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OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Kurdistan
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures have been taken to ensure the safety and security of non-governmental officers in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The safety of NGO officers is of great concern to us. They are working in Iraq under the inter-agency programme of the United Nations and we have raised with the UN the importance of arrangements for their safety. In addition, coalition forces are stationed in Turkey.
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what attempts have been made to ensure that humanitarian aid administered in Iraqi Kurdistan is reaching the targeted groups ; if he will give assurance that current levels of assistance will be maintained ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We monitor progress with the United Nations and British non-governmental organisations to ensure the inter-agency programme of humanitarian relief is properly targeted. We continue to respond to requests for support and are keeping the situation under close review.
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funds have been budgeted to directly support British based non-governmental organisations operating in Iraqi Kurdistan from 1 April 1992 to 31 March 1993 ; and what funding has been set aside to support the activities of British based non-governmental organisations indirectly through support for the United Nations in the area in the same period.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We shall continue to consider on their merits requests from British non-governmental organisations to fund specific projects in northern Iraq, while taking account of other priority calls on available resources. We do not earmark for non-governmental organisations any specific part of our contribution to the United Nations programme.
International Decade of National Disaster Reduction Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution the United Kingdom is making to the International Decade of National Disaster Reduction and the discussions he has held with colleagues in the United Nations on this.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : In the last financial year the Government spent nearly £600,000 for disaster preparedness projects under the International Decade of Natural Disaster Reduction. Commitments since April this year total over £250,000 so far. This is in addition to our continuing support for the Royal Society/Royal Academy of Engineering IDNDR committee. We are working closely with that committee, with other interested groups in Britain and through our embassies and high commissions overseas to see what more we can do. We are also in close contact with the United Nations IDNDR Secretariat in Geneva and with the disaster mitigation branch of the United Nations department of humanitarian affairs.
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Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received from the Royal Society as a result of his request to it to consider scientic options and proposals for the International Decade of National Disaster Reduction.Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We continue to work very closely with the Royal Society on the British contribution to the International Decade of Natural Disaster Reduction, primarily through the joint Royal Society/Royal Academy of Engineering IDNDR committee. With that committee, we mounted a one-day IDNDR forum at the Royal Society on 27 March this year, bringing together key players from Britain and the United Nations to discuss disaster reduction. A report of the workshop is being produced and should be available soon.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Civil Service Shareholdings
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance, other than the civil service pay and conditions of service code and the establishment officers' guide, his Department provides relating to civil servants' shareholdings ; if he will list the number of occasions within the last five years on which civil servants have reported shareholdings to establishment officers in his Department ; what regulations apply to the staff of the next steps agencies within his Department ; what mechanisms are in place to prevent potential conflicts of interest ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : The Home Office staff handbook includes specific advice on shareholdings by staff, covering the issues of potential conflict of interest and the provisions of the Companies Securities (Insider Dealing) Act 1985 and the Financial Securities Act 1986. Further advice on the general principles of conduct and the need to avoid any conflicts between official duty and private interests is also included in the handbook. The handbook is issued to all non-industrial staff, and its provisions apply equally to staff in Home Office agencies. No cases have been recorded in the past five years of staff reporting shareholdings to personnel management units in the Home Office.
Departmental Objectives
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out the objectives of each division and branch of his Department.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : Objectives are set for each division and branch of the Home Office, but because of the breadth and diversity of the Department's activities, listing them would involve disproportionate cost. The principle objections for Home Office divisions are contained within the "Home Office" Annual Report 1992--Cm 1909,--12 copies of which are in the Library.
Primates
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will prohibit the use in British laboratories of primates that have been caught in the wild.
Mr. Charles Wardle : No. Where the use of primates in research is justified under the Animals (Scientific
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Procedures) Act 1986, there may be no alternative to the use of wild-caught primates if purpose-bred animals are not available. Inspectors do, however, encourage the use of propose-bred primates where such animals are available.Immigration Controls
Mr. Cash : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the implications of article 8a of the Maastricht treaty for Britain's current immigration controls.
Mr. Charles Wardle : I refer my hon. Friend to the explanatory memorandum on the European Commission communication on abolition of border controls--6497/92--which was submitted to the EC scrutiny committees on19 June and in which the Government's position on this matter is fully set out.
