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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 25 June 1992
HOME DEPARTMENT
Rural Police
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much it costs per year to keep a rural police officer in Wales ; what was the comparable figure for 1982 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Charles Wardle : This information is not held centrally. The unit cost for a police officer in Wales in 1982-83 was £15,474, and the estimated unit cost for 1992-93 is £34,924.
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many rural police officers there are in Wales ; what were the corresponding figures for 1980, 1985 and 1990 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Records of deployment of police officers to rural areas are not held centrally.
The table gives details of the total strength of the Welsh forces as at 31 December for the years in question :--
Year |Strength --------------------------- 1980 |6,260 1985 |6,210 1990 |6,399
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many rural police stations in Wales have been closed this year ; how many closed in 1982 ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) how many rural police stations there are in Wales ; and what were the corresponding figures for 1980, 1985 and 1990.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Police stations are not formally classified in this way. The opening and closing of individual police stations is a matter for the force concerned.
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement concerning the recent Audit Commission report on rural police stations in north Wales.
Mr. Charles Wardle : There has been no Audit Commission report dealing specifically with rural police stations in north Wales. The chief constable commissioned a report by the district audit office into the structure of his force. The report has been laid before the police authority and the force is now consulting widely with the local community.
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Immigration
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 18 May, Official Report, column 10, if he will give the latest position over the funding of the United Kingdom Immigrants Advisory Service.
Mr. Charles Wardle : We will make a further announcement as soon as possible.
Appeals
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many references to the Court of Appeal under section 17 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968 are under consideration by C3 division of the Home Office.
Mr. Jack : Any representations alleging wrongful conviction upon indictment are considered with a view to a possible reference to the Court of Appeal under section 17 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968. On 23 June 159 cases involving convictions on indictment and alleging wrongful conviction were under consideration by C3 division of the Home Office.
Chelmsford Prison
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what measures his Department proposes to take to reduce overcrowding in Chelmsford prison ;
(2) when he expects a reduction in overcrowding in Chelmsford prison ;
(3) how many prisoners there were in Chelmsford prison on 12 December 1991 and 18 June 1992 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : In common with other local prisons, Chelmsford has maintained a substantial degree of overcrowding for some time. In recent months, as new accommodation elsewhere in the prison service estate has come on stream, the amount of overcrowding has been reduced. I cannot give any assurances on whether this welcome improvement will be sustained because this would be dependent on the number of prisoners committed into custody by the courts served by the prison. Further consideration is being given to measures to reduce overcrowding directly in Chelmsford prison and elsewhere. On 12 December 1991 the number of prisoners held in Chelmsford was 389, and on 18 June this year is was 352.
County Council Elections
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department further to the oral answer on 22 June from the Secretary of State for Wales to the hon. Member for Cardiff, South and Penarth, Official Report, column 4, whether he has yet decided to introduce legislation before 16 July to cancel or delay the county council elections to be held in Wales in 1993 in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I have nothing to add to my reply of 9 June 1992, at column 77. No decisions have yet been taken in this matter.
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Arrests (Evasions)
Mr. Ashton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has on the number of occasions in the past five years in which suspects have evaded arrest by securing information that the police were about to call at their homes.
Mr. Charles Wardle : This information is not available.
Fire Service Vehicles
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what responses it has had in response to the "Competing for Quality" consultation with regard to the maintenance of fire service vehicles ; and if he will list those supporting, and those opposing, the introduction of compulsory competitive tendering for fire service vehicles.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : With the exception of Hertfordshire, all fire authorities and fire service representative bodies in England and Wales have expressed opposition to compulsory competitive tendering for the maintenance of their vehicle fleets.
Homosexuality
Mrs. Currie : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of Thursday 18 June, Official Report, column 651, if he will show for the last five years ranked by police authority, the total number of prosecutions for all offences involving consenting male homosexual activity where at least one partner was aged over 16 years and under 21 years.
Mr. Jack : Information for 1986 to 1990 by police force area is given in the tables. The offence of indecency between males by a man of the age of 21 or over with another male person under the age of 21 does not necessarily involve fully consensual behaviour.
