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Wheel Clamping
Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to publish his consultation paper on wheel clamping on private property.
Mr. Jack : A consultation paper on wheel clamping on private land will be published later this month.
Police (SSAs)
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a table showing the standard spending assessment in respect of the police service for each local authority in 1992-93 and 1993- 94 ; and if he will estimate the effect of this standard spending assessment if (a) the 1987 system of needs assessment and (b) the safety net arrangements introduced in 1988 had still been in place.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Police elements of English local authorities' standard spending assessments for 1992-93 and 1993-94 are given in the table. No figures are shown for Wales because Welsh local authorities' standard spending assessments do not identify separate elements for individual services such as police.
Information on what current police standard spending assessments would be if they were calculated by reference to the distribution formula which was discontinued in 1987 is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
£ million Police authority |1992-93 |1993-94 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Avon and Somerset<1> |63.999 |66.489 Bedfordshire |25.127 |26.498 Cambridgeshire |26.516 |27.547 Cheshire |39.805 |41,.353 City of London |23.187 |26.570 Cleveland |31.139 |32.350 Cumbria |24.609 |25.566 Derbyshire |38.354 |39.846 Devon and Corwall<1> |60.620 |62.929 Dorset |26.993 |28.043 Durham |28.796 |29.917 Essex |64.662 |67.767 Greater Manchester |144.376 |149.884 Gloucestershire |24.546 |25.501 Hampshire<1> |71.551 |75.453 Hertfordshire |38.803 |40.290 Humberside |42.168 |43.809 Kent |68.381 |72.419 Lancashire |66.943 |69.547 Leicestershire |38.416 |39.910 Lincolnshire |25.002 |25.975 Merseyside |97.563 |101.359 Metropolitan Police |729.511 |761.712 Norfolk |29.978 |31.144 Northamptonshire |24.671 |25.630 Northumbria |74.676 |77.581 North Yorkshire |29.398 |30.541 Nottinghamshire |48.595 |50.485 South Yorkshire |62.838 |65.282 Staffordshire |45.921 |47.707 Suffolk |25.562 |26.557 Surrey |39.239 |40.503 Sussex<1> |60.754 |64.003 Thames Valley<1> |85.179 |90.575 Warwickshire |21.520 |22.443 West Mercia<1> |42,562 |44.218 West Midlands |143.090 |148.656 West Yorkshire |109.774 |114.045 Wiltshire |26.495 |27.763 <1>Combined police authority. Figures shown are the sums of police elements of constituent county councils' SSAs.
Juvenile Crime
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to discourage crime by juveniles ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jack : The Government have already introduced a wide range of measures to discourage young people from committing crime. In the Criminal Justice Act 1991, implemented on 1 October 1992, we have recently strengthened the powers of the court in relation to defendants under the age of 18.
Both in absolute terms, and as a proportion of all known offenders, the number of known juvenile offenders has declined in recent years. But the Government are not complacent. We are currently considering what additional measures it might be appropriate to introduce in order to deal more effectively with the small number of juveniles who persistently re-offend and for whom existing arrangements appear to be inadequate.
Parliamentary Boundaries Commission
Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of the Parliamentary Boundaries Commission.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I understand that the four boundary commissions for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are making satisfactory progress with their programmes of work to review the boundaries of parliamentary constituencies in the United Kingdom.
Youth Crime, Manchester
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he proposes to tackle youth crime in Greater Manchester.
Mr. Jack : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 10 February 1993 at column 625.
Operation Container
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the future of Operation Container ; and what recent consultation he has had with the Greater Manchester police authority about its effects on policing in the conurbation.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The prison service expects Operation Container to end shortly, although this will depend on the prison population, especially the numbers remanded and committed to custody in the north-west.
The prison service has weekly meetings with the Greater Manchester police on Operation Container. In addition, on 5 February, the prison service area manager for the trans-Pennine area--which includes Manchester prison-- discussed the management of plans to reduce numbers in police cells with the senior headquarters officers concerned. The implications of police cell usage on police operations was discussed at that meeting. It was explained that the police had successfully been able to confine the operation largely to rest day working in order to minimise the effect on normal police operations.
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HMP Doncaster
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has now made a decision on whether he will allow the prison service to make an in-house bid for the management of Her Majesty's prison, Doncaster ; and if he will make a statement.
Terrorism and Drug Importers
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes in legislation will be required to permit the security service to develop its role in combating threats from terrorism and drug importers.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : The Security Service Act 1989 defines the functions of the service as being the protection of national security and the safeguarding of the economic well-being of the United Kingdom against threats from overseas.
The security service may conduct investigations only into areas which satisfy one or both of these criteria. Terrorism is referred to in the Act as a particular threat to national security and therefore falls within the criteria. The scale of drugs trafficking and other types of organised crime is not such that there is a current threat to national security. The security service therefore has no role in investigating these criminal matters and, contrary to recent press allegations, is not seeking one. The Government have no plans to amend the Act to redefine the functions of the service in this respect.