Camp Hill Prison
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether medication at Her Majesty's prison Camp Hill is being administered by the qualified hospital officers, and taken by prisoners in the sight of hospital officers.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Health care staff supervise the taking of medication during the day. At night some prisoners are entrusted to take their medication unsupervised ; in other cases supervision is undertaken by discipline staff. These arrangements are under review.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the monthly cost of medication at Her Majesty's prison Camp Hill.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The cost of drugs and dressings dispensed in the four weeks ended 26 June 1992 was £2,049.91.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were on medication at Her Majesty's prison Camp Hill for the last date for which figures are available.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : On 29 June 1992, 92 prisoners received some form of medication.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were in the hospital at Her Majesty's prison Camp Hill on the last day for which figures are available.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The health care centre at this establishment no longer provides facilities for in-patient care. Patients in need of such care are transferred to the prison hospital at HM prison Parkhurst.
Security Companies
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take action to make it a criminal offence for convicted criminals (a) to own or be directors of, (b) to be employed by or (c) to seek employment by a security company.
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Maastricht Treaty
Mr. Cash : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the implications of article 8a of the Maastricht treaty referring to freedom of residence.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Article 8 confers on nationals of European Community countries the new status of citizen of the union. Article 8a provides that such citizens shall have the right to move and reside freely in the Community. This right will, however, be subject to the limitations and conditions set out in existing EC directives and regulations, under which, for example, residence may be refused on grounds of public policy.
Electoral Law
Mr. Cash : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to bring forward proposals to amend the electoral law, consequent to the Maastricht treaty.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Detailed arrangements for the provisions contained in the treaty to extend the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in European Parliamentary and local government elections to EC nationals in their country of residence have to be adopted unanimously by the Council of Ministers by 31 December 1993 and 31 December 1994 respectively. Until those arrangements have been agreed, we have no proposals for amending electoral law.
Police and Criminal Evidence
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will establish an inquiry into the ways in which the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 is operated by the police services in England and Wales.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The Royal Commission on criminal justice is already considering this issue.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will establish an inquiry into the ways in which the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 is operated by the West Midlands police service.
Gambian Nationals
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many nationals of The Gambia have been (a) admitted to the United Kingdom as visitors in each year from 1988 and (b) how many have been refused entrance at the point of entry.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The information requested is not available ; citizens of The Gambia are not separately identified in the immigration statistics.
Bailiffs
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislative proposals to make it illegal to operate as (a) a security business and (b) a bailiff's business unless registered as a plc.
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Mr. Jack : We have no plans to do so.
Cruel Tethering
Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been under the Protection Against Cruel Tethering Act 1988.
Mr. Jack : Section 1 of the Protection against Cruel Tethering Act 1988 amended the Protection of Animals Act 1911. It is not possible from the information held centrally to identify separately such offences under the Protection of Animals Act 1911. However, our statistics show that in 1989 and 1990 there were 1,050 and 1,167 prosecutions, respectively, under the Protection of Animals Act 1911, as amended.
Immigration
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision is being made by the Government to bring into force EC Council directives 90/364/EEC, 90/365/EEC and 90/366/EEC which require member states to bring into force laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with the directives not later than 30 June ; and whether, under those directives, the third country national family members in the ascending or descending line seeking to enter or remain in the United Kingdom with the EC national family member will be permitted to take employment.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The directives are being implemented administratively. It is planned to lay an order under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 before Parliament later this year to incorporate into United Kingdom law all the EC regulations and directives dealing with rights of free movement and residence, including the three referred to in the question. Directive 90/366, on the right of residence of vocational students, entitles the EC national to be joined by his or her spouse and children under 21. The other two directives, on the right of residence of retired persons and of persons not covered by other EC measures, make provision for spouses, children under 21 and other dependent relatives in the ascending and descending line. Under the directives the spouse and dependent children of the main beneficiary are, irrespective of nationality, entitled to take employment or self-employment. Non-EC national dependent relatives in the ascending line who wish to take employment or self-employment have to meet the relevant requirements of the immigration rules.
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provisions are made for the grant of indefinite leave to remain to the third country national spouses of EC nationals exercising treaty rights in the United Kingdom in the event that the EC national does not apply for indefinite leave to remain or there is marriage breakdown.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Indefinite leave is normally granted to a non- EC spouse only if the EC national has acquired it or if the spouse qualifies for it in his or her own right under the immigration rules. A non -EC national cannot qualify for indefinite leave under the immigration rules on the basis of a marriage which has been dissolved. However, where such a person has been living in the United Kingdom for a substantial period as the spouse of
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an EC national, any application to remain following a divorce would be considered in the light of any compassionate circumstances.Electoral Procedures Mr. Harvey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to amend relevant legislation so as to bring the availability of marked registers after parliamentary elections into line with local and European elections.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The marked copies of the electoral register used at parliamentary elections are retained by the Clerk of the Crown and are available for inspection for one year after the election. The marked registers used at European parliamentary elections are retained by the returning officer for the constituency and are also available for inspection for one year. For local government elections, the marked registers are held by the proper officer of the relevant council, and can be inspected for a period of six months following the election. In all cases copies of the marked registers may also be purchased. In consultation with the political parties and the local authority associations we are conducting a review of electoral law in the light of experience at the recent general election, and this will be one of the issues considered.