|c|Table A
Number of males prosecuted for the offence of indecency between|c|
|c|males by a man of the age of 21 or over with another male person|c|
|c|under the age of 21 by police force area 1986-90|c|
|c|England and Wales|c|
Police Force Area |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon and Somerset |2 |11 |6 |3
Bedfordshire |1 |6 |3 |1
Cambridgeshire |2 |1 |3 |5
Cheshire |5 |11 |6 |4
Cleveland |2 |1
Cumbria |3 |2 |1
Derbyshire |5 |2 |3 |1 |5
Devon and Cornwall |2 |3 |9 |2 |11
Dorset |3 |7 |17 |6
Durham |4 |2 |4 |2 |3
Essex |3 |5 |2 |10
Gloucestershire |3 |2 |5 |1 |3
Greater Manchester |7 |8 |4 |16 |24
Hampshire |5 |7 |13 |2 |21
Hertfordshire |2 |7 |7 |1
Humberside |2 |1 |2 |6 |2
Kent |1 |4 |6 |2
Lancashire |5 |3 |6 |1 |2
Leicestershire |1 |1 |3
Lincolnshire |1 |8
London, City of |6
Merseyside |1 |5 |2 |5 |4
Metropolitan Police District |79 |71 |63 |157 |180
Norfolk |4 |2 |1 |2 |4
Northamptonshire |1 |4 |4 |2
Northumbria |9 |8 |4 |7 |13
North Yorkshire |1 |6 |2 |2 |5
Nottinghamshire |7 |6 |1 |25 |62
South Yorkshire |2 |33 |16 |16 |5
Staffordshire |7 |5 |3 |19 |9
Suffolk |3 |2 |4 |1
Surrey |1 |3 |2
Sussex |4 |8 |14 |13
Thames Valley |4 |3 |17 |15 |8
Warwickshire |1 |2 |2 |1
West Mercia |1 |1 |5 |5 |4
West Midlands |14 |23 |20 |25 |20
West Yorkshire |30 |25 |23 |13 |7
Wiltshire |2 |3 |5 |2
England |222 |260 |286 |395 |428
Dyfed Powys |8 |1
Gwent |1 |1 |1
North Wales |10 |7 |1 |6 |8
South Wales |5 |2 |5 |1 |8
Wales |23 |10 |6 |9 |17
England and Wales |245 |270 |292 |404 |445
|c|Table B|c|
|c|Number of males prosecuted for the offences of buggery or|c|
|c|attempted buggery of a male of, or over 21 with another male under|c|
|c|the age of 21 with consent by police force area|c|
|c|1986 to 1990|c|
|c|England and Wales|c|
Police force area |1986 |1987 |<1>1988 |1989 |1990
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon and Somerset |1 |1
Bedfordshire
Cambridgeshire |1 |1
Cheshire |2
Cleveland |3 |1
Cumbria |1 |1 |2
Derbyshire
Devon and Cornwall |3 |1 |1
Dorset |1
Durham |2
Essex
Gloucestershire |8 |1
Greater Manchester |2
Hampshire |1 |1
Hertfordshire
Humberside |2
Kent |1 |1
Lancashire |1
Leicestershire |1
Lincolnshire |1
London, City of
Merseyside |1
Metropolitan Police District2 |2 |2
Norfolk
Northamptonshire
Northumbria |1
North Yorkshire
Nottinghamshire |2 |4 |1 |1 |1
South Yorkshire |3 |1 |1
Staffordshire |1
Suffolk |1
Surrey
Sussex
Thames Valley
Warwickshire
West Mercia |2
West Midlands |1 |1
West Yorkshire |1 |2
Wiltshire
England |21 |19 |17 |7 |10
Dyfed Powys |1
Gwent |1
North Wales
South Wales |2 |1 |1 |1
Wales |3 |2 |1 |1
England and Wales |24 |21 |18 |8 |10
<1>In Cleveland in 1988 there was one female prosecuted for the offence of attempted buggery of a male of or over 21 with another male
under the age of 21 with consent generally, conspiring, inciting, aiding, abetting, causing or permitting a crime is classified under the
heading of the crime itself.
Police Co-operation
Mr. Clifton-Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to review the procedures for co- operation and sharing of information between separate police constabularies in England and Wales in relation to the problems caused by new age travellers.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The policing of any event is an operational matter for the police, but my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister of State will very shortly be meeting with chief constables to consider the intelligence and liaison arrangements between police forces for handling new age travellers.
Mr. Clifton-Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanism exists for co-operation on areas of common concern between different police constabularies in England and Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Police forces co-operate in many ways, formal and informal, over matters of common concern. In the case of public order difficulties, by virtue of section 14 of the Police Act 1964, chief constables can draw on the assistance of mutual aid from neighbouring forces.
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those organisations he is consulting on proposals to amend the law on asylum seekers.
Mr. Charles Wardle : My right hon. and learned Friend and I are ready to hear the views of interested organisations.
Juries
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations have been received about increasing the number of multiracial juries ; whether
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he will introduce regulations to enable a multiracial jury to be appointed in cases where either the defence or prosecution request one ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Jack : We have received no such representations, although I understand that this is an issue which has been put to the Royal Commission on criminal justice in evidence submitted to them. I understand also that the Lord Chancellor has received representations on the matter from the Society of Black Lawyers. We have no present plans for legislation in this area.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will introduce regulations to enable a mixed-sex jury to be appointed in cases where either the defence or the prosecution request one ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jack : We have no present plans to do so.
