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Mr. David Hunt : The Employment Service has been a next steps agency since 2 April 1990. My Department recently completed a review of the agency's existing framework document, in accordance with the Government's commitment to evaluate next steps agencies. The new framework document was published on 1 October and I placed copies in the Library on that date.
Social Affairs Council
Mr. Matthew Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the outcome of the EC Social Affairs Council held on 12 October.
Mr. David Hunt : I and the Minister of State for Employment attended the meeting of the Labour and Social Affairs Council on 12 October in Luxembourg.
The main discussion took place on the draft directive on the protection of young workers. I made it clear that, while the United Kingdom already has strict regulation to protect the health and safety of young workers, the Government could not accept unnecessary restrictions which would prevent the continuation of well-established and harmless patterns of work for young people below minimum school leaving age such as paperboys and girls. Nor could we accept special restrictions on the working hours of 16 and 17- year-olds which were not related to genuine health and safety needs.
In the event, the Council reached agreement at a political level on significant changes to the draft directive to reflect the United Kingdom's concerns. The United Kingdom Government will not be required to implement key parts of articles 8 and 9 of the draft directive dealing with daily and weekly hours of work, and restrictions on night work, for 16 and 17-year- olds for a period of four years after the directive is implemented--that is, a total of six years from final adoption. This exemption is renewable at the end of this period by a Council decision on the basis of a report from the Commission. The agreement reached also ensures that young people below school leaving age can continue, as now, to undertake light work such as newspaper deliveries from the age of 13.
This settlement is a satisfactory one for the United Kingdom, reflecting recognition by the Community of our high standard of health and safety provision overseen by the Health and Safety Commission and our particular national traditions.
The Council also discussed the draft directive on European Works Councils for which unanimity is required.
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We made it clear that the United Kingdom Government would, if necessary, vote against the text under discussion which is opposed by employers throughout Europe as being unnecessary, unworkable and damaging to European competitiveness. The Belgian Presidency noted that the draft directive would be taken forward by the other 11 member states under the social protocol provisions of the Maastricht treaty once these are in force.There was also a brief discussion on the draft directive on non-standard employment, which requires unanimity. It was apparent that a number of member states had problems with the existing text and the Presidency decided that further consideration needed to be given to the draft directive before it could be further considered by the Council.
Finally, Commissioner Flynn made a brief presentation on the contents of his forthcoming Green Paper on the Future of European Social Policy and outlined a Commission proposal for a decision on a programme to combat social exclusion.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Employment Rights
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what further steps he will adopt to create equality of opportunity between the two main religious traditions in employment in the light of the report from the census 1991.
Mr. Atkins : Equality of opportunity in employment is a central objective of the Fair Employment Act (NI) 1989 which established the Fair Employment Commission and the Fair Employment Tribunal. A comprehensive review of employment equality is to be undertaken in 1995 by the Central Community Relations Unit and the consultation process has already begun. It would be premature to draw firm conclusions on the findings of the religion report of the census 1991 which are still being analysed.
Eastern Health and Social Services Board
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total expenditure, less capital expenditure, of the Eastern health and social services board in each of the past five years ; and what proportion of this expenditure was for management and administration in each year.
Mr. Ancram : The information is as follows :
Year |Total revenue |Administration as
|expenditure £ |percentage of
|revenue expenditure
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987-88 |391,887,667 |4.76
1988-89 |427,129,689 |4.80
1989-90 |451,324,493 |5.15
1990-91 |503,603,666 |5.59
1991-92 |539,250,381 |6.55
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Roads
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to improve the roads structure in the constituency of South Down with particular reference to the A class roads and the B8-- Castlewellan to Newry road ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : In addition to a substantial programme of maintenance work, a number of minor improvement schemes will be completed on the A2, A22, A24, A25 and B8 during the 1993-94 and 1994-95 financial years. Work on the Church street-Scotch street scheme in Downpatrick is currently programmed to start in 1997-98 financial year subject to the completion of the statutory processes and the availability of the necessary funds.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Category A Prisoners
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes have been made to the written criteria for selecting prisoners for security category A since 1991 ; and on what grounds the criteria have been changed.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated October 1993 : The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about changes to the criteria for selecting prisoners for security category A since 1991.
