| Previous Section | Home Page |
(1982-83=100 per cent.) Financial year |Amount received|Real terms ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1982-83 |757,000 |100 1983-84 |817,000 |103 1984-85 |869,000 |104 1985-86 |1,001,000 |114 1986-87 |900,000 |99 1987-88 |1,012,000 |105 1988-89 |1,057,000 |103 1989-90 |1,114,000 |102 1990-91 |1,293,000 |109 1991-92 |1,357,000 |107 1992-93 |1,509,000 |114 1993-94 |Nil |-
Asylum
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the refusal of the United Kingdom to grant asylum to two Chinese women democracy activists in September.
Mr. Charles Wardle : There is no provision for receiving applications for asylum from abroad, but we are prepared to consider granting entry clearance for the purpose of making an asylum application where a person falls within the definition of a refugee in article 1A of the 1951 United
Column 574
Nations refugees convention and has close ties with the United Kingdom such as to make it the most appropriate country of refuge. On 28 August this year, Amnesty International wrote to the Home Office asylum division asking for the asylum applications of these two women, who were in Hong Kong, to be considered in the United Kingdom. The information provided by Amnesty International was carefully considered and the Hong Kong authorities were consulted. It was established that the applications had been fully considered by the Hong Kong authorities, who did not accept that either applicant would be at risk of persecution if returned to China. There were no grounds for taking a different view of the cases from the Hong Kong authorities, who had had the benefit of interviewing the applicants and hearing their representations at first hand. Neither applicant had any ties with the United Kingdom. Amnesty International was therefore informed on 4 September that there were no grounds for granting them asylum in the United Kingdom.Asylum Bill 1991
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals of his Department's staff worked on the Asylum Bill 1991 (a) in Committee and (b) in the Home Office ; and how many person- hours were used in each case.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Within the immigration and nationality department three members of staff worked on the Asylum Bill in 1991-92, for the greater part of their time, two over the period October 1991 to March 1992 and one over the period August 1991 to March 1992. This work included time spent in preparing the Bill and in attending the Committee. The Bill was in Committee for some 27 hours. Other members of the Department were consulted on aspects of the Bill as part of their normal duties. In addition, three members of the legal adviser's branch of the Home Office worked on the Asylum Bill for up to 50 per cent. of their time.
Police Manpower
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a table showing for each police force area in England and Wales, and for the whole of England and Wales, the number of police officers in the authorised establishment at (a) 1 April 1979, (b) 1 April 1990, (c) 1 April 1991 and (d) 1 April 1992 and the percentage increase in each case.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The information requested is set out in the table.
Column 573
Table showing the authorised establishment of police forces in England and Wales
Force |1 April 1979 |1 April 1990 |percentage change|1 April 1991 |percentage change|1 April 1992 |percentage change
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon and Somerset |2,853 |3,080 |7.96 |3,081 |0.03 |3,087 |0.19
Bedfordshire |947 |1,072 |13.20 |1,085 |1.21 |1,178 |8.57
Cambridgeshire |1,090 |1,205 |10.55 |1,209 |0.33 |1,241 |2.65
Cheshire |1,805 |1,888 |4.60 |1,889 |0.05 |1,920 |1.64
Cleveland |1,411 |1,502 |6.45 |1,502 |0.00 |1,502 |0.00
Cumbria |1,088 |1,175 |8.00 |1,175 |0.00 |1,187 |1.02
Derbyshire |1,709 |1,793 |4.92 |1,812 |1.06 |1,850 |2.10
Devon and Cornwall |2,673 |2,863 |7.11 |2,865 |0.07 |2,928 |2.20
Dorset |1,164 |1,271 |9.19 |1,272 |0.08 |1,302 |2.36
