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Police, West Cumbria
19. Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will visit west Cumbria to discuss matters relating to policing.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has no plans to do so at present.
Community Service
20. Dr. Michael Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of community service as a sentence.
Mr. John Patten : The introduction in 1989 of monitored national standards for the operation of community service orders has successfully promoted a higher use of the orders by the courts. In 1990--the first full year of operation and the most recent for which figures are available--the number of people who began a community service order was 37,490. This was 10 per cent. more than in 1989 and without any reduction in the proportion of offenders--36 per cent.--who had previously been in custody.
Probation Service
21. Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the future of the probation and after-care service.
Mr. John Patten : The planned commencement from October of the main provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 will give the 55 probation services in England and Wales an even more important role, especially in preparing advice to the courts and in supervising offenders in the community.
Visas (Right of Entry)
22. Sir Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to resist proposals for visitors to other EC countries on visas to thereby have the right to enter the United Kingdom.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : That is already my right hon. Friend's policy. The proposal for mutual recognition of visas which is contained in the draft external frontiers convention does not imply such a right.
Police, Cambridgeshire
23. Mr. Moss : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the increase in the police manpower levels in Cambridgeshire since 1979.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : At the end of November 1991 police strength in Cambridgeshire was 1,247 ; an increase since 1979 of 176 officers, or 16 per cent. My right hon. Friend approved 16 new posts from 1 October 1991, six more from 28 November and a further 10 posts from 1 April this year.
Violence Against Women
24. Mr. Martyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department has taken to help protect women against violent crime.
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Mr. John Patten : Government action in recent years has been directed towards tackling rape and domestic violence. In the light of Home Office research studies, which provided fresh insight into the nature of these crimes, we have taken a number of steps. We have issued guidance to the police on how to improve their response ; we have strengthened the powers of the courts to punish offenders and to protect victims ; and we have encouraged local agencies to work together to provide help and support to women who are victims of violent or sexual crimes.
Police (Urban Areas)
25. Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the pressures on police in serving urban communities and the appropriate allocation of police manpower.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : My right hon. Friend considers requests from police authorities for increases in police establishments with the advice of Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary. In formulating its advice, the inspectorate uses a manpower formula to aid assessment of the relative needs of forces, and one of the factors in that formula is the degree of urbanisation in each force area.
Lollipop People
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many lollipop people are known to be needed in Greater London ; what is being done to recruit them ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that at 11 February 1992 there were 208 vacancies on a total establishment of 1,350 schools crossing patrol posts. Recruitment effort is being directed to local communities by advertising in schools, libraries and community centres.
Betting Shops (Evening Opening)
Sir Michael Neubert : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of representations he has received against the evening opening of betting shops has come from greyhound racing interests.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Since issuing our consultation document on the evening opening hours of licensed betting offices on 14 October, the great majority of the representations we have received against evening opening have come from the greyhound racing industry and its supporters.
Crime Statistics
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the increase in reported crime since 1979.
Mr. John Patten : The available information relates to recorded crime. Figures for 1979 to 1989 are published in table 2.2 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 1989" and figures for 1990 are published in table 3 of Home Office Statistical Bulletin 13/91. Copies of these publications are available in the Library. The British Crime Survey provides a measure of reported crime as experienced by adults in England and
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Wales. The most recent available results show that there was a 30 per cent. increase in offences measured by the survey between 1981 and 1987, as against a 41 per cent. increase in comparable recorded offences.Murderers on Parole
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of convicted murderers on parole from Leyhill open prison in February 1988, February 1989, February 1990 and February 1991.
Mrs. Rumbold : Information on the establishment from which ex- prisoners, still subject to a life licence, were originally released is not recorded centrally.
Northern Ireland Prisoners
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further progress has been made in relation to Northern Ireland prisoners who are serving sentences in gaols in England and Wales to serve the remaining part of their sentences in gaols in Northern Ireland.