The Hadfield/Lakes report of the security audit of custody arrangements for category A prisoners and of an inquiry into DOC1 division noted that only some 20 per cent. of prisoners notified from prisons to Prison Service headquarters as potential category A prisoners were subsequently designated category A. The report concluded that Prison Service headquarters were applying a rigorous selection process but too many prisoners were being submitted by prisons for consideration. They recom-mended that the referral criteria be reviewed.
This recommendation was accepted. Fresh guidance has been included in the Prison Service manual on security to assist prison staff to identify more readily and selectively those prisoners who, because of the nature and circumstances of their offences or alleged offences, need to be notified to headquarters for consideration for category A.
Prisons
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what stemmitted to the policy on regimes set out in the White
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Paper "Custody, Care and Justice". Our aims are to require sentenced prisoners to participate in a demanding, constructive and disciplined regime centred on work training and essential education ; to challenge prisoners to confront their offending behaviour and to work with them to reduce the likelihood of their re-offending. The programme of work to achieve these objectives set out in the corporate and business plans for the Prison Service, copies of which are in the House of Commons library. These include substantial development of regime activities and a continuing programme to improve the physical conditions in prisons.New Prisons
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) where the six new prisons, recently announced at Blackpool, will be located ;
(2) what is his timetable for opening six new prisons ; and what is his estimate of the cost in this financial year and in 1994-95.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for these matters has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Alun Michael, dated October 1993 :
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about the proposals to build six new prisons and the new prison building programme.
The six new prisons to which the Home Secretary referred on 6 October are in addition to the current new prison building programme. The construction of the first two of these prisons was announced in the Autumn statement last year. On 2 September 1993 the Home Secretary announced that the design, construction, management and potential financing of the prisons would be contracted out to the private sector. I expect that the further four prisons which were announced on 6 October will be procured in the same way.
Sites at Fazakerley in Merseyside and at Bridgend in South Wales have been identified for the first two prisons. The proposal to build a prison on the Fazakerley site is the subject of a non-statutory public local inquiry beginning on 26 October 1993. We will be shortly submitting to the local planning authority a Notice of Proposed Development seeking outline planning clearance to build a prison on the site at Bridgend. Work is currently in progress to identify suitable sites for the other four prisons.
If we obtain planning clearance for new prisons on the sites of Fazakerley and Bridgend we expect that the two prisons would open in 1997-98. It is too early to indicate a timetable for the other four prisons.
It is also too early to indicate the cost of six prisons which will be assessed on the basis of value for money obtained for the complete financial package comprising both capital and operating costs. Outline proposals and expressions of interest in the first two prisons will be invited shortly.
Twenty new prisons have opened since 1983 and Doncaster prison is due to open next year. The attached table shows the total cost of constructing each establishment and the main construction firm.
