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Regional Conferences : The Audience

DNH Regional Agencies

Regional Arts Board

English Heritage Regional Groups

Regional Tourist Board

Area Museum Council

Regional Library Service

Royal Commission on Historical Monuments of England

Other Agencies

Council for Protection of Rural England

Agricultural Development Advisory Service

National Parks

City Action Teams

English Nature

Rural Development Commission

Countryside Commission

Development Agency/Company

National Trust

Local radio

BBC

Channel 3 regions

Forestry Commission

National Parks

Historic Houses Association

TECs

British Waterways

Regional Health Authority

Others

Association for Business Sponsorship of the Arts

Library and Information Services Council

Voluntary agencies

DNH National Agencies

Arts Council

English Heritage

English Tourist Board

Museum and Galleries Commission

Sports Council

Independent Television Commission

Local Authorities

County Councils

Association of District Councils

Association of Metropolitan Authorities

Any regional grouping

(eg North of England Assembly)

Other Government Departments

Employment--training

Employment--Employment Service

Environment

MAFF

Transport

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Trade and Industry

Private Sector

CBI

Chambers of Commerce

Major heritage/sporting attractions

(eg Longleat, Beaulieu, museums, theatres)

Trade associations

TUC

HOME DEPARTMENT

Prison Escort Service

Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost of escorting all prisoners in the Metropolitan police district in each of the last five years.

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 D. Lewis to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 12 January 1994 : The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the cost of escorting prisoners in the Metropolitan Police area in each of the last five years.

This information is not readily available in the form which you require and could only be obtained in that form at disproportionate cost. In preparation for the contracting out of the court escort and custody service in the Metropolitan Police District, however, estimates were made, in a special