnel, case-tracking and document- controlled systems. There are no plans to link the systems to the police national computer or to any other external computer system.
The systems operated by each Department comply with the Data Protection Act 1984 and each Department is registered with the Data Protection Registrar.
Mortgage Repossessions
Mr. Soley : To ask the Attorney-General if he will give the figures for county court orders for mortgage repossessions for 1990 and 1991, including the percentage increase, according to (a) standard economic region and (b) county.
The Attorney-General : The figures for the number of repossessions are not collected. The only information available on mortgage possessions is the number of actions entered and orders made in each county court. The table gives the information for 1990 and 1991 for each county and standard economic region and shows the respective percentage increases. These figures do not indicate how many houses have been repossessed through the courts as not all of the orders made will have resulted in the execution of warrants of possession. At this stage the 1991 figures are provisional and therefore liable to revision in the future.
County Court mortgage possession actions entered
|1990 |1991 |Percentage
|change
---------------------------------------------------------------
Cleveland |1,149 |1,578 |37.3
Cumbria |700 |965 |37.9
Durham |1,165 |1,661 |42.6
Northumberland |219 |413 |88.6
Tyne and Wear |1,710 |2,300 |34.5
|--- |--- |---
North |4,943 |6,917 |39.9
Humberside |2,422 |3,006 |24.1
North Yorkshire |1,030 |1,430 |38.8
South Yorkshire |2,513 |3,375 |34.3
West Yorkshire |4,469 |6,335 |41.8
|--- |--- |---
Yorkshire and
Humberside |10,434 |14,146 |35.6
Derbyshire |1,589 |2,276 |43.2
Leicestershire |2,098 |2,569 |22.4
Lincolnshire |1,466 |1,869 |27.5
Northamptonshire |2,603 |2,991 |14.9
Nottinghamshire |3,280 |3,763 |14.7
|--- |--- |---
East Midlands |11,036 |13,468 |22.0
Cambridgeshire |2,443 |2,650 |8.5
Norfolk |1,631 |1,829 |12.1
Suffolk |1,484 |1,758 |18.5
|--- |--- |---
East Anglia |5,558 |6,237 |12.2
Bedfordshire |2,089 |2,930 |40.3
Berkshire |3,284 |3,789 |15.4
Buckinghamshire |2,429 |3,002 |23.6
Essex |5,520 |6,401 |16.0
Greater London |29,291 |35,416 |20.9
Hampshire |5,026 |6,801 |35.3
Hertfordshire |2,304 |3,076 |33.5
Isle of Wight |319 |408 |27.9
Kent |6,273 |7,727 |23.2
Oxfordshire |1,154 |1,528 |32.4
Surrey |2,024 |2,673 |32.1
Sussex |5,251 |6,275 |19.5
|--- |--- |---
South East |64,964 |80,026 |23.2
Avon |2,393 |3,459 |44.5
Cornwall |1,165 |1,749 |50.1
Devon |2,927 |4,061 |38.7
Dorset |2,248 |2,716 |20.8
Gloucestershire |1,050 |1,379 |31.3
Somerset |808 |1,199 |48.4
Wiltshire |1,618 |2,131 |31.7
|--- |--- |---
South West |12,209 |16,694 |36.7
Herefordshire and
Worcestershire |1,480 |2,152 |45.4
Salop |897 |1,309 |45.9
Staffordshire |2,505 |3,224 |28.7
Warwickshire |1,605 |1,809 |12.7
West Midlands |7,109 |9,199 |29.4
|--- |--- |---
West Midlands |13,596 |17,693 |30.1
Cheshire |1,842 |2,696 |46.4
Greater Manchester |6,211 |9,444 |52.1
Lancashire |3,504 |4,841 |38.2
Merseyside |3,417 |4,403 |28.9
|--- |--- |---
North West |14,974 |21,384 |42.8
Clwyd |689 |1,054 |53.0
Dyfed |706 |983 |39.2
Gwent |1,419 |1,686 |18.8
Gwynedd |720 |807 |12.1
Mid Glamorgan |1,820 |2,388 |31.2
Powys |91 |229 |151.6
South Glamorgan |1,198 |1,626 |35.7
West Glamorgan |993 |1,462 |47.2
|--- |--- |---
Wales |7,636 |10,235 |34.0
County court mortgage possession suspended orders
|1990 |1991 |Percentage
|change
---------------------------------------------------------------
Cleveland |414 |758 |83.1
Cumbria |359 |487 |35.7
Durham |430 |906 |110.7
Northumberland |66 |150 |127.3
Tyne and Wear |728 |1,067 |46.6
|--- |--- |---
North |1,997 |3,368 |68.7
Humberside |605 |1,330 |119.8
North Yorkshire |287 |447 |55.7
South Yorkshire |840 |1,208 |43.8
West Yorkshire |1,270 |2,118 |66.8
|--- |--- |---
Yorkshire and
Humberside |3,002 |5,103 |70.0
Derbyshire |512 |883 |72.5
Leicestershire |917 |948 |3.4
Lincolnshire |532 |557 |4.7
Northamptonshire |802 |893 |11.3
Nottinghamshire |847 |1,199 |41.6
|--- |--- |---