Public Order
Mr. Jonathan Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he proposes to review the guidance issued by his Department to chief officers of police concerning the exercise of their powers under section 39 of the Public Order Act 1986.
Mr. Charles Wardle : On 22 May 1991 we issued guidance to the police on the application of section 39. In January 1992 we reviewed the police response to this guidance with the Association of Chief Police Officers who welcomed its introduction.
Mr. Jonathan Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from police forces on the effectiveness of section 39 of the Public Order Act 1986 in dealing with mass trespass on private or common land.
Mr. Charles Wardle : None, since 1990 when the Association of Chief Police Officers responded to the public evaluation of section 39.
Obscene Phone Calls
Mrs. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of obscene telephone calls were reported in the year 1991-92 ; how many offenders were charged ; and how many were convicted.
Mr. Jack : It is not possible from the information held centrally to identify offences under section 43(1)(a) of the Telecommunications Act 1984 --obscene, indecent, menacing or grossly offensive telephone calls--from other summary offences under the same Act. However, our statistics show that in 1990, there were 700 prosecutions and 520 convictions for summary offences as a whole under the aforesaid Act.
Immigration
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what instructions he has issued to entry clearance officers in British posts on the Indian sub-continent to expedite applications from spouses who have been waiting for more than five years to enter the United Kingdom ; if similar instructions have been issued regarding other categories of settlement applicants ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Charles Wardle : I shall write to the hon. Member.Kuwait
Mr. Cummings : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Kuwaiti-born Palestinians who have been refused entry to Kuwait and are in the United Kingdom have applied for an extension of their visa or applied for permanent settlement in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The information requested is not available.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
International Agreements
Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all the agreements between the European Community and (a) Switzerland and (b) Liechtenstein.
Mr. Garel-Jones : Both Switzerland and Liechtenstein have free trade agreements with the Community covering manufactured goods, and will be part of the European economic area when this comes into effect. In addition, each has a number of bilateral agreements with the Community.
Pakistan
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications for non-settlement entry clearance at the deputy high commission in Karachi have been outstanding for more than one month because the post requires information from the high commission in Islamabad.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The deputy high commission in Karachi has no outstanding applications for entry clearance awaiting information from the high commission in Islamabad.
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many outstanding applications for entry clearance at the deputy high commision in Karachi are waiting for files which have been requested from the high commission in Islamabad.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The deputy high commission in Karachi has two outstanding applications for entry clearance awaiting information from the high commission in Islamabad. Both are settlement cases.
South Africa
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the South African Government about the police killings over the past weekend and other violence.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We are in touch with all the main parties in South Africa. We have noted President de Klerk's firm commitment to bring those responsible for the tragic killings at Boipotang to justice. We have urged him to do so as quickly as possible.
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NATIONAL HERITAGE
International Agreements
Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list all the bilateral and multilateral agreements directly or indirectly negotiated by his Department or a body acting on behalf of his Department with (a) Switzerland and (b) Liechtenstein.
Mr. Mellor : I refer to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 24 June, Official Report , column 209 .
China and Porcelain Artists
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if his Department has considered an application for an exhibition relating to the British China and Porcelain Artists Association to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.
Mr. Key : Such an application was approved in principle by my right hon. Friend the then Minister for the Arts in September 1991.
TRANSPORT
Road Safety
Mr. William Powell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will offer advice to school governors on the development of road safety policies in schools.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : As part of our child road safety initiative which highlights road safety education in schools as a key area for action, I am anxious to encourage school governors to be involved in the development of school road safety policies. In support of this, my Department has just produced a road safety information leaflet for governors. The leaflet is widely available from local authority road safety officers in England and Wales and from my Department.
M25
Sir Michael Grylls : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to deal with increasing trafffic congestion on the M25.
Mr. MacGregor : I am today announcing proposals for increasing the capacity of the M25 between junction 12, M3, and junction 15, M4. Following very careful consideration of the options, I am proposing to provide new three-lane link roads to run either side of the existing motorway between these junctions.
The section of the M25 between the M3 and the M4 is the busiest motorway in the country carrying as many as 200,000 vehicles a day. Most of it is already four lanes in each direction, but further capacity is urgently needed to relieve congestion and ensure that this vital link in our motorway network can cope with future traffic growth.
The new roads will run adjacent to the motorway and will cater for traffic travelling between these junctions. This will improve the flow of traffic on the main carriageway and reduce accidents by separating through
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traffic from vehicles joining and leaving the motorway. These improvements will discourage traffic from using unsuitable local roads to avoid congestion on the motorway.Great emphasis will be placed on the environment in this project. The proposals include extensive landscaping, the planting of thousands of trees and shrubs and the erection of noise barriers. All those affected will be fully consulted and their comments considered and reflected in the further design work. An environmental statement will be published when this work is completed.