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Prison |Location |Date of opening |Estimated total cost |Main construction
|(includes capital |contractor
|costs, claims and
|property services
|agency's resource
|costs) (£K)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wayland |Thetford, Norfolk |January 1985 |22,365 |Carters of Norwich
Stocken |Oakham, Leicestershire |June 1985 |17,182 |Miller Construction
Thorn Cross |Warrington, Cheshire |July 1985 |13,014 |Shepherd Construction
Full Sutton |Full Sutton, Yorkshire |September 1987 |40,020 |Monk Construction
Littlehey |Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire |January, 1988 |34,002 |Bovis Construction
Mount |Bovingdon, Hertfordshire |March 1988 |28,185 |Wimpey Construction
Garth |Leyland, Lancashire |July 1988 |45,110 |Tarmac
Swaleside |Isle of Sheppey, Kent |May 1990 |33,539 |Mowlem
Belmarsh |South East London |April 1991 |161,273 |Wimpey Construction
Moorland |Hatfield Woodhouse, South Yorkshire|July 1991 |55,219 |Higgs and Hill
Whitemoor |March, Cambridgeshire |September 1991 |54,100 |Monk Construction
Brinsford |Featherstone, Staffordshire |November 1991 |45,563 |Taylor Woodrow
Elmley |Isle of Sheppey, Kent |February 1992 |82,782 |Mowlem
Bullingdon |Bicester, Oxfordshire |March 1992 |64,339 |Kier Construction
Wolds |Brough, North Humberside |April 1992 |36,880 |UK Detention Contractors
| (Consortium: Mowlem
| and Sir Robert McAlpine)
Holme House |Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland |May 1992 |66,184 |Sir Robert McAlpine
Woodhill |Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire |July 1992 |117,753 |Higgs and Hill
High Down |Banstead, Surrey |August 1992 |91,058 |Alfred McAlpine
Lancaster Farms |Lancaster |March 1993 |73,150 |AMEC
Blakenhurst |Redditch, Worcestershire |May 1993 |80,432 |Tarmac
Doncaster |South Yorkshire |April 1994 |94,730 |Shepherd Construction
Parish Constables
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his timetable for implementing his proposal for parish constables; and what is his estimate of the cost in this financial year and in 1994-95.
Mr. Charles Wardle : It is our intention that 20 pilot schemes should be up and running by Christmas. Costs in this financial year should be de minimis. No estimate can be made about future costs at this stage.
Police Paperwork
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his timetable for the implementation of each of his 16 recommendations into cutting police paperwork.
Mr. Charles Wardle : My right hon. and learned Friend will publish the consultants' report and recommendations on 20 October. He is keen to see the recommendations in this area implemented as quickly as possible and expects to see substantial progress made in a matter of months. A fuller and more detailed timetable for implementation will require wider discussion between criminal justice system agencies.
DNA Testing
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his timetable for implementing his proposal for new rules on DNA samples; and what is his estimate of the cost in this financial year and in 1994-95.
Mr. Charles Wardle : My right hon. and learned Friend intends to introduce legislation to implement these proposals as soon as a suitable opportunity arises. The timetable thereafter will depend upon the speed of progress which such legislation makes. It is too soon to offer reliable estimates of the costs and savings to which the proposals will give rise.
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Cautioning
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will give details of his plans to limit repeat cautioning ; what rules will apply ; what type of offences will be affected ; and what criteria will govern decisions by the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to prosecution or caution ;
(2) what is his timetable for implementing his proposal on repeat cautioning and cautioning for indictable offences ; and what is his estimate of the cost in this financial year and in 1994-95.
Mr. Maclean : I intend to publish supplementary guidance to the police later this month and to allow interested parties two months in which to comment on it. I shall send a copy of the draft guidance to the hon. Member.
The guidance will leave the police with their existing discretion on whether to caution or prosecute, but it will strongly discourage, save in exceptional circumstances, the use of cautions for the most serious offences or for offenders who have been cautioned previously. In cases of doubt, it will continue to be open to the police to seek advice from the Crown Prosecution Service, whose decision whether prosecution is warranted will be governed by the code for Crown prosecutors.
It is too soon to offer a reliable estimate of the cost implications of these changes.
Police Bail
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is his timetable for implementing the proposal for police to be allowed to attach conditions to police bail ; and what is his estimate of the cost in this financial year and in 1994-95 ; (2) what is his timetable for implementing his proposal for automatic custody for anyone convicted of serious offences who is subsequently accused of the same category of crime ; and what is his estimate of the cost in this financial year and in 1994- 95 ;
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(3) what is his timetable for implementing a new power of arrest for breach of police bail ; and what is his estimate of the cost in this financial year and in 1994-95 ;(4) what is his timetable for implementation of the proposal to allow courts to revoke bail when new information comes to light ; and what is his estimate of the cost in this financial year and in 1994-95.