Mrs. Rumbold : The policy and practice governing the transfer of prisoners between United Kingdom jurisdictions is being reviewed by an inter-departmental working party. We expect to receive the working party's report shortly.
Fire Service
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the total cost of the fire service in (a) England and Wales and (b) in the United Kingdom in 1979 and in the last year for which records are available ;
(2) how many fire appliances were in service in (a) England and Wales fire brigades and (b) the United Kingdom fire brigades in 1979 and the most recent year for which figures are available ; (3) how many fire-fighting personnel were in post in fire brigades in (a) England and Wales and (b) the United Kingdom in 1979 and in the last year for which records are available.
Mr. John Patten : The information requested in relation to England and Wales is given in the table. Similar questions relating to the fire service in other parts of the United Kingdom are the responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Northern Ireland.
|1979 |1991
--------------------------------------------------------
Total cost<1> |<2>355 |<3>1,164
(£ million)<4> |825 |1,164
Number of firefighters<5> |48,648 |51,300
Number of fire appliances<6> |3,572 |3,462
<1>Includes local authority current and capital
expenditure.
<2>1979-80 outturn.
<3>1991-92 estimated outturn.
<4>Expressed in real terms at 1991-92 prices using GDP
deflator.
<5>Wholetime and part-time (retained) firefighters and
control room
staff.
<6>Pumping and special appliances.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special service calls the fire
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brigades of (a) England and Wales and (b) the United Kingdom responded to in 1979 and the most recent year for which records exist.Mr. John Patten : Fire brigades attended 85,568 special service incidents during 1979 and 190,787 during 1990 in England and Wales. Figures for the United Kingdom are 90,508 and 198,868 respectively.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to how many call-outs to fires the fire services in England and Wales responded in (a) 1979 and (b) the most recent year for which records exist.
Mr. John Patten : Fire brigades attended 304,582 fires during 1979 and 400,904 during 1990 in England and Wales.
Mr. Habib Somai
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make an early decision in the case of Mr. Habib Somai who first applied to remain as a spouse in this country on 22 January 1991, and whose Member of Parliament first wrote to him on 1 August 1991 ; and whether he will make a statement on the reasons for the time taken to deal with this application.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is about to write to the right hon. Member, conveying a decision on Mr. Somai's application. The delay in resolving this application is due, in part, to the need to obtain further information about Mr. Somai's original visa application in Tunis and to arrange an interview with Mr. Somai and his wife.
Constituencies
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the six largest geographical parliamentary constituencies in England and, in each case, show the acreage.
Mrs. Rumbold : The information is set out in the tables. The areas are given in hectares and include land and inland water. A hectare is equivalent to 2.471 acres.
Parliamentary Constituencies in England:
The six largest constituencies, by geographical
area
Constituency |Area in
|hectares
--------------------------------------------------
Penrith and the Border |327,964
Hexham |250,992
Richmond (Yorks) |233,012
Berwick-upon-Tweed |231,456
Skipton and Ripon |218,136
Torridge and West Devon |214,465
National Criminal Intelligence System
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who will have access to the new integrated national criminal intelligence system ; how many records the system is expected to hold ; and what will be the source of the information held on the system.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The current project plan only allows national criminal intelligence service staff to input information on to the computer system. However, it is
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intended that police forces and regional crime squads will have terminals for inquiry purposes and that Her Majesty's Customs and Excise will be allowed restricted access.Until the functional specification has been agreed, it is not possible to say how many records the system will hold. The intelligence will come from police forces in the United Kingdom, regional crime squads and regional drugs wings, Interpol, Her Majesty's Customs and Excise and other international enforcement agencies.
HEALTH
Social Services
Mr. Rowe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he has any plans to compensate health authorities for any additional costs incurred by the failure of local authorities to meet their obligations to clients within the health authority boundaries ; (2) what steps he takes to monitor additional costs falling upon health authorities as a consequence of industrial action by social services or other staff caring for vulnerable people in their communities ;
(3) what representations he has received from health authorities affected by the withdrawal of services by social services staff in Camden ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : We are not aware of any calculations of excess costs being made by health authorities in these circumstances.
