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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 11 November 1992
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
British Citizens (Trials)
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list for (a) Fiji, (b) Cyprus, (c) Papua New Guinea and (d) Turkey, the number of British citizens known to his Department to be (i) detained and awaiting trial, (ii) undergoing trial and (iii) tried and in prison.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : As at 30 September the number of British citizens known to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to be :
|c|(a) Detained and awaiting trial are:|c| |Number ---------------------------------------(i) Fiji |0 (ii) Cyprus |0 (iii) Papua New Guinea |0 (iv) Turkey |2 (b) Undergoing trial: None (c) Tried and in prison: (i) Fiji |0 (ii) Cyprus |5 (iii) Papua New Guinea |0 (iv) Turkey |0
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list for each sovereign country in (a) south America, (b) the middle east, (c) central America and Puerto Rico, (d) the Caribbean, other than Commonwealth countries and (e) Asia, other than former Soviet republics, the number of British citizens known to his Department to be (i) detained and awaiting trial, (ii) undergoing trial and (iii) tried and in prison.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : As it would take a disproportionate amount of time to answer this question completely acccurately, I have arranged for the right hon. Member to receive a written reply from the consular department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as soon as possible, with the information that it has to hand.
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Bosnian government following attacks by forces loyal to them on United Nations agencies operating in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We deplore all attacks on United Nations agencies operating in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and are constantly pressing all parties to the conflict to respect the United Nation's impartiality.
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Russian Nuclear Industry
Mr. Brazier : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action his Department has taken to investigate attempts by Iraq to purchase Russian plutonium in Bulgaria.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We are currently following up with all relevant authorities reports in a Sunday newspaper of alleged attempts to sell plutonium from the Commonwealth of Independent States to the Iraqi embassy in Sofia. The Bulgarian authorities have seized some material which they assess to be of no significant proliferation concern. Our own test of a sample which we have received supports this conclusion. But our investigations are continuing.
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to raise at the next meeting of the European Foreign Affairs Council the clandestine smuggling of nuclear materials from the former Soviet Union to countries in the middle east.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave on 23 October 1992, at column 404.
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the new export restrictions on military sensitive equipment and nuclear materials to be imposed under the provisions of the Council regulations on the control of exports of certain dual-use goods and technologies and of certain nuclear products and technologies (COM(92) 317 final).
Mr. Needham : I have been asked to reply.
The proposed Council regulation on the control of exports of certain dual- use goods and technologies is currently the subject of negotiations between member states. The Government's aim is to ensure that there will be no weakening of this country's export controls on such goods as a result of the implementation of this regulation, and that the interests of United Kingdom exporters will be protected. The House will be informed of the outcome of the negotiations.
Visas
Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that all applicants for visas at the British high commission in Delhi are granted a formal interview.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : More than 15,000 non-settlement applications have been approved in New Dehli this year without the need for a formal interview. A further 7,000 have been approved after a short informal interview lasting less than six minutes.
All other persons applying for visas have been granted a formal interview. However, prior to an application being formally lodged, if the entry clearance officer has reason to believe that it might not succeed, for example, if forged documentation is presented or the person has previously come to adverse attention, the applicant is given an opportunity to decide whether or not to pursue the application before paying the non-refundable visa fee. If the applicant decides to continue with the application, a formal interview is arranged.
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Kenya
Mr. Hain : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs under what conditions local election monitors will observe the forthcoming elections in Kenya ; and what assessment has been made of how likely they are to be honoured.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We welcome the announcement by the Kenyan Electoral Commission on 2 November that the National Election Monitoring Unit (NEMU), made up of three local Kenyan organisations, will take part in the monitoring exercise. We understand that NEMU is discussing with the Electoral Commission the practical arrangements and guidelines for monitoring the election alongside international observer groups.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Politically Motivated Crime
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to combat politically motivated vandalism, arson and sabotage in Wales ; if he will create a Welsh serious crime squad for this purpose ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Charles Wardle : These are operational matters for the chief constables of the areas concerned, who are ensuring that the police effort against such criminal acts is effectively co-ordinated.
Police Authorities (Local Representatives)
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make it his policy to maintain the link between local communities and their police forces through the presence of elected representatives on police authorities in England and Wales.
Mr. Charles Wardle : We are considering a range of issues concerning the future of the police service, including the role and composition of police authorities. We have yet to reach firm conclusions.
Wolds Prison
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 4 November, Official Report, columns 223-24, on Wolds prison, if he will list (a) the number of employees in each of the categories referred to and (b) the number of employees on each grade.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The information requested is subject to commercial confidentiality.
Data Protection
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to extend the Data Protection Act 1984 to apply to manual records.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The Government have no present plans to extend the Act to manual files.