Police Complaints Authority
Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent new appointments he has made to the Police Complaints Authority.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : Miss Linda Haye, formerly head of the youth and community department of Hertfordshire county council, has accepted my invitation to serve as a member of the Police Complaints Authority. She will take up her post on 15 February.
TRANSPORT
ATOLs
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of package air travel operators who do not hold an air transport operator's licence ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris : It is an offence under the Civil Aviation (Air Travel Organisers' Licensing) Regulations 1972 for those who are required to hold an ATOL not to do so. It is not readily possible to estimate how many package holiday operators are in breach of that requirement at any one time ; but the Civil Aviation Authority will, where appropriate, prosecute operators apparently guilty of such an offence and it is open to anyone who believes that an offence has been committed to report the matter to the authority.
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consider placing a legal responsibility on airlines
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to ensure that operators of packaged air travel, whose reservations are accepted by them, are in possession of a valid air transport operator's licence and comply with relevant EC directives.Mr. Norris : Such a responsibility has been placed on United Kingdom airlines by regulation 11(1)(a) of the Licensing of Air Carriers Regulations 1992.
Cyclists, London
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will conduct a survey of the number of cyclists in central London who ride their machines after lighting-up time without any lights ; if he will assess the risks to road safety resulting from unlit cycles ; and what action he is taking to encourage them to ensure that they display adequate lighting.
Mr. Norris : Only about one fifth of all reported cycle accidents happen during the hours of darkness. It is not possible to estimate what proportion of these accidents is caused by the bicycle being unlit. The proposed survey would not permit this to be determined. The law requires front and rear lights to be used between sunset and sunrise. Advice to cyclists about this requirement is contained in the highway code and that message is reinforced in road safety campaigns, such as the "Cycle Safe" campaign which is to be run later this year.
Road and Rail Freight
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportions of freight were carried by rail and by road in 1991, 1979 and 1967 in Great Britain, Germany and Japan.
Mr. Freeman : The most recent statistics readily available are for 1990, published, with 1980, in "Transport Statistics Great Britain 1992", tables 8.9 and 8.10. Statistics for 1970 onwards, with definitions and more detailed comparisons, are published in the transport statistics report "International Comparisons of Transport Statistics Part 1 : Intermodal". Both publications are in the House of Commons Library. Reliable comparisons are not available for years prior to 1970.
Piracy
Mr. Waterson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department's merchant shipping notice on piracy and armed robbery will be published.
Mr. Norris : Merchant shipping notice No. M 1517 "Piracy and Armed Robbery" is being distributed to shipowners, masters and crews. A copy of the merchant shipping notice has been placed in the Library of the House.
Airline Competition
Mr. Mandelson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to discuss airline competition with chairmen of British-owned airlines ; and which chairmen he proposes to meet.
Mr. Norris : My right hon. Friend regularly meets chairmen of United Kingdom airlines to discuss matters of mutual interest.
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Mr. Mandelson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will instigate an Office of Fair Trading investigation of competition and fare structures in the airline industry.
Mr. Norris : No. Within the EC, Community legislation covers these issues. Elsewhere, the Civil Aviation Authority already has appropriate powers.
Mr. Mandelson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what action the Civl Aviation Authority is taking to allow greater competition between British airlines on Atlantic routes with particular reference to the London to San Francisco service ; (2) if he will use his powers to direct the Civil Aviation Authority to ensure greater consumer choice between British airlines serving Atlantic routes with particular reference to the London to San Francisco service.
Mr. Norris : We understand that cases concerning competitive aspects of north Atlantic routes, including competition on the London-San Francisco route, are before the Civil Aviation Authority. In view of the Secretary of State's appellate role, it would be inappropriate to comment.
British Airways Board
Mr. Mandelson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what continuing financial or related interest in British Airways the Government have following privatisation relating to the structure and composition of the board of directors.
Mr. Norris : The Government retained a small shareholding in British Airways following privatisation in order to meet entitlements which were expected to arise under the loyalty bonus arrangements forming part of the offer for sale. The holding currently amounts to about 3.2 million shares, or 0.4 per cent. of total shareholdings in the company.
Heathrow Airport
Mr. Mandelson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will use his reserve powers to ensure the fair allocation at Heathrow airport of take-off and landing slots for large and small British airlines.
Mr. Norris : No. Slot allocation at Heathrow is a matter for the airport co-ordinator, working within industry guidelines and European Community legislation.
Rail Subsidy
Mr. Adley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will guarantee continuing levels of subsidy to prospective private sector railway franchisees for the full length of their franchise.