Durham |1,349 |1,375 |1.93 |1,378 |0.22 |1,389 |0.80
Dyfed-Powys |934 |935 |0.11 |944 |0.96 |969 |2.65
Essex |2,525 |2,859 |13.23 |2,875 |0.56 |2,950 |2.61
Gloucestershire |1,116 |1,164 |4.30 |1,164 |0.00 |1,184 |1.72
Greater Manchester |6,735 |7,042 |4.56 |7,021 |-0.30 |7,077 |0.80
Gwent |975 |1,009 |3.49 |1,009 |0.00 |1,010 |0.10
Hampshire |2,954 |3,173 |7.41 |3,175 |0.06 |3,269 |2.96
Hertfordshire |1,533 |1,669 |8.87 |1,669 |0.00 |1,684 |0.90
Humberside |1,939 |2,007 |3.51 |2,007 |0.00 |2,034 |1.35
Kent 1 |2,820 |3,018 |7.02 |3,020 |0.07 |3,096 |2.52
Lancashire |3,118 |3,201 |2.66 |3,203 |0.06 |3,229 |0.81
Leicestershire |1,706 |1,813 |6.27 |1,814 |0.06 |1,853 |2.15
Lincolnshire |1,182 |1,197 |1.27 |1,198 |0.08 |1,206 |0.67
Merseyside |4,451 |4,701 |5.62 |4,701 |0.00 |4,706 |0.11
Norfolk |1,265 |1,408 |11.30 |1,409 |0.07 |1,446 |2.63
Northants |950 |1,141 |20.11 |1,142 |0.09 |1,190 |4.20
Northumbria |3,325 |3,552 |6.83 |3,560 |0.23 |3,613 |1.49
North Wales |1,279 |1,351 |5.63 |1,352 |0.07 |1,369 |1.26
North Yorkshire |1,328 |1,408 |6.02 |1,408 |0.00 |1,418 |0.71
Nottinghamshire |2,145 |2,344 |9.28 |2,344 |0.00 |2,344 |0.00
South Wales |3,069 |3,168 |3.23 |3,168 |0.00 |3,168 |0.00
South Yorkshire |2,752 |2,998 |8.94 |2,998 |0.00 |3,031 |1.10
Staffordshire |2,066 |2,202 |6.58 |2,203 |0.05 |2,215 |0.54
Suffolk |1,088 |1,204 |10.66 |1,205 |0.08 |1,233 |2.32
Surrey |1,599 |1,659 |3.75 |1,659 |0.00 |1,673 |0.84
Sussex |2,802 |2,963 |5.75 |2,964 |0.03 |3,014 |1.69
Thames Valley |2,997 |3,685 |22.96 |3,685 |0.00 |3,812 |3.45
Warwickshire |876 |1,007 |14.95 |1,008 |0.10 |1,020 |1.19
West Mercia |1,834 |2,023 |10.31 |2,024 |0.05 |2,053 |1.43
West Midlands |6,509 |6,893 |5.90 |6,895 |0.03 |6,977 |1.19
West Yorkshire |5,104 |5,279 |3.43 |5,281 |0.04 |5,295 |0.27
Wiltshire |1,022 |1,098 |7.44 |1,099 |0.09 |1,181 |7.46
Metropolitan |26,589 |28,565 |7.43 |28,524 |-0.14 |28,276 |-0.87
City 2 |1,022 |798 |-21.92 |798 |0.00 |798 |0.00
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |117,698 |125,758 |6.85 |125,794 |0.03 |126,977 |0.94
1. The police establishment of the Kent constabulary will increase by 40 officers on 1 January 1993.
2. The police establishment of the City of London police was reduced at the request of the police authority.
Safe Cities
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends to create any new safer cities areas ; and what are his plans for the existing safer cities areas after 31 March 1994.
Mr. Jack : The safer cities programme was originally intended to create 20 local projects, all of which have now been established. We remain committed to doubling the number of safer cities projects to 40, when circumstances and resources enable us to do so.
The first 16 projects to have been established have already been guaranteed funding until March 1994. No decision has been made concerning their futures beyond that date. The four most recently established projects--in Derby, Hammersmith and Fulham, Leicester and Middlesbrough--are planned to continue in 1994-95.
Probation Service
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met representatives of (a) the Association of Chief Officers of Probation or (b) the National Association of Probation Officers ; and what was the outcome of their discussions.
Mr. Jack : The Secretary of State last met representatives of the Association of Chief Officers of Probation in July 1992. The discussion covered a range of current topics relating to the changes in and expansion of probation work including the implementation of the Criminal Justice Act 1991, partnerships with the independent sector and the
Column 576
introduction of national standards. The Secretary of State has not met representatives of the National Association of Probation Officers this year.I have met representatives of the Association of Chief Officers of Probation on various occasions since my appointment. These meetings have covered a number of current topics about probation work. I met representatives of the National Association of Probation Officers in July ; this meeting also covered a range of topics.