East Midlands |3,610 |4,480 |24.1
Cambridgeshire |558 |695 |24.6
Norfolk |441 |754 |71.0
Suffolk |421 |542 |28.7
|--- |--- |---
East Anglia |1,420 |1,991 |40.2
Bedfordshire |720 |1,034 |43.6
Berkshire |793 |1,497 |88.8
Buckinghamshire |492 |1,425 |189.6
Essex |1,179 |1,989 |68.7
Greater London |12,076 |12,842 |6.3
Hampshire |2,291 |3,431 |49.8
Hertfordshire |711 |961 |35.2
Isle of Wight |156 |221 |41.7
Kent |2,027 |3,061 |51.0
Oxfordshire |436 |476 |9.2
Surrey |511 |1,083 |111.9
Sussex |1,796 |2,045 |13.9
|--- |--- |---
South East |23,188 |30,065 |29.7
Avon |642 |1,292 |101.2
Cornwall |414 |814 |96.6
Devon |683 |1,270 |85.9
Dorset |605 |697 |15.2
Gloucestershire |378 |463 |22.5
Somerset |165 |395 |139.4
Wiltshire |519 |855 |64.7
|--- |--- |---
South West |3,406 |5,786 |69.9
Herefordshire and
Worcestershire |416 |615 |47.8
Salop |324 |622 |92.0
Staffordshire |725 |1,341 |85.0
Warwickshire |530 |826 |55.8
West Midlands |2,461 |3,071 |24.8
|--- |--- |---
West Midlands |4,456 |6,475 |45.3
Cheshire |775 |1,073 |38.5
Greater Manchester |2,136 |3,590 |68.1
Lancashire |1,121 |1,735 |54.8
Merseyside |1,297 |1,714 |32.2
|--- |--- |---
North West |5,329 |8,112 |52.2
Clwyd |221 |388 |75.6
Dyfed |270 |328 |21.5
Gwent |401 |533 |32.9
Gwynedd |338 |313 |-7.4
Mid Glamorgan |593 |779 |31.4
Powys |32 |65 |103.1
South Glamorgan |357 |577 |61.6
West Glamorgan |170 |474 |178.8
|--- |--- |---
Wales |2,382 |3,457 |45.1
Column 580
County Court mortgage possession orders made
|1990 |1991 |Percentage
|change
---------------------------------------------------------------
Cleveland |410 |589 |43.7
Cumbria |176 |258 |46.6
Durham |297 |598 |101.3
Northumberland |91 |111 |22.0
Tyne and Wear |575 |636 |10.6
-------
North |1,549 |2,192 |41.5
Humberside |891 |1,400 |57.1
North Yorkshire |335 |558 |66.6
South Yorkshire |750 |1,220 |62.7
West Yorkshire |1,816 |2,563 |41.1
-------
Yorkshire and
Humberside |3,792 |5,741 |51.4
Derbyshire |645 |845 |31.0
Leicestershire |694 |984 |41.8
Lincolnshire |581 |797 |37.2
Northamptonshire |905 |1,233 |36.2
Nottinghamshire |1,003 |1,365 |36.1
-------
East Midlands |3,828 |5,224 |36.5
Cambridgeshire |987 |1,273 |29.0
Norfolk |684 |921 |34.6
Suffolk |628 |866 |37.9
-------
East Anglia |2,299 |3,060 |33.1
Bedfordshire |821 |1,163 |41.7
Berkshire |1,325 |1,401 |5.7
Buckinghamshire |1,225 |1,240 |1.2
Essex |2,289 |2,864 |25.1
Greater London |11,146 |14,312 |28.4
Hampshire |2,306 |2,697 |17.0
Hertfordshire |1,214 |1,359 |11.9
Isle of Wight |121 |220 |81.8
Kent |2,804 |3,171 |13.1
Oxfordshire |393 |756 |92.4
Surrey |782 |1,111 |42.1
Sussex |2,142 |2,579 |20.4
-------
South East |26,568 |32,873 |23.7
Avon |839 |1,258 |49.9
Cornwall |442 |681 |54.1
Devon |1,341 |1,707 |27.3
Dorset |897 |1,055 |17.6
Gloucestershire |295 |423 |43.4
Somerset |250 |452 |80.8
Wiltshire |748 |892 |19.3
-------
South West |4,812 |6,468 |34.4
Herefordshire and
Worcestershire |566 |994 |75.6
Salop |295 |488 |65.4
Staffordshire |898 |1,364 |51.9
Warwickshire |661 |759 |14.8
West Midlands |2,162 |3,335 |54.3
-------
West Midlands |4,582 |6,940 |51.5
Cheshire |497 |947 |90.5
Greater Manchester |2,005 |2,976 |48.4
Lancashire |1,168 |1,940 |66.1
Merseyside |1,038 |1,449 |39.6
-------
North West |4,708 |7,312 |55.3
Clwyd |172 |365 |112.2
Dyfed |201 |502 |149.8
Gwent |521 |645 |23.8
Gwynedd |249 |311 |24.9
Mid Glamorgan |577 |846 |46.6
Powys |26 |76 |192.3
South Glamorgan |417 |681 |63.3
West Glamorgan |417 |532 |27.6
-------
Wales |2,580 |3,958 |53.4
Crown Prosecution Service
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Attorney-General (1) if he will arrange for decisions by the Crown prosecution service as to whether or not criminal proceedings are to be brought to be communicated to any police officer under investigation as quickly as possible ; (2) in how many cases the Crown prosecution service has received files for consideration in connection with the West Yorkshire police inquiry into the West Midlands serious crime squad ;
(3) when he expects the Crown prosecution service to have reached a decision in all cases submitted to it as a result of the West Yorkshire police inquiry into the West Midlands serious crime squad ;