Disabled People's Parking Spaces Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions were undertaken in 1991 against able-bodied motorists misusing spaces reserved for disabled people.
Mr. Jack : The information requested is not available.
Crime (Unidentified Vehicle Keepers)
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on the use in the furtherance of crime of vehicles used by a group of individuals in circumstances where the identity of the individual keeper is concealed ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Charles Wardle : We have found no record of recent representations on this subject. The targeting of offences involving the use of such vehicles is an operational matter and is therefore the responsibility of chief officers of police.
Wolds Prison
Mr. Gerrard : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what contingency plans have been made to deal with circumstances resulting in the loss of control by Group 4 of the Wolds prison.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : For security reasons it is not our practice to publish contingency plans for any prison.
Mr. Gerrard : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether circular instructions and standing orders issued by the Prison Department are applied to the Wolds prison.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : No. Group 4 Remand Services Limited is required to deliver standards of performance which are specified in the contract for the management of
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Wolds prison. Within that framework the company has freedom to decide on the best procedures for achieving the desired results.Prison Mothers
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances mothers in prison are separated from their babies six hours after birth.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The circumstances in which a mother in prison would be separated from her baby within hours of the birth are the same as in the community. Immediate separation would take place where the local social service department had obtained a care order because the child was considered to be at risk.
EC Visas
Sir Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on the mutual recognition of visas within the EC.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Mutual recognition of short-stay visas is provided for in the draft external frontiers convention, signature of which remains stalled because of an objection by the Spanish Government to the convention's application to Gibraltar.
Prisoners, Northern Ireland
Mr. McNamara : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the transfer of Northern Irish prisoners in English prisons to complete their sentence in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : As I stated in my reply to a question by the hon. Member for Newry and Armagh (Mr. Mallon) on 12 June 1992, Official Report , columns 330-31, my right hon. and learned Friend is considering a report of the interdepartmental review on the transfer of sentenced prisoners with colleagues in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Prisoners (Remission)
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the reasons why persons imprisoned for non- payment of community charge are not entitled to remission.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : To qualify for remission a person has to be serving a term of imprisonment which under section 104(1) of the Criminal Justice act 1967 does not include
"a committal in default to payment of any sum of money". Nor is the royal prerogative of mercy used to grant special remission in respect of civil cases.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what grounds criminals in prison are given remission ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Remission of sentence is governed by the prison rules 1964. In general terms remission is granted on the grounds of a prisoner's industry and good conduct. The royal prerogative of mercy may also be used to grant special remission on exceptional grounds, including the recognition of assistance given to the authorities or for urgent compassionate reasons.
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Speeding
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police authority forces now possess the technology to identify speeding motorists using photographic techniques.
Mr. Charles Wardle : I understand that a recent survey by the Association of Chief Police Officers traffic committee indicated that 18 forces in England and Wales were actively considering acquiring speed cameras or traffic light cameras or both and that a further three police forces expected to be equipped with speed cameras from 1July. Nineteen forces already operate in-car video systems which can be used to identify speeding offences.
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average cost of the equipment necessary to gather evidence of speeding using speed camera technology.
Mr. Charles Wardle : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to his question on 14 July, Official Report, column 531.
Polling Stations (Access)
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will review the criteria for grants in respect of access to polling stations by disabled people ;
(2) what steps he proposes to take to promote improved access to polling stations for disabled people.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Councils have a statutory obligation to place polling stations only in buildings which are accessible to disabled people, wherever this is practicable. We have provided guidance for acting returning officers to remind them of their obligations, and shall continue to do so. Where it is not possible to use a building affording easy access, we will provide grants towards half the cost of a temporary ramp, provided the local authority will meet the other half. We consider it reasonable to expect the local authority to contribute to the cost since the ramps may also be used at local elections and for other local activities. We will consider as part of our post-election review of electoral practice whether more needs to be done to help disabled people to exercise their right to vote.