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many probation staff by grade were in full-time employment during 1991 in England and Wales.
Mr. Jack : The number of full-time equivalent staff employed by the probation service, by grade and in post on 31 December 1991, was as follows :
|Number
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chief Probation Officer |55
Deputy Chief Probation Officer |24
Assistant Chief Probation Officer |210
Senior Probation Officer |1,163
Main-grade Probation Officer |5,702
Probation Ancillary |1,864
Research and Information Officers |64
Other staff (Professional, Administrative, Clerical and
Secretarial) |5,250
Car Crime
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the incidence of car crime in England and Wales in each year since 1982 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jack : The information requested is set out in the table. Figures are for offences recorded by the police.
|Theft/unauthorised|Theft from a motor
|taking of a motor |vehicle
|vehicle
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1982 |351,230 |449,037
1983 |325,699 |424,238
1984 |344,806 |454,943
1985 |367,426 |478,968
1986 |411,060 |577,414
1987 |389,576 |658,577
1988 |366,713 |620,623
1989 |393,399 |628,912
1990 |494,209 |773,079
1991 |582,300 |913,700
Sentencing Policy
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice his Department is offering sentencers and others on the extent to which judges and magistrates are expected to take previous offences into account when determining the level of seriousness of an offence.
Mr. Jack : The criteria for determining the seriousness of an offence for the purpose of deciding on an appropriate sentence are set out in the Criminal Justice Act 1991. However, it is for the courts alone to interpret the provisions of the Act as they apply to individual cases in the light of all the circumstances of the offence and the offender and any guidance which the Court of Appeal may issue in due course. In addition, a substantial programme of training for sentencers on all matters relating to the Act has been provided under the auspices of the Judicial Studies Board.
Public Houses (Violence)
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment he has made of the trend of violence against landlords and landladies in public houses ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) how many physical attacks on landlords or landladies of public houses were reported in 1991 ;
(3) if he will make it his policy to encourage magistrates to exclude from licensed premises those who are found guilty of violence against landlords or landladies of public houses.
Mr. Jack : No central record is kept of crimes of violence against licensees and their staff on licensed premises. I am aware of concern about such violence, and that a number of steps have been taken by the licensed trade, in partnership with other agencies, against the problem. The Licensed Premises (Exclusion of Certain Persons) Act 1980 enables magistrates in England and Wales, when sentencing a person convicted of violence or threatened violence on licensed premises to make an "exclusion order" prohibiting him or her from entering
Column 578
those or any other specified premises for a period of between three months and two years without the express consent of the licensee. Sentencing in individual cases is entirely a matter for the courts in the light of all the circumstances of the offence and the offender.Drugs
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the drug prevention projects funded under his Department's drug prevention initiatives together with (a) the current level of annual funds of each, (b) the start date of each and (c) the date to which funds have been agreed in each case.
Mr. Jack : There have been 20 local drugs prevention teams established between October 1990 and March 1992 under the drugs prevention initiative. The annual fund for each team excluding salaries and running costs is £85,000. This comprises £75,000 to grant-aid local drugs prevention projects and £10,000 for publicity. An additional £15,000 to support activities undertaken during European Drug Prevention Week has been allocated to each team for this financial year 1992-93. Funds have been agreed initially for a period of three years in each case. Details on the individual teams are as follows :
Local drugs |Start date |Funds agreed until prevention team ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brighton and Hove |29 October 1990 |29 October 1993 Lewisham |19 November 1990 |19 November 1993 Liverpool |10 December 1990 |10 December 1993 Birmingham |7 January 1991 |7 January 1994 Hackney |14 January 1991 |14 January 1994 Southwark |18 February 1991 |18 February 1994 Newham |4 March 1991 |4 March 1994 Bristol |4 March 1991 |4 March 1994 Lambeth |22 April 1991 |22 April 1994 Nottingham |13 May 1991 |13 May 1994 Wolverhampton |20 May 1991 |20 May 1994 Brent |5 August 1991 |5 August 1994 Wirral |30 September 1991 |30 September 1994 Bradford |18 October 1991 |18 October 1994 Dundee |2 December 1991 |2 December 1994 Manchester |3 February 1992 |3 February 1995 Salford |19 February 1992 |19 February 1995 Newcastle |7 January 1991 |2 March 1995 Glasgow |23 March 1992 |23 March 1995 West Glamorgan |30 March 1992 |30 March 1995
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the projects that have been set up under the drugs prevention initiative and the cost of each of these projects ; and how long he intends these projects to be operational.