Prisoners
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the prison population for each of the last 18 months for which figures are available.
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Mr. Peter Lloyd : On 9 November, the latest date for which figures are available, the prison population was 43,787, including 465 in police cells. Figures for the last Friday in each of the last 18 months are in the table.
Date |Total prison |Police cells |population |including police |cells ---------------------------------------------------------------------31 May 1991 |45,566 |593 28 June 1991 |45,921 |872 26 July 1991 |46,393 |1,190 30 August 1991 |46,701 |1,534 27 September 1991 |47,069 |1,665 25 October 1991 |47,306 |1,807 29 November 1991 |47,443 |1,667 30 December 1991 |45,388 |969 31 January 1992 |46,598 |1,247 28 February 1992 |47,581 |1,626 27 March 1992 |47,684 |1,774 24 April 1992 |47,605 |1,632 29 May 1992 |47,009 |1,306 26 June 1992 |47,070 |1,301 31 July 1992 |46,934 |1,110 28 August 1992 |46,692 |932 25 September 1992 |46,120 |809 30 October 1992 |44,287 |502
Police Overtime
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total amount budgeted for financial year 1992-93 for police overtime in (a) the Metropolitan police area, (b) the rest of England and Wales and (c) in each police authority in England and Wales ; and what is the extent to which these figures have been revised since the commencement of the current financial year.
Mr. Charles Wardle : I will write to the hon. Member.
Arrests
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a table showing the total number of persons (a) arrested, (b) charged and (c) processed during each of the last six months in (i) the Metropolitan police area, (ii) England and Wales and(iii) each police authority area in England and Wales.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Information on arrests is not collected centrally. Court proceedings data for the period requested will not be available until autumn 1993.
Parole
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were released on parole in England and Wales in each of the last 24 months.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Figures for those paroled in each of the months October 1990 to September 1992 are as follows :
|Number --------------------------1990 October |1,100 November |1,200 December |800 1991 January |1,100 February |800 March |1,000 April |800 May |900 June |1,000 July |1,000 August |1,000 September |900 October |1,200 November |1,100 December |800 1992 January |900 February |1,000 March |1,100 April |1,000 May |800 June |1,200 July |1,300 August |1,100 September |1,100
Departmental Properties
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, for each local authority area in south Yorkshire, how many residential properties are currently owned by his Department ; and if he will list, by location, those residential properties which are empty, giving the type of accommodation available, the length of time each property has been vacant and its intended future use.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The prison service owns 48 residential properties in south Yorkshire used by prison officers and staff serving at the prison establishments of Lindholme, Moorland and Hatfield. All the properties are in the local authority area of Doncaster metropolitan borough council.
Of these properties, 11 are at present vacant. One is a detached, four- bedroom house, which has been vacant for two weeks, and the remaining 10 houses are three-bedroom semi-detached or terraced houses which have been empty for more than 12 months. Six of these houses are retained for reallocation to incoming agricultural staff or farm managers and the remaining five houses are on the market for sale.
Prisoners (Condoms)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list by sex, and by Her Majesty's prison establishment, for the past 12 months, the number of free condoms issued to (a) inmates going on home leave and (b) inmates being released at the end of their sentence.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Guidelines issued to governors of all establishments in November 1991 advised them to consider introducing local schemes under which prisoners about to be released or to go on home leave would have discreet access to a small supply of free condoms. It is for individual governors to decide whether and how condoms are available in such circumstances, and how they monitor the level of take-up. Comprehensive information is not held centrally.
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Public Record Office
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many papers his Department has currently withdrawn from the Public Record Office ; if he will list their titles ; and when he estimates that they will be returned.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : On 6 November the Home Office had 370 records, amounting to over 1,000 files and sub-files, on loan from the Public Record Office. The number of records on loan fluctuates daily and to list them all would involve disproportionate cost. The records are returned as soon as departmental action has been completed.
Electoral Administration
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr (Mr. Rooker) of 30 October, Official Report, columns 931-32, what input political parties will have to the membership and the proceedings of the joint committee and working groups on electoral administration ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : We held meetings with representatives of the political parties and the local authority associations in the summer as part of the process of reviewing electoral procedures. The remits for the working groups which we have set up as the next stage of that process reflect the concerns expressed by the political parties. Membership of the working groups is drawn from experienced electoral administrators and returning officers. The meetings with the representatives of the political parties and of the local authorities will be reconvened in due course to consider the findings of the working groups.
Frontier Controls
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings he has held with the Kangaroo group on abolition of frontier controls ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Charles Wardle : My right hon. and learned Friend has had no formal meetings with the Kangaroo group, but we have had opportunities to acquaint ourselves with the views of members of the group on this matter.