Mr. Maclean : We intend to introduce legislation to implement these proposals as soon as a suitable opportunity arises. The timetable thereafter will depend upon the speed of progress which such legislation makes. It is too soon to offer a reliable estimate of the costs and savings to which the proposal will give rise.
Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to publish the White Paper on the criminal injuries compensation scheme.
Mr. Maclean : It is intended that a White Paper setting out the Government's plans for the new tariff scheme will be published later this year.
Community Sentence Review
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to announce the conclusions of the review on community sentences.
Mr. Maclean : This review, originally expected to be concluded at the end of 1994--beginning of 1995, has been expedited for completion by summer 1994. In the meantime, further guidance will be issued to the probation service as and when conclusions are reached on significant matters which need not await full formal publication of the revised standards themselves.
Safer Cities Project
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to announce his decision on the next phase of the safer cities project ; and how much it is intended to give to each of the cities named in the new phase.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Ten local authority areas have been shortlisted for the first group of new projects in the second phase of the safer cities programme :
Blackburn
Burnley
Greenwich
Lambeth
Leeds
Manchester
Newcastle
Merthyr Tydfil
Plymouth
Sheffield
We plan to set up at least six new projects before the end of 1993-94.
Organisations with appropriate experience have been invited to bid to manage two or more of these projects. Tenders were invited in response to this invitation on 5 October and are currently being evaluated. My right hon. and learned Friend expects to be in a position to announce decisions about the areas chosen and the successful contractors to run the projects before the end of the year.
The running costs of individual projects will be met by payments to contractors under the terms of the invitation to
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tender and are subject to the outcome of the evaluation. The size of the grant budget available to these projects for local crime prevention activity has not yet been determined.Squatters
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his timetable for implementing his proposal for faster court proceedings for evicting squatters ; and what is his estimate of the cost in this financial year and in 1994-95.
Mr. Maclean : I intend to introduce legislation to implement this proposal as soon as a suitable opportunity arises. The timetable thereafter will depend upon the speed of progress which such legislation makes. It is too soon to offer reliable estimates of the costs and savings to which the proposal will give rise.
Terrorism
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is his timetable for implementing his proposal for a new offence of gathering information for terrorist purposes ; and what is his estimate of the cost in this financial year and in 1994-95 ; (2) what is his timetable for implementing his proposal for a new offence of possession in relation to terrorist activities ; and what is his estimate of the cost in this financial year and in 1994-95.
Mr. Howard : I intend to take the earliest legislative opportunity to create new offences of collecting information likely to be useful to terrorists and of possessing items intended for terrorist purposes. There are no resource implications for this financial year. Thereafter they are likely to be minimal.
Victims of Crime
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his timetable for implementing each of the 11 recommendations of the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice on victims of crime ; and what is his estimate of the cost in this financial year and in 1994-95.
Mr. Maclean In its report the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice made 19 recommendations to help victims and other witnesses, 11 of which were specifically directed at government and have been accepted.
Some of those recommendations relate to measures which are already in place or are being implemented, while others may require legislation. It is accordingly too soon to set a timetable for implementation or to offer reliable estimates of costs.
New Criminal Legislation
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his timetable for ending the presumption in favour of bail for anyone accused of offending on bail ; and what is his estimate of the cost in this financial year and in 1994-95.
Mr. Maclean : I intend to introduce legislation to implement a proposal removing the presumption of a right to bail for those charged with serious offences which appear to have been committed while on bail as soon as
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suitable opportunity arises. The timetable thereafter will depend on the speed of progress which such legislation makes. It is too soon to offer a reliable estimate of the costs and savings to which the proposal will give rise.Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is his timetable for allowing retrials where juries have been nobbled ; and what is his estimate of the cost in this financial year and in 1994-95 ;
(2) what is his timetable for implementing a new offence of witness intimidation ; and what is his estimate of the cost in this financial year and in 1994-95 ;
(3) what is his timetable for barring those on bail from serving on juries ; and what is his estimate of the cost of this proposal in this financial year and in 1994-95.