The strike by social workers in Camden has disrupted social services in the borough, although statutory duties are being carried out on an emergency basis by management. The protracted nature of this dispute is clearly against the interests of the public and Camden residents. The dispute should be resolved quickly by the local authority and its work force.
Dentists, Durham
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients registered with dentists in the Durham area for each year since 1981 were (a) under 16 years, (b) between 16 and 65 years and (c) over 65 years.
Mr. Dorrell : Patients registered with dentists for the first time when the new dental contract was introduced in October 1990. The only figures available for a complete year are those for 1991. The information requested for the Durham family health services authority is as follows. All figures are for the year ending 31 December 1991.
|Number
---------------------------------
Under 18 years |73,511
18 to 64 years |188,102
65 or more years |31,167
Source: Dental Practice Board
GDS Quarterly Statistics.
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists in Durham have resigned from the National Health Service.
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Toxocara Canis
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish a table to show for each of the last three years his estimates of (a) the number of children in Great Britain who have been infected with toxocara canis, (b) how many of those infections are attributable to dogs, (c) how many are attributable to foxes and (d) how many are attributable to other canines ; and what is his estimate of the level of infected (i) foxes and (ii) dogs in (1) urban and (2) rural areas.
Mr. Dorrell : Human Toxocariasis is caused by a variety of species in the genus toxocara. Information collected by the Public Health Laboratory Service communicable disease surveillance centre refers to infection caused by any of these parasites.
The table lists the total number of laboratory reports of infections due to Toxocara species in children for the period 1988-91. These data cover England, Wales Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man, but not Scotland.
No information is available on how many of these infections were attributable to dogs, foxes or other canines. The Public Health Laboratory Service is concerned predominantly with human infection and does not have information on the level of infection amongst urban and rural dogs and foxes.
7
Toxocariasis
Age Goup Laboratory reports by year
|1988 |1989 |1990 |1991
-------------------------------------------------------
1 year |- |- |- |-
1 to 4 years |15 |8 |12 |11
5 to 9 years |9 |5 |8 |6
10 to 14 years |5 |3 |2 |1
|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total |29 |16 |22 |18
Vapona Strips
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice has been issued by his Department concerning the adverse effects on some human beings of contact with Vapona strips or similar insecticides.
All insecticides have to be approved for use under the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986. Before approval is given advice must be sought from the statutory Advisory Committee on Pesticides. Manufacturers are required under the regulations to state on the product what precautions should be taken by those who are likely to use or come into contact with it. Provided these precautions are taken, it would be most unlikely for any adverse effects to be experienced. We are not aware of any adverse effects being reported from the use of these particular products.
Electoral Register
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the will state (a) the estimated population of 18 years and over and (b) the number of names on the electoral register.
Mr. Dorrell : The latest estimate of the United Kingdom population aged 18 and over, relating to mid-1990, is 44.3 million. There were 43.6 million names on the 1991
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electoral register--qualifying date 10 October 1990. Information about the 1992 electoral register is still being collected.Prescription Charges
Miss Lestor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the dates and amounts of increases in prescription charges, in pence and percentage terms, since June 1979.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The requested information is in the table. One hundred million more items are prescribed free now compared to 1979. One item in six now carries a charge. In 1979 it was one item in three.
Prescription Charges: increases in pence and
percentage terms June
1979 to April 1992.
Date Increase
|Pence |Per cent.