Immigration (Entry Exclusions)
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the individuals who have been excluded since 1979 from entry into the United Kingdom by Her Majesty's Government on grounds of likelihood to incite racial hatred by their presence in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : Under the provisions of the Immigration Act 1971 and the immigration rules, a person without the right of abode in the United Kingdom may be excluded on the ground that his exclusion is conducive to the public good.
In forming a view on whether a person's exclusion would be conducive to the public good, a variety of matters may be taken into account, including the likelihood of their presence giving rise to offences under
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the Public Order Act 1986 and/or the offence likely to be given to public sensitivities by racialist statements. These considerations informed the decision in respect of the following individuals excluded since 1979 on the Home Secretary's personal directions : Mr. Stokely CarmichaelMr. Louis Farrakhan
Mr. Manfred Roeder
Mr. Fred Leuchter
Police (Salaries)
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the commencement salary in London for each of the following in (a) 1981 and (b) 1991, (i) main grade probation officer, (ii) prison officer, (iii) police constable and (iv) police sergeant.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke [holding answer 30 October 1992] : The information is in the table.
|c|Commencement Salaries including London Payments|c| |1981 £|1991 £ ---------------------------------------Probation Officer 30 and under |7,510 |15,402 over 30 |7,936 |15,939 Prison Officer |6,139 |16,895 Police Constable Under 22 |7,209 |14,070 22 or over |8,298 |17,121 Police Sergeant |10,092|21,099
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average of remuneration in England and Wales for (a) a chief probation officer, (b) a police sergeant and (c) a police inspector in (i) 1981 and (ii) 1991.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke [holding answer 30 October 1992] : The average remuneration of a chief probation officer in 1981 was £16,218 and in 1991 it was £37,738. Information is not available in the form requested for police sergeants and police inspectors and the figures in the table relate to average salaries.
|1981 |1991 |£ |£ --------------------------------------Police sergeant |9,504 |21,039 Police inspector |10,755|23,820 Note: Police officers not living in provided accommodation are entitled to receive an allowance, which is paid in addition to salary. The value of the allowance varies according to individual circumstances, for example, whether an officer is married or single, and between police force areas. The range of the value of the allowance in 1981 was £567-£2,271, and in 1991 it was £853-£4,836.
Car Crime
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what studies he has undertaken or commissioned in relation to the theft and racing of cars in the Oxford area ; and if he will outline the aspects being examined.
Mr. Jack [holding answer 10 November 1992] : Although no studies have so far been undertaken or
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commissioned specifically in relation to the theft and racing of cars in the Oxford area, a number of important lessons have been learned from the incidents which have occurred on the Blackbird Leys estate. In particular, they illustrated the need for the law to be strengthened in this area. The Aggravated Vehicle-Taking Act 1992, which came into force on 1 April, significantly increased the courts' power to deal with the menace of car taking.Moreover, the Home Office has supported or carried out a number of more general research studies on issues relating to car crime, including the nature of offending. These include crime prevention unit paper 32 "Tackling Car Crime : The Nature and Extent of the Problem" and paper 34 "Preventing Car Crime in Car Parks", copies of which are in the Library.
The results of studies completed to date are being used to help develop the car crime prevention strategy and the need for further research in this area will be closely monitored.
Criminal Records
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what steps he has taken to implement each of the short-term recommendations in annex M of his Department's efficiency scrutiny into the national collection of criminal records published in October 1991 ;
(2) what progress has been made in implementing the five-day limit for police notification to the national identification bureau of all pending prosecutions after arrest and the 13-day limit for all court convictions being notified after the court decisions as recommended by his Department's efficiency scrutiny into the national collection of criminal records published in October 1991.
Mr. Charles Wardle [holding answer 10 November 1992 : The position on recommendations 63 to 68 of the "Efficiency Scrutiny of the National Collection of Criminal Records", which together constitute annex M, is as follows :
1. It was recommended in the scrutiny report that microfiche collection of court results be stopped for post-1980 offenders. Further work revealed that this could not be done immediately without loss of information, but the conversion of all criminal records for inclusion in the computerised National Criminal Record System will ensure the provision of a more comprehensive record than is currently available on the Police National Computer (Recommendation 63). 2. It has long been the practice for NIB to mark the manual records that any acquittal should not be cited as a conviction
(Recommendation 66).
3. Copies of the scrutiny report were sent to all chief constables and, without imposing rigid time limits, NIB will continue to encourage forces to improve the time taken to notify them of arrests (Recommendation 64).
4. Since the scrutiny was completed, the Government has re-examined the arrangements under which court results are notified to the NIB and the police notify the courts and the Crown Prosecution Service of defendants' and prosecution witnesses' criminal records ; revised proposals to improve those arrangements are being taken forward (Recommendations 65, 67, 68).