(4) in how many cases the Crown prosecution service has decided whether criminal proceedings are to be brought against any police officer under investigation arising from the West Yorkshire police inquiry into the West Midlands crime squad.
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Attorney-General when he received the West Yorkshire police report on the West Midlands serious crimes squad ; and when he expects to reach a decision.
The Attorney-General : Between 16 March 1990 and 16 October 1991 the Crown prosecution service has received from the West Yorkshire metropolitan police a total of 73 files relating respectively to complaints about individual officers and investigations unto practices of the West Midlands serious crime squad. Consideration of these cases is well advanced, but a final decision will not be taken in any particular case until it has also been reviewed in the context of the cumulative evidence available from all the cases under consideration.
It is not at present possible to say when final decisions will be taken, but this will be as soon as possible and it is hoped in the near future. In accordance with normal practice in this type of case, the decisions will be communicated to individual officers by a senior officer and not directly by the Crown prosecution service.
Bailiffs
Mr. Carrington : To ask the Attorney-General what action the Lord Chancellor proposes to take in relation to the lack of regulation over some private bailiffs who enforce judgments and orders by the seizure and sale of property.
The Attorney-General : The right of a creditor to seize and sell a debtor's property to enforce a judgment or order is an important remedy which requires a difficult balance to be struck between the interests of creditors and debtors. This is not easy to achieve, whether enforcement be by sheriffs, county court bailiffs, certificated bailiffs, or other private bailiffs. My noble and learned Friend is currently conducting a review of the organisation and management
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of these civil enforcement agents and he hopes to publish a consultation paper later this year. The terms of reference of the review are, to consider :(a) whether changes should be made to the organisation and management of agents involved in the civil enforcement process ; (
(b) the part which the state should play in the organisation and management of enforcement agents ;
(c) the ways in which any changes to the organisation and management of enforcement agents could be achieved ;
(d) whether any changes to the law governing the work of enforcement agents are necessary or desirable.
My noble and learned Friend envisages a three-month consultation period during which he hopes to obtain a wide spectrum of views. Any changes the Government decide to make as a result of the review are likely to involve legislation.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Young Prisoners
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many 15-year-old boys and girls in prison received a punishment for a disciplinary offence in 1990 and in 1991 ; and for what offences they were punished.
Mrs. Rumbold : The age of prisoners punished for a disciplinary offence was not recorded centrally up to 1990. Such information will be available for 1991 but the data will not be complete until the second half of this year.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many 15-year-old prisoners have been held in police or court cells in 1991 ; and in which ones they have been held.
Mrs. Rumbold : Information on the total number and location of 15- year-old prisoners held in police cells is not collected centrally. When a 15-year-old prisoner is received into police cells the police inform the local liaison governor and priority arrangements are set in hand for the prisoner to be transferred immediately to a prison service establishment.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which prisons 15-year-old girls were held in 1990 and in 1991.