Fire Services
Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what correspondence his Department has had with the Northumberland fire authority about the level of provision within the county's fire service ; and what indication has been given in the correspondence as to whether (a) day manning, (b) other systems involving full-time personnel or (c) wholly retained status would be regarded as acceptable for the stations concerned.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : My officials have received correspondence from the chief fire officer of the Northumberland fire and rescue service drawing attention to financial issues affecting the service's budget and to plans for addressing identified over-provision in the service. My right hon. and learned Friend has recently approved the fire authority's proposal to replace the whole time crew at Alnwick fire station by a retained crew with the result that both
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firefighting appliances based at Alnwick are now crewed by retained firefighters. The chief fire officer has made clear the fire authority's intention to seek the approval of my right hon. and learned Friend, under section 19 of the Fire Services Act 1947, to the removal from the services establishment of the whole-time crews at Berwick and Hexham fire stations, subject to their replacement by retained crews. My right hon. and learned Friend would not approve such an application unless he was satisfied that the authority would be able to maintain the nationally recommended minimum standards of fire cover.Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fire service personnel of sub-officer grade and below have been (a) made redundant or (b) given early retirement other than on health grounds in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The available figures, from annual establishment returns submitted to the Home Office by fire authorities each year, relate to discharges for other than medical reasons and dismissals after disciplinary proceedings. The establishment returns for fire authorities in England and Wales for the year to 31 December 1991 show that 36 whole-time fire fighters of the rank of sub-officer and below, and 118 retained or volunteer fire fighters, were discharged for other than medical reasons, and that seven whole-time fire fighters of the rank of sub-officer and below, and three retained or volunteer fire fighters, were dismissed following disciplinary proceedings.
Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, following Northumberland county council's refusal to accept that he is entitled to withhold permission for the closure of the Holy Island fire brigade, and following the Local Government Commissioner's finding that this constituted maladministration, he will arrange for a special inspection of the brigade's arrangements for fire cover on Holy Island.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The Northumberland fire and rescue service was inspected by Her Majesty's inspector of fire services between 17 and 21 February 1992. In the course of the inspection, Her Majesty's inspector examined the fire cover arrangements on Holy Island. My right hon. and learned Friend does not propose to commission any further inspection of the fire cover arrangements on Holy Island. He hopes to reach a decision shortly on the Northumberland fire authorities application for approval to the removal from its establishment scheme of the volunteer fire-fighting crew on Holy Island.
Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what provisions exist in national conditions of service governing the terms of redundancy for firemen ; what requests for advice he has received from fire authorities about redundancy terms ; and what advice he has given ;
(2) what provisions exist in national conditions of service relating to the pension entitlements of firemen who accept early retirement on other than health grounds, or are made redundant.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : National conditions of service for fire-fighters are a matter for the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Fire Brigades and not for the Home Office. I understand that the council's scheme of conditions of service contains no provisions governing the
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terms of redundancy for fire-fighters. My officials have received a request from the chief fire officer of the Northumberland fire and rescue service for advice on the pensions implications of any redundancies, and are to discuss this with the chief fire officer at a meeting on 5 August. The pension entitlements of whole- time fire-fighters are governed by the Firemen's Pension Scheme Order 1992. Rule A14 of the scheme provides for the early retirement on efficiency grounds of a fire-fighter aged 50 or over who has completed 25 years' pensionable service.Telephone Tapping
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 8 July, Official Report, column 199, if he will list the organisations which carry out telephone interceptions which have been authorised by warrant.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : I have nothing to add to my reply of 8 July.
Urban Areas (Crime)
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) who draws up the list of urban areas and housing estates regarded as at risk of serious disorder ;
(2) if he will provide additional resources to find measures to tackle youth crime in the 16 urban areas or estates regarded as likely to be at risk of serious disorder.
Mr. Charles Wardle : There is no central list of areas regarded as at risk of serious disorder though local police forces naturally monitor areas of particular tension. The Government already provides funding for many initiatives aimed at tackling youth crime. In particular, the safer cities programme tackles crime in the inner cities through projects in 20 areas with high crime rates and other social problems.
British Diplomatic Spouses Association
Mr. George Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the British Diplomatic Spouses Association is a registered charity.
Mr. Jack : The British Diplomatic Spouses Association is registered with the Charity Commission as a charity.
Commercial Premises
Mr. Harvey : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to amend legislation so as to make occupation of commercial premises without the owner's permission a criminal offence.
Mr. Jack : The Government are committed to strengthening the law against squatting and we issued a consultation paper examining possible options. The responses have raised a number of issues which are receiving careful consideration. Our aim is to ensure that any new measures are fair, easy to administer and effective.
Police Evidence
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive reports from the relevant police forces into the safety of the evidence used to convict Sam Kulasingham and Prem Sivalingham ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Jack : The inquiry by the Essex police into this case is still continuing, but at this stage it is not possible to give any indication as to when it will be completed and a report submitted.
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