Mr. Jack [holding answer 26 October 1992] : The 20 local drugs prevention teams were established between October 1990 and March 1992 for initial three-year terms. The position of the teams beyond that period is currently under active review. The effectiveness of the drug prevention initiative, including the work of the 20 teams, is being fully evaluated. A structural review has been commissioned to be carried out by the university of Bristol and a private sector consultancy. The results of the review will be available in June next year. The average annual cost of each team, including its grants and publicity budget, is approximately £200,000. Details are as follows :
Column 579
Local Drugs |Contracted until Prevention Team ------------------------------------------------------ Brighton and Hove |29 October 1993 Lewisham |19 November 1993 Liverpool |10 December 1993 Birmingham |7 January 1994 Hackney |14 January 1994 Southwark |18 February 1994 Newham |4 March 1994 Bristol |4 March 1994 Lambeth |22 April 1994 Nottingham |13 May 1994 Wolverhampton |20 May 1994 Brent |5 August 1994 Wirral |30 September 1994 Bradford |18 October 1994 Dundee |2 December 1994 Manchester |3 February 1994 Salford |19 February 1995 Newcastle |2 March 1995 Glasgow |23 March 1995 West Glamorgan |30 March 1995
Identity Cards
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review the case for introduction of an identity card scheme ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Although we remain ready to consider any arguments which may be advanced in favour of introducing an identity card system, we are not at present persuaded that the case for such a system has been made.
Her Majesty's Prison, Manchester
Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is in a position to make a statement about the market testing of Her Majesty's prison, Manchester.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : Work has now been completed on the specification for the operation of Manchester prison. This forms part of the invitation to tender issued to the prison service and potential contractors from the private sector. A copy has been placed in the Library. Following the evaluation process, we aim to announce a decision on the successful bidder in early spring 1993. It is our intention that the part of the prison that is currently being extensively refurbished shall be ready to accept prisoners from autumn 1993.
Prisoners (Injuries)
Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action is being taken by the prison service to reduce the level of suicide and self-injury by prisoners.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The prison service's policies in this complex and important area were recently described in an information paper, "Caring for prisoners at risk of suicide and self-injury : the way forward", which was published on 20 August 1992. I have today arranged for a copy of the paper to be placed in the Library of the House. The paper outlines in detail the measures being taken across the prison service as a whole and gives examples of some local schemes. I very much support the efforts being made by the
Column 580
prison staff, working in partnership with voluntary agencies and increasingly with prisoners themselves, to tackle the problems associated with suicide and self-injury.Discretionary Life Sentences
Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what rules he has made governing the proceedings of the parole board when considering the cases of discretionary life sentence prisoners who are eligible for consideration under the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 ; and how the board will be constituted when considering such cases.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : The parole board rules 1992 were made on 31 August 1992 under section 32(5) of the Criminal Justice Act 1991. They will come into force on 1 October. A copy of the rules has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
When considering these cases, the parole board will sit in panels of three. I have written to the chairman of the board asking him to bear in mind the following criteria when selecting panel members. Chairman
Panels should be chaired by a High Court judge member of the Board where cases involve :
terrorist offences ;
the attempted murder or wounding of a police or prison officer ; the sexual assault or mutilation and killing of a child (ie in the same incident) ;
serial rape ;
manslaughter following release from prison on a previous manslaughter sentence ;
offences giving rise to multiple life sentences.
Otherwise, a circuit judge or recorder may take the chair. Second member
The second member should generally be a psychiatrist. But, if there is conclusive medical evidence that no serious concern exists about the prisoner's state of mind at the time of the offence or subsequently during imprisonment, a psychologist or probation officer may be appointed.
Third member
The third member of the panel should be a lay member, a criminologist, or a psychologist or probation officer (where he or she is not already the second member).