Mr. Freeman [holding answer 9 February 1993] : It will be for the franchising director to negotiate contracts with private sector franchisees, and to make any subsidy payments necessary under them from within his budget. In doing so he will be in no different a position to any other public sector body in entering into contracts which run beyond the normal three-year public expenditure planning cycle.
Mr. Adley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what limit he will place on the amount of subsidy to be
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offered to prospective rail freight operators under the arrangements announced by the Government for the next 15 years ; and what estimate he has made of the total amount to be guaranteed.Mr. Freeman [holding answer 9 February 1993] : The Government have not set a specific time limit on the new scheme--we have said that it will be reviewed after a period of operation. The amount of funds available will depend on the level of demand for the scheme, objective assessment of its benefits, and competing demands for public expenditure.
DEFENCE
Aldermaston (Accidents)
Mr. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department expects to reply to the letter from Greenpeace to Mr. Allen, senior administration officer at Aldermaston, concerning accidents at AWE Aldermaston.
Mr. Aitken : The Department will reply to the Greenpeace letter of 26 January 1993 concerning accidents at AWE Aldermaston as soon as possible.
Bands
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the establishment of pipe bands of Scottish regiments, broken down by specialisation as appropriate ; how they are funded ; what are their annual costs ; what training facilities for military piping are available, and at what annual cost ; what is the annual income obtained from public or private performances of Scottish military pipe bands ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Pipe bands are not separately established in Scottish regiments, but a regiment could have 15 pipes, six side drums, two tenor drums and a base drum. There is currently a piping school within the Household Division, a Guards Depot piping school and a piping and drumming wing of the Scottish Division and an Army school of piping. Central records are not held for the annual cost, the training cost or the annual income of pipe bands.
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out the establishment, annual cost and training arrangements for the pipe bands of the Royal Irish Regiment.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There are no separate establishments for pipe bands in the regiment. The maximum number of instruments likely to be available to any regiment are 15 pipes, six side drums, two tenor drums and a base drum. Central records are not held for the annual costs of the bands. Pipers are trained at the Army school of piping in Edinburgh.
Mr. Trotter : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which ways the initial and subsequent training of band personnel varies between each of the services ; and in each case what is the length of the full-time training undertaken.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The principal differences between the training of musicians in the services are due to different
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standards of musical competence on entry. The length and nature of training is affected by the degree of integration of musical and military training. In the Royal Marines these are fully integrated, whilst at the Royal Military School of Music and the Royal Air Force School of Music the training is predominantly musical, with military training being provided elsewhere. The lengths of training of personnel in the three services prior to joining a band are as follows :Royal Marines
Musicians undergo eight terms of 15 weeks each. Buglers undergo five terms of 15 weeks each.
Army
10 weeks Common Military Syllabus (Recruits) and up to 44 weeks musical training, followed by three weeks on the Bandsmen Medical Assistants Course.
Royal Air Force
7 weeks initial recruit training ; up to a year's musical training for non- graduates or, for graduates a shorter familiarisation course of between six weeks and four months (the length depends on individual capability) ; and three weeks and two days training as medical assistants.
Mr. Trotter : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to publish in full the review by the Commandant of the Royal Military School of Music of the future organisation, structure and geographical location of Army bands in the light of the restructuring of the Army.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : This is an internal review, and I do not therefore intend to publish it in full. No decision has yet been made on the recommendations put forward by the review, but an announcement will be made in due course once any decisions are taken.
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to what equivalent level of civilian paramedical expertise Army band personnel are trained ; and where, when and how often they are trained in these skills.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Army band personnel are trained to medical assistant rather than full paramedic standards. On completion of music training they attend a medical assistant course at the Royal Army Medical Corps training centre and thereafter receive regular refresher training in their units by qualified instructors. This enables them to undertake mobilisation roles in direct support of medical units in war.
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role is played by the bands of regiments deployed (a) on emergency tours to Northern Ireland and Belize and (b) on residential tours outside Great Britain.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The precise role of a band in any given theatre can vary, depending on the requirements of the unit commanding officer. On emergency tours to Northern Ireland and Belize bands deploy with units at the commanding officer's discretion, where they would typically man medical centres, deploy on patrol, as medical staff, and give concerts. When a unit has an integral band it would normally accompany the unit on residential tours outside Great Britain to BAOR, Cyprus, Hong Kong or Northern Ireland. Similar roles to those carried out on emergency tours are undertaken including taking part in ceremonial duties.
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Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the rules governing the use of funds received by bands as a result of public engagements ; what has been the total income in the last year for which figures are available ; and if he will publish details of the level and nature of current commercial sponsorship of military bands.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : In return for a contribution to public funds service bands are permitted to carry out fee-paying engagements. The total income, in the last financial year for which figures are available, 1991- 92, was £113,000. There were fewer engagements that year as a knock-on effect of Operation Granby. Details of commercial sponsorship are not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. It is not, however, believed to be significant in scale.