----------------------------------------------
16 July 1979 |25 |125.00
1 April 1980 |25 |55.55
1 December 1980 |30 |42.85
1 April 1982 |30 |30.00
1 April 1983 |10 |7.69
1 April 1984 |20 |14.28
1 April 1985 |40 |25.00
1 April 1986 |20 |10.00
1 April 1987 |20 |9.09
1 April 1988 |20 |8.33
1 April 1989 |20 |7.69
1 April 1990 |25 |8.92
1 April 1991 |35 |11.47
1 April 1992 |35 |10.29
Liverpool Family Service Unit
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from the Liverpool family service unit respecting funding ; and what his response has been.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I have received a letter from the chairman of the Liverpool family service unit about general funding for the unit. We have also received two applications from the Liverpool family service unit for funding specific projects and these are currently under consideration ; it is not however our usual practice to fund local projects from the Department unless they are of national significance.
In responding to the letter from the chairman of the Liverpool family service unit I have pointed out that the overall standard spending assessment--the Government's view of the appropriate level of local authority expenditure--for children's services in 1991-92 showed an increase of 18.4 per cent. over 1990-91, partly in order to take account of the implementation of the Children Act. In 1992-93, the first full year of the Children Act, standard spending on children's services will be over 27 per cent. higher than in 1990-91, or up nearly 14 per cent. in real terms over the two year period. It is for local authorities to decide how to encourage the provision of services by other, in particular voluntary, organisations within their own area. It is also for authorities to determined in the light of local circumstances the distribution of resources for services within their area.
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Children Act 1989
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional financial assistance he plans to provide to (a) local authorities and (b) voluntary organisations in order to enable them to carry out their duties under the provisions of the Children Act 1989 ; and if he intends to review the situation.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : We have allowed for the full implementation of the Children Act in the local authority settlements for 1991-92 and 1992-93. Included in the latter is the introduction of a specific grant of £5.7 million to support expenditure of £8.1 million on the guardian ad litem and reporting officer service. We discuss with the local authority associations new pressures on social services expenditure each year to inform the Government's decision on the settlement.
Voluntary organisations do not as such have duties under the Children Act except in relation to children looked after by them under section 61. This largely repeats their duties under section 64 of the Child Care Act 1980. Where voluntary organisations carry out duties on behalf of local authorities, such as under sections 17 and 47 of the Act, we would expect the authority to enter into a contract which sets out the financial basis upon which those duties are undertaken.
The Government also provide support to a wide range of voluntary organisations in the child care field under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968.
Radiation
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice his Department has issued to the public of the risk to health from the increased ultra-violet radiation resulting from ozone depletion.
Mr. Dorrell : The National Radiological Protection Board advises that its solar monitoring programme has not revealed any increase in ground levels of UV beyond the variations that would normally be expected.
With regard to exposure to UV generally, the Health Education Authority publications, "Are you dying to get a suntan?" and "Can you avoid cancer? A guide to reducing your risks", contain advice on the health risks from UV light. Copies are available in the Library. The Department proposes to seek advice from the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment on what further action may be appropriate in the light of the studies referred to in the replies I gave the hon. Member on 20 December 1991 at columns 353-54 .
Patients' Fares
Mr. Edwards : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether trust hospitals will operate the same system for the payment of fares for in- patients and out-patients as health authority hospitals.
Mr. Dorrell : All national health service units, whether trusts or directly managed, have a statutory obligation to reimburse fares for those in-patients and out-patients who satisfy the eligibility criteria.