Prisoners
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 19 October, Official Report, columns 64-65, (1) how many of the 616 prisoners came from each police area responsible for initiating action towards prosecutions ; and in each case how many were remand prisoners and how many convicted prisoners ;
(2) if he will show in respect of each police authority area how many of those held in police cells were remand prisoners and how many were convicted prisoners.
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 23 October 1992] : The information collected centrally does not separate remand and convicted prisoners held in police cells, but most would have been held on remand. It is also not possible to apply the available data to the Crown prosecution service areas, but the table gives the prisoner in police cells position for 16 October by prison service establishment. This may give the hon. Member a clearer indication of the origin of the prisoners concerned.
Column 581
Number of adults and young adults in police cell accommodation on
16 October, by prison service establishment
Establishment |Adults |Young adults |Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bristol |18 |7 |25
Cardiff |4 |25 |29
Durham |1 |0 |1
Gloucester |27 |9 |36
Hindley |0 |7 |7
Lewes |8 |0 |8
Leicester |8 |0 |8
Liverpool |2 |0 |2
Manchester |380 |88 |468
Preston |30 |0 |30
Risley |2 |0 |2
|------- |------- |-------
Totals |480 |136 |616
Prison Service
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what his Department's estimates are for the potential redundancy costs of teaching staff currently employed by local education authorities arising from changes in the provision of educational services in Her Majesty's prison service ;
(2) who will have responsibility for redundancy payments of teaching staff in the event of changes in the provision of educational services in Her Majesty's prison service leading to existing contracts with further education colleges being changed ; (3) what his Department's estimates are for the overall financial costs of the proposed changes in the provision of educational services in prison service establishments.
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 26 October 1992] : The prison service has given notice that it intends to invite competitive tenders for the provision of education to inmates in prisons and young offender institutions in England and Wales, for which it is responsible, with effect from 1 April 1993. This is consequent upon changes in the further education responsibilities of local education authorities resulting from the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 and is consistent with the Government's policies on market testing, as set out in the White Paper "Competing for Quality" (Cm 1730). Competition between the public and private sector is directed to achieving better service and value for money. It will be possible to quantify the overall benefits in quality and cost only when the tendering exercise is complete.
All existing providers are being invited to tender, and any possible consequential redundancy costs cannot therefore yet be accurately assessed. Such costs would fall to the employer of existing prison education staff, normally the local education authority or a college of further education. They would only arise if the existing provider was unseccessful in the competitive tender and it was not possible to avoid redundancy, for example, by redeployment of staff to other areas or agreed transfers to the new contractor.
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what costs were incurred by his Department in employing outside consultants to advise on changes to be made in the provision of educational services in prison service establishments.
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 26 October 1992] : Consultants were employed to provide advice to the prison
Column 582
service on the implications for the provision of education in prisons in England and Wales of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. The cost was £27,500, exclusive of value added tax.SCOTLAND
Football Stadiums
Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will circularise planning authorities urging them to give sympathetic consideration to applications for new football stadiums in greenfield sites, particularly in cases where there is no feasible alternative for football clubs to meet with the requirements and time scale of the Taylor report.
Mr. Allan Stewart : Certain of Scotland's football clubs are required to have all-seater stadiums by August 1994 in line with recommendations contained in the Taylor report. The planning system should not obstruct this requirement.
The Government's policy, as set out in Scottish Development Department circular 17/1985, is that planning permission should always be granted, having regard to all material considerations, unless there are sound and clear cut reasons for refusal. A draft national planning policy guideline on sport and recreation, containing further guidance on the implications of the Taylor report, will be issued for public consultation in the spring.
As with any other applications for planning permission, the football clubs may appeal to the Secretary of State if they are aggrieved at a planning authority's decision or if the planning authority fails to determine an application timeously.
Water Authority Land
Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total acreage of land presently belonging to Scotland's water authorities, broken down into each authority area.
Sir Hector Monro : This information is not held centrally.
Scottish Nuclear
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any intention of privatising Scottish Nuclear.
Mr. Allan Stewart : My right hon. Friend has no plans to do so.
Roads
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to introduce experimental traffic measures at Dairsie.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Traffic-calming measures for Dairsie have recently been approved by the Scottish Office roads directorate and the necessary signing/road marking authorisation and revised speed limit order are presently being processed. On completion of these procedures, the "village gateway" measures will be implemented as soon as is practical.