Sir Nicholas Bonsor : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) military operations and (b) operations in support of civil authorities in which Army band personnel have participated in the past 10 years, showing in each case the numbers participating and the nature of their activities.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Army band personnel may deploy, usually as medics, with the parent unit to any operational theatre, or on any operation in support of the civil authorities.
Guatemala
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what charges will be raised by his Department for the flights currently being undertaken by an RAF C-130 in Guatemala ; how many flights were undertaken ; and from which agency the request for assistance originated.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The RAF C-130 flew nine sorties totalling 11 hours 20 minutes, in response to a request from the Overseas Development Administration. The flying charge, based on extra cost, will amount to some £16,500.
Channel Tunnel (Challenger Tanks)
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the arrangements which will apply to the transit of British and NATO military material through France via the channel tunnel ; and if the railways in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) the European mainland and (c) the channel tunnel can carry Challenger tanks.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : No decisions have been made on the military use of the tunnel in peacetime. Cost will be a major factor in any decision to use the tunnel for routine movements. The dimensions of the Challenger tank, and the absence of suitable rolling stock, currently preclude it from movement on the railways in the United Kingdom. Challenger tanks are routinely moved by rail in Germany. The tunnel is physically capable of taking the Challenger tank although a number of technical aspects as well as commercial and safety aspects would have to be resolved first.
TA Officers (Official Secrets Acts)
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Territorial Army officers have been charged under the Official Secrets Acts in each year since 1970 ; in
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how many of those cases the accused was kept in custody between arrest and trial, and for how long in each case ; what was the outcome of each case ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Archie Hamilton : Readily available records cover only the period since 1985. The information requested prior to that could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Since 1985 one Territorial officer has been charged under the Official Secrets Act--in 1992. That case is ongoing and it would not be appropriate for me to comment further.
Military Training
Sir Nicholas Fairbairn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what basic military training is undertaken by (a) Army, (b) Royal Marine and (c) Royal Air Force band personnel.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Royal Marine musicians and buglers are trained in a range of basic military skills, to enable them to fulful their peace and war roles, including medical support. For new entrants, this training is provided concurrently with musical training, and in the first 15-week term of their courses some 80 per cent. of the time is spent on basic military training. The proportion of time devoted to musical training increases in subsequent terms. Musicians and buglers undertake seven or more days military training each year following the completion of initial training.
In common with all other recruits to the Army, Army musicians undergo the 10-week common military syllabus (recruits) course on entry, prior to joining the Royal Military School of Music for the musicians' foundation course. On completion of this, they attend a course for bandsmen medical assistants.
Recruits undergo a seven-week initial training course, mostly in drill, at RAF Swinderby, before joining the RAF School of Music. On completion of musical training, trainees attend a medical training course, three weeks and two days long, to equip them for their role as medical assistants.
Warship Refits
Mr. Streeter : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy concerning competitive tenders for refitting of naval warships.
Mr. Aitken : It remains our policy that, wherever possible, and in the interests of providing overall best value for money, competitive tenders will continue to be invited for that portion of the naval refitting programme not allocated to the two royal dockyards as part of their core programme.
HMS Gloucester
Mr. Streeter : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his officials have discussed details of Devonport's offer to refit HMS Gloucester with (a) Babcock Thorn Ltd. or (b) other persons or bodies connected with Rosyth naval dockyard.
Mr. Aitken : I can confirm that no officials from my Department have discussed details of Devonport's offer with either Babcock Thorn Limited or other non-MOD bodies connected with Rosyth royal dockyard.
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Mr. Streeter : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the 1990 decision to allocate HMS Gloucester to be refitted at Devonport was changed to a tender process ; and for what reason the refit was allocated to Rosyth in 1992.
Mr. Aitken : HMS Gloucester was provisionally planned, in 1990, to be refitted at Devonport, but not formally allocated. For overall policy and value for money reasons, at that time it was decided to compete the refit. In 1992 the refit of HMS Gloucester was allocated to Rosyth in order to balance the naval workload there following the decision not to proceed with the planned refit of HMS Revenge.
Search and Rescue Helicopters
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the rescue missions flown by SAR helicopters based at (a) RAF Chivenor and (b) RAF Brawdy since 1986 have been to incidents in (i) Wales, (ii) the Bristol channel and (iii) Devon.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The information requested is not held in the format required.
Departmental Housing
Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will give details on the level of demand for, and level of provision of, his Department's housing in Scotland ;
(2) if he will give details of the level of demand for, and the level of provision of, married quarters for armed forces personnel stationed in Scotland ; and if he will break these figures down for each branch of the armed forces.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : As at 31 December 1992, the latest date for which figures are available, the Ministry of Defence owned 6,821 housing properties in Scotland of which 5,903 were occupied. A total of 6,519 of these were service married quarters of which 5,702 were occupied, broken down by service as follows :
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