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Social Services Training
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what work has been done to evaluate the Department of Health's social services training support programme ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Government fully recognise the vital importance of training social services staff to meet the challenges of implementing the Children Act, the recommendations of Sir William Utting's report "Children in the Public Care" and our community care changes. The social services training support specific grant will be £29 million in support of £41.4 million expenditure in 1992-93, an increase of nearly 100 per cent. in three years. The arrangements and allocations for local authorities were contained in local authority circular LAC(91)21, issued on 23 December 1991. The training support programme's scope and funding has increased year on year since its commencement in 1988-89, reflecting both its popularity and success in improving the quality and quantity of training for local authority staff. Staff from the voluntary and private sectors have also benefited. Three evaluation reports were published by the Department of Health social services inspectorate on 13 February 1992, on different aspects of the training support programme. Each provides good evidence of the success of the training support programme in increasing the availability of training for social services staff, and an indication of the benefits this brings for service provision. Copies of the documents mentioned are available in the Library.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Legislation (Plain English)
Sir Robin Maxwell-Hyslop : To ask the Lord President of the Council whether he will set a timetable for privatising the drafting of Government Bills and statutory instruments with the remit (a) that the draft shall state on its face what it does, without reference save in appendices, to existing legislation, (b) that it shall wherever possible employ comprehensible English terminology and grammar, (c) that it shall avoid ambiguity and alternative possible constructions and (d) that such drafts of statutory instruments unamendable by Parliament shall undergo special scrutiny before being laid before Parliament ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. MacGregor : There are no plans to set such a timetable. Privatisation is not necessary to achieve the objectives detailed at (b) and (c) of my hon. Friend's question. As to (a), reference to existing legislation is in some contexts unavoidable, and as to (d) I believe that the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments already performs an effective service for both Houses.
Parliamentary Questions
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Lord President of the Council when he will respond to the recommendation in paragraph 130 of the Select Committee on Procedure's third report of Session 1990-91 on parliamentary questions, concerning Government Departments' use of answers pursuant to previous answers ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. MacGregor : I am still considering the report and will reply in due course.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Family Credit
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many children are in families receiving family credit ; (2) how many families were receiving family credit at the latest available date ; and if he will break these figures down into (a) one-parent and two-parent families and (b) one-earner and two earner families.
Mr. Jack : The latest available information upon which a breakdown on the basis requested can be provided is for the end of July 1991, when there were 754,000 children in the 355,000 families receiving family credit. The latter figure breaks down as follows :
|Number
----------------------------------------
(a) One parent families |133,000
Two parent families |222,000
(b) One earner families |338,000
Two earner families |17,000
Local Offices
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are his plans for the development of a new Paisley office ; and when he expects works to commence and be completed.
Miss Widdecombe : The development of local Benefits Agency offices is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and copies will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what new-build or capital works were undertaken in relation to the Johnstone office in each year since 1980 ; and what was the value of these works ;
(2) if he will publish a table showing the amount spent on (a) furniture and fittings, (b) interior decorations, (c) carpeting and floor coverings and (d) works associated with office redesign at the Johnstone office in each year since 1980.
Miss Widdecombe : The information requested is in the table.
Other Capital Expenditure
|Furniture |Interior |Carpeting and
|fittings |decoration |floor
|coverings
|£ |£ |£
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1985-86 |nil |nil |nil
1986-87 |nil |nil |nil
1987-88 |nil |nil |nil
1988-89 |nil |9,200 |nil
1989-90 |26,451 |1,000 |21,500
1990-91 |12,021 |nil |nil
Figures prior to April 1988 do not include any work projects over £2,500, which were the responsibility of the Department of the Environment.
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Other Capital Expenditure
|Furniture |Interior |Carpeting and
|fittings |decoration |floor
|coverings
|£ |£ |£
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1985-86 |nil |nil |nil
1986-87 |nil |nil |nil
1987-88 |nil |nil |nil
1988-89 |nil |9,200 |nil
1989-90 |26,451 |1,000 |21,500
1990-91 |12,021 |nil |nil
The information which I have provided does not include the years prior to 1985-86 as it is not readily available.
The amount spent on works associated with office redesign has been shown in the new-build/capital figures.
Expenditure
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish the latest figures showing the spending per head on social security benefits in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Wales.
Miss Widdecombe : The information is not available in the form requested. Benefit expenditure in Northern Ireland is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Regional breakdowns of current levels of benefit expenditure are not available.
Estimated average spending on social security per head of the population in Great Britain in 1991-92 is about £1,225.
Disposable Income
Mr. Ralph Howell : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what information he has on the disposable income available on a wage of £150 per week to (a) a lone parent with two children and (b) a four- person family.
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