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to appoint the advisory committee to the national identification bureau at New Scotland Yard which was recommended by his Department's efficiency scrutiny into the national collection of criminal records published in October 1991.
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Mr. Charles Wardle [holding answer 10 November 1992] : Oversight of the national identification bureau is being considered in the context of wider changes in the management of police information services. We hope to announce new arrangements shortly.
Foreign Workers
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to ensure effective implementation of article 19(6) of the Council of Europe's European social charter, signed on18 October 1961, requiring contracting parties to facilitate family reunion of foreign workers on their territory.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Article 19(6) of the social charter provides that contracting parties undertake to facilitate as far as possible the reunion of the family of a foreign worker permitted to establish himself in the territory. We believe that the provisions of the immigration rules and our ability to exercise discretion in exceptional cases keep us in compliance with article 19(6).
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to give effect to convention No. 143 of the International Labour Organisation, facilitating the reunification of families of migrant workers legally residing in its territory.
Mr. Charles Wardle [holding answer 9 November 1992] : The United Kingdom has not ratified International Labour Organisation convention No. 143.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Legal Aid
Mr. Byers : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many times legal aid has been granted to enable a person convicted of a criminal offence to receive a transcript of their trial for the purposes of an appeal.
Mr. John M. Taylor : It is not necessary to make a separate application for legal aid to obtain a copy of a transcript of a trial. If the appellant to the Court of Appeal is covered by a legal aid order, the costs of the transcript may be claimed as a disbursement. These claims are not separately identified, and the information requested is therefore not available.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Civil Servants
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the total numbers of (a) established and (b) unestablished civil servants, including those in next steps agencies on (i) 1 January 1970, (ii) 1 January 1989, (iii) 1 January 1990 and (iv) 1 January 1992, including those on short-term contracts.
Mr. Dorrell : The number of civil servants including, where appropriate, those in next steps agencies, at the respective dates, is as follows :
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|c|Staff in post-industrial and non-industrial civil servants<1>|c| |Number -------------------------------1 January 1970 |702,056 1 January 1989 |571,649 1 January 1990 |565,017 1 January 1992 |561,770 <1> Full-time equivalents ( part-time staff count as half units).
The concept of unestablished service was abolished with effect from 1 April 1991. No breakdown between numbers of established and unestablished staff is available for earlier years in any case.
Taxation
Mr. Clelland : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total revenue to the Exchequer from (a) income tax, (b) national insurance, (c) VAT, (d) vehicle excise duty and (e) excise duty in each of the English regions for 1990-91 and 1991-92.
Mr. Dorrell : I regret that information is not available on a regional basis for the taxes and duties requested.
Double Taxation Agreement (Italy)
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to negotiate a double taxation agreement with Italy which would give United Kingdom based businesses exemption from extraordinary levies on all bank balances by the Italian Government ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell : The matter is currently being discussed with the Italian authorities.
VAT
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the rates of value added tax on sanitary protection in each member state of the EC.
Sir John Cope : The rates of value added tax charged in each member state are as follows :
|Per cent. -----------------------------------Belgium |19.5 Denmark |25.0 France |18.6 Germany |14.0 Greece |18.0 Ireland |0.0 Italy |19.0 Luxembourg |15.0 Netherlands |6.0 Portugal |16.0 Spain |15.0 United Kingdom |17.5
Betting Duty
Mr. Page : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue he expects the horse and greyhound racing industry to receive in the current financial year as a result of the 0.25 per cent. reduction in betting duty.
Sir John Cope : The reduction in general betting duty in the last Budget was from 8 to 7.75 per cent. This was
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expected to reduce the revenue yield by £15 million in the current financial year, and the Chancellor announced his intention that the benefit of the reduction should be channelled back to the horse racing and greyhound industries themselves. The Home Secretary took account of the duty cut in determining this year's horserace betting levy ; and discussions are still in progress between the greyhound industry and the bookmakers over voluntary arrangements to be made to help greyhound racing.Negative Equity
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received about the increase in the number of households who have negative equity.
Mr. Dorrell : We have received a number of representations on this subject. The Government have responded by announcing two measures which will help borrowers with negative equity who wish to move house, Official Report, 20 October, column 243 .
Public Expenditure
Mr. Betts : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) which European Community countries treat capital and revenue on the same basis within the actual public expenditure planning totals ; (2) what plans he has to secure a common definition of public expenditure and Government borrowing between European Community countries.
Mr. Portillo : European Community countries use varying definitions for their own public expenditure planning and control purposes. However, these countries make returns to the statistical office of the European Communities covering general Government current expenditure, capital expenditure and the financial deficit, based on the European system of integrated economic accounts. This publication is available in the House of Commons Library.
Growth
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the average annual rate of economic growth of the United Kingdom and each other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development country since 1979.
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