Mr. Maclean : We intend to introduce legislation to implement these proposals as soon as a suitable opportunity arises. The timetable thereafter will depend upon the speed of progress which such legislation makes. It is too soon to offer reliable estimates of the costs and savings to which the proposals will give rise.
Right to Silence
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his timetable for abolishing the right to silence ; and what is his estimate of the cost in this financial year and in 1994-95.
Mr. Maclean : We intend to introduce legislation to allow adverse inferences to be drawn from a suspect's silence as soon as an opportunity arises. The timetable thereafter will depend upon the speed of progress which such legislation makes. It is too soon to offer reliable estimates of any costs and savings to which this proposal may give rise.
Young Offenders
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many additional secure places he intends to provide (a) for 15 and 16- year-olds on remand in fulfilment of his predecessors promise in February 1991, (b) for 15 and 16-year-olds on remand in addition to (a) , (c) for 15 and 16-year-olds sent to secure accommodation by a court following conviction, (d) for 10 to 14-year-olds on remand, (e) for 10 to 14-year- olds following conviction other than those sentenced to a secure training order and (f) for 12 to 14-year-olds made subject to a secure training order.
Mr. Maclean : The provision of local authority secure accommodation is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health. A programme is currently under way to create an additional 60 to 65 places in local authority secure units. This represents the number of new places estimated to be necessary to end the remands of 15 and 16-year-old boys to Prison Service establishments. The estimate is being kept under review.
Courts have no powers to send 15 or 16-year-old juveniles directly to local authority secure accommodation on conviction--although, if the appropriate criteria are met, they may send boys in this age group directly to young offender institutions run by the Prison Service, for whom no additional accommodation is presently required. Similarly, they have no powers to direct the removal of 10 to 14-year-olds to secure accommodation either on remand or following conviction.
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The intention is that places in which the custodial element of the proposed secure training order for 12 to 14-year- olds should be served should be provided by agreements with suitable public, voluntary or private organisations. No final decision has been taken on the number of such places to be provided.Parish Constables
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will outline his job description for a parish constable ; what qualifications will be required ; and what is the proposed level of pay for the job.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Pilot schemes currently under development will be based on the two most common "blueprints" for parish constables which the publish have suggested. In the "parish special constable" scheme, the parish special constable, like other special constables, will have the power and authority of a police constable and will be expected to provide assistance to the regular police. He or she will be under the operational control of the chief constable, but the parish or local council--or councils, if groups of small parishes are involved--will be consulted on some of the constable's duties through a service agreement between the parish and the chief constable. At this stage we do not propose that the selection criteria, training arrangements and employment conditions of the parish special constables will differ from those already provided for special constables.
In the "parish warden" scheme local parish or town councils will be asked to authorise a volunteer to assist both the community and the police by dispensing crime prevention advice, encouraging local watch schemes, and by acting as a channel for information, warnings and advice. The duties and qualifications of parish wardens will be resolved through discussion between the parish, the volunteer, and the local people.
Stop and Search
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his timetable for implementing his proposal for new stop and search powers for the police to stop terrorists ; and what is his estimate of the cost in this financial year and in 1994-95.
Mr. Howard : I intend to seek new powers for the police to stop and search vehicles for counter-terrorist purposes at the earliest legislative opportunity. There are no cost implications for this financial year. Thereafter they would depend upon how the powers were exercised by the police but are unlikely to be significant within the overall budget of police forces.
Criminal Cases Review Authority
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his timetable for the setting up of a Criminal Cases Review Authority ; and what is his estimate of the cost in this financial year and in 1994-95.
Mr. Maclean : The Government have accepted the recommendation of the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice for the establishment of a Criminal Cases Review Authority. We have put in hand the detailed preparatory work which will be necessary before the new system can
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be put into place. At this stage, however, it is not possible to offer a precise timetable for the introduction of the new arrangements.The costs of a new authority are one of the matters which are still being considered and it would be premature to offer an estimate of the financial resources that might be required in a particular financial year.
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