I recognise that local people will be concerned about the effect of the scheme on their area. Exhibitions will be held shortly to provide the public with information about the proposals and to explain the next steps.
Motor Cycle Noise Act 1987
Sir Keith Speed : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what factors have delayed the coming into force of the Motor Cycle Noise Act 1987 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : When the 1987 Act, and the regulations to be made under it, are brought into force, it will be desirable also to have in place a related amendment of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 concerning motorcycle noise. We hope to go out to consultation on the amendment to the 1986 regulations by the end of this year. The bringing into force of the 1987 Act, and of the regulations to be made under it, will follow as soon as practicable thereafter.
Jubilee Line
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much public money has been spent to date on research, development and associated costs on the Jubilee line extension.
Mr. Norris : Up to the end of the financial year 1991-92, some £100 million of public money had been spent on advance works, design, parliamentary work, land purchase, property purchase and project management for the Jubilee line extension. It is estimated that a further £18 million was spent in the first 12 weeks of this financial year.
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the crossrail and the Chelsea-Hackey line proposals to be at a stage of development comparable to the present Jubilee line extension scheme.
Mr. Norris : These three projects are expected to proceed sequentially. Powers exist to build the Jubilee line extension ; public, though not private, funding is in place. It will be some years yet before crossrail is ready to build : that will depend on the parliamentary process and the availability of funds. The Chelsea-Hackney line will follow on as permitted by the availability of funds, the capacity of the construction industry and the ability of the capital to absorb further major construction works.
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his estimate of how many jobs will be created by the Jubilee line extension.
Mr. Norris : The construction of the Jubilee line extension is estimated to create direct employment on-site
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on civil works for some 4,000 people and off -site in manufacturing and supply of the order of five times as many more people.Traffic Calming
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what schemes he has approved, in which cities, for special funding for schemes costing less than £5 million for experimental traffic-calming package schemes in mixed residential/light commercial areas in the present financial year.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : No specific experimental traffic-calming schemes were approved for funding in the current financial year. Part of the transport supplementary grant settlement--minor works or credit approvals--allocated to English local highway authorities might be used for traffic-calming measures, but separate records are not kept.
River Safety
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the Hayes inquiry into river safety to report ; and if he will make it his policy to publish the report before 16 July.
Mr. Norris : Mr. Hayes's report is currently being prepared for publication. I hope that it will be published before 16 July.
Rail Privatisation
Mr. Keith Hill : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has undertaken recently to ensure that the pensions of both current and past British Rail employees are fully protected following future measures of privatisation.
Mr. Freeman : No decisions have yet been taken on the details of rail privatisation, but the Government have already made it clear that pension entitlements will be safeguarded. Detailed discussions with British Rail and its pensions advisers have begun.
Wheel Clamping
Sir Gerard Vaughan : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward legislation to clarify the law on wheel-clamping vehicles on private land ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Helen Jackson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to establish a licensing authority for private wheel clamping firms.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I refer my hon. Friend and the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe (Mr. Morris) on 18 June at column 611.
Biodiesel
Mr. Milligan : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he is considering to encourage the development of alternative fuels, such as biodiesel, for vehicles.
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Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The Transport Research Laboratory is currently reviewing national and international research and experience in the use of a range of alternative fuels for road vehicles. This will include biofuels such as biodiesel.The findings of this review will be used in further work to evaluate possible roles that alternative fuels might play in meeting our future transport needs.
School Buses
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will repeal those parts of the Carrying Capacity Regulations 1984 and the Certificate of Conformity Regulations that allow three children up to 14 years of age to be counted as two, thereby sharing double seats on school buses.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I am currently reviewing the Carrying Capacity Regulations 1984 and associated regulations in the bus sector.
Channel Tunnel
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what orders have been placed by British Rail for sleeper train services through the channel tunnel ; how many of the train sets on order will be capable of using the east coast mainline ; and when he now expects these train sets to be available for service.
Mr. Freeman : No formal order can be made for sleeper rolling stock until current negotiations between British Rail, its continental partners and the European Commission on its proposed night service joint venture have been completed. If the order is made soon, the railways hope to start night services during 1995. All of the train sets would be capable of running on the east coast main line although the railways have no current plans to run night services on this line.
EDUCATION
Students
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received about the prospect of student hardship this summer ; and if he intends to increase the availability of the access funds.
Mr. Forman : My right hon. Friend regularly receives
representations on all aspects of student support. We have made substantially more money available in maintenance support for students. The full-year loan and grant together are now over 30 per cent. higher than the grant alone was two years ago. We recently announced a 4.5 per cent. increase in average student resources for the 1992-93 academic year thus maintaining their value in real terms. Access funds are a relatively small and supplementary part of a generous package of student support. We believe that the sums made available to the funds should be sufficient for their purpose, if properly targeted.
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