Mrs. Rumbold : According to the records held centrally, 11 girls aged 15 were received into prison service establishments in England and Wales in 1990 and all were held only under sentence. They were initially received into Holloway prison, New Hall prison or young offender institution or Risley prison or remand centre. One girl was recorded as having been held subsequently in Askham Grange prison but information about all such transfers was not retained centrally. Data for 1991 are not yet complete.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many 15-year-old girls were received into prison in each year of the past decade ; for what offences they were convicted, and how long were the prison sentences.
Column 583
Mr. Rumbold : The number of 15-year-old females received under sentence is published annually in "Prison Statistics England and Wales"--table 3.10 of the volume for 1989, Cm. 1221--copies of which are in the Library.Column 584
The information requested for the years 1981 -90 is given in the tables. Data for 1991 are not yet available.Column 583
Females aged 15 received under sentence: by offence, 1981-1990 Persons Offence |1981 |1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Violence against the person |6 |2 |11 |7 |8 |8 |9 |7 |3 |- Sexual offences |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- Burglary |4 |9 |10 |11 |7 |3 |5 |2 |- |1 Robbery |2 |2 |2 |4 |4 |3 |2 |4 |3 |4 Theft and handling |6 |3 |4 |10 |7 |4 |4 |10 |4 |- Fraud and forgery |- |- |1 |1 |2 |- |- |- |- |- Drugs offences |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- Other |- |- |3 |4 |4 |- |3 |3 |5 |2 Not recorded |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |4 All Offences |18 |16 |31 |37 |32 |18 |23 |26 |15 |11
Females aged 15 received under sentence: by length of sentence, 1981-1990 Persons Length of sentence |1981 |1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Up to 3 months |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |1 |- |- Over 3 months up to 6 months |- |- |19 |35 |24 |15 |17 |19 |10 |5 Over 6 months up to 12 months |- |- |6 |2 |5 |1 |6 |4 |2 |3 Over 12 months up to 3 years |1 |- |- |- |3 |2 |- |1 |3 |1 Over 3 years |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |1 |- |2 Borstal training |17 |16 |6 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- All sentences |18 |16 |31 |37 |32 |18 |23 |26 |15 |11
Women Prisoners
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women prisoners were held in police or court cells during 1991 ; where they were held ; and for how long.
Mrs. Rumbold : The average number of women prisoners held in police cells throughout 1991 was two. At various points during the year women prisoners were held in police cells by the Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Metropolitan, Staffordshire, Surry and West Midlands police forces. It is not possible from the information available to say how long individual prisoners were held.
Police Cells
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who is responsible for ensuring that the correct medication as prescribed by the doctor is given to a night prisoner held in a police cell.
Mrs. Rumbold : Paragraph 9.5 of code of practice C issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 provides that where a detained person is required to take or apply any medication in compliance with medical directions, the custody officer is responsible for its safekeeping and for ensuring that he is given the opportunity to take or apply it at the appropriate time.
Road Deaths
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has on the number of deaths of drivers and pedestrians caused by cars taken without the owner's consent in each year since 1980.
Mr. John Patten : The information is not available centrally.
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National Lottery
Mr. Lawrence : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to obtain the views of interested parties on the subject of a national lottery since 17 January ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : We are considering carefully how best to consult interested parties about the issues raised by a national lottery ; an annoucement will be made as soon as possible.
Refugees
Sir Russell Johnston : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many refugees were accepted from Yugoslavia in each of the years 1989, 1990 and 1991.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information is given in the table. At end- January 1992, around 430 asylum applications by Yugoslav nationals, mainly made in the last three months of 1991, were still under consideration.
Grants<1> of asylum in the
United Kingdom to Yugoslav
nationals
|Grants of
|asylum
-------------------------------
1989 |-
1990 |1
<2><3>1991 |1
<1> Excluding dependants.
<2> Information for 1991 may
understate because of delays
in
recording: information for
October to December is not yet
available.
<3> January to September.
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Heroin
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that prospective importers of heroin-- diamorphine--keep standards of transport security and site security equal to those maintained by the current United Kingdom supplier.
Mr. John Patten : No decision has yet been taken to license the commercial importation of diamorphine. A precondition for the grant of any licence to deal in diamorphine is that the drugs inspectorate is satisfied on the arrangements proposed by the prospective licensee for transport and site security.
Marriages of Convenience
Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in each of the last 10 years his Department has been notified by the registrar general that a proposed marriage is purely one of convenience.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Statistics of such notifications are not maintained.
Begging
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 the Metropolitan police district in 1990 and 1991.
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