Column 583
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the progress of the Auchtermuchty bypass.
Mr. James Douglas-Hamilton : The preparation work for the Auchtermuchty bypass is at a stage where it could be quickly completed, but no funding opportunity has presently been identified for the scheme and therefore no further action is being taken at this time.
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the capacity of the trunk roads which pass through Cupar and their ability to accommodate projected traffic flows by the year 2000.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : A transportation study to address trunk road capacity and other matters in Cupar was recently carried out by the Scottish Office roads directorate and Fife regional council. This exercise included consideration of both a bypass and an inner relief road in relation to the medium and longer-term needs of the A91 trunk road. An evaluation of the findings of the report is currently under way to determine how best to meet the requirements of Cupar and the trunk road.
Housing, East Lothian
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of housing to rent in East Lothian ; and if he will make a supplementary housing capital allocation to East Lothian district council for the current year.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : It is the responsibility of East Lothian district council to consider the housing needs of its area, including housing for rent. The Government took full account of East Lothian's needs, as set out in its housing plan and housing capital programme, when decisions were taken on East Lothian's housing capital allocations for 1992-93.
All resources currently available for housing capital expenditure in Scotland in 1992-93 have been distributed. If further resources become available, the relative housing needs of East Lothian will continue to be taken fully into account.
Haddington Sheriff Court
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the backlog of cases at Haddington sheriff court relative to other sheriff courts ; and if he intends to take any steps to improve the efficiency and accommodation of the court in Haddington.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : I refer to the reply which my right hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Ayr (Mr. Gallie) on 15 July 1992, Official Report, columns 708-10, setting out the waiting periods for civil proofs and summary criminal trials for each sheriff court in Scotland. Haddington is within the national average for each category. The speedy and efficient disposal of sheriff court business is a matter for sheriffs principal. Witness accommodation at Haddington has been improved over recent years and steps are being taken to provide better interview facilities for solicitors and their clients. The main courtroom will be refurbished when resources permit.
Column 584
Homelessness
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the number of homeless persons in Scotland and each local authority area for (a) the most recent date for which figures are available and (b) 1979- 80.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 23 October 1992] : Table 2 of the statistical bulletin HSG/1992/3, "Operation of the Homeless Legislation in Scotland 1979/80 to 1990/91 : District Analyses", shows the number of applicant households, by local authority district, for the years 1979-80 and 1990-91, the latest date for which this information is available. Copies of the bulletin are available in the House Library.
Information on the number of persons in each applicant household is available only from 1990, in case returns supplied by authorities to the Department. The table gives for 1990-91, by district, the number of households for whom case returns have been received and the total number of persons in these households.
Number of applicant households and number of persons in these
households 1990-91
Area |Number of case |Numbers of persons
|returns received
|for households
|applying as
|homeless in
|1990-91<1>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scotland |32,379 |67,965
Borders
Berwickshire |16 |55
Ettrick and Lauderdale |17 |40
Roxburgh |109 |230
Tweeddale |49 |119
Central
Clackmannan |523 |1,035
Falkirk |1,300 |2,756
Stirling |575 |1,249
Dumfries and Galloway
Annandale and Eskdale |97 |255
Nithsdale |600 |1,197
Stewartry |97 |259
Wigtown |107 |273
Fife
Dumfermline |311 |788
Kirkcaldy |1,325 |3,049
North East Fife |476 |1,063
Grampian
Aberdeen |1,485 |3,232
Banff and Buchan |225 |602
Gordon |290 |785
Kincardine and Deeside |45 |141
Moray |195 |543
Highland
Badenoch and Strathspey |19 |58
Caithness |7 |22
Inverness |361 |899
Lochaber |75 |182
Nairn |40 |104
Ross and Cromarty |107 |263
Skye and Lochalsh |68 |155
Sutherland |10 |36
Lothian
East Lothian |960 |2,108
Edinburgh |2,633 |5,902
Midlothian |143 |344
West Lothian |532 |1,054
Strathclyde
Argyll and Bute |330 |774
Bearsden and Milngavie |81 |202
Clydebank |655 |1,390
Clydesdale |446 |942
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth |421 |1,107
Cumnock and Doon Valley |67 |155
Cunninghame |445 |1,038
Dumbarton |1,705 |3,223
East Kilbride |521 |1,064
Eastwood |11 |28
Glasgow |8,565 |15,054
Hamilton |329 |837
Inverclyde |360 |796
Kilmarnock and Loudoun |440 |991
Kyle and Carrick |607 |1,202
Monklands |309 |574
Motherwell |988 |2,070
Renfrew |957 |1,965
Strathkelvin |318 |835
Tayside
Angus |468 |1,174
Dundee |924 |2,084
Perth and Kinross |432 |1,234
Islands Councils
Orkney Islands |19 |51
Shetland Islands |131 |265
Western Isles |53 |112
<1> The 32,379 case returns represent 94 per cent. of the 34,600 applications in
1990-91.
Housing
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total amount of capital expenditure on housing for each of the financial years 1979-80 to 1991-92 inclusive in cash and real terms.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information is as follows :
Gross Capital Expenditure on housing in Scotland by
local
authorities, Scottish Homes and New Town Development
Corporations
£ million
|Cash terms |<1>Real terms
--------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |421.0 |1,021.0
1980-81 |477.0 |977.6
1981-82 |480.1 |897.2
1982-83 |561.3 |979.3
1983-84 |706.0 |1,177.1
1984-85 |583.0 |925.8
1985-86 |600.1 |903.1
1986-87 |657.9 |958.5
1987-88 |791.4 |1,093.6
1988-89 |800.7 |1,031.9
1989-90 |985.2 |1,191.2
1990-91 |953.8 |1,066.4
1991-92 |1,081.1 |1,127.0
<1> Expressed in 1992-93 prices.
Recycling
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make supplementary credit approvals available as hypothecated local authority expenditure to enable local authorities to engage in recycling projects.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 26 October 1992] : No. As in previous years, local authorities in Scotland will each receive a capital consent allocation for its general services capital programme. Allocations will be determined in light of the proposals for capital expenditure contained in the detailed financial plans submitted by authorities. Thereafter, within the limits of their consent, it will be for local authorities to determine their own priorities for capital expenditure, including on recycling projects.
Health Care
Mr. Robert Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what private psychiatric services are offered by Grampian Healthcare.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 26 October 1992] : None.
Organic Farming
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he has taken and what further measures he proposes to promote organic farming in Scotland.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 26 October 1992] : Through Food from Britain, the Government set up and now fund the United Kingdom register of organic food standards to determine national standards, codes of practice and provide credibility to certification procedures. The Government also fund a wide range of research relating to organic farming, from strategic research into production methods through to wider issues such as the environmental impact of organic farming systems.
In addition, Scottish farmers of organic produce can benefit under a number of schemes open to farmers generally. These include the farm and conservation grant scheme ; set-aside arrangements and the group marketing grant scheme. The need for any further measures will be considered in the context of the implementation of the European Community agriculture and environment regulations.
Forth Valley Health Board
Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how much money has been spent on refurbishing Forth Valley health board headquarters over each of the past five years ;
(2) if he will give a detailed breakdown of the total expenditure on refurbishing Forth Valley health board headquarters over the past five years.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 26 October 1992] : The total expenditure on refurbishing Forth Valley health board's headquarters at 33 Spittal street and 9 Gladstone place, Stirling over the past five years is as follows :
Column 587
|1988-89 |1989-90 |1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93 to date
|£ |£ |£ |£ |£
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Capital-backlog maintenance |519 |9,330 |37,767 |15,601 |46,328
Equipment |127,411 |83,429 |95,108 |206,980 |43,863
Maintenance |21,800 |34,265 |25,436 |27,046 |35,535
|------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |149,730 |127,024 |158,311 |249,627 |125,726
EMPLOYMENT
Pit Closures
Mr. Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what discussions she has had with (a) the chairman of British Coal, (b) members of the National Economic Development Council, (c) the director-general of the Confederation of British Industry, (d) the Major Energy Users Council, and (e) the coal industry trades unions on the implications of the coal industry pit closure plans.
Mr. McLoughlin : Employment Ministers have not met representatives of these bodies to discuss the pit closures. There has been a meeting with the training enterprise councils involved to discuss what help can be given.
| Next Section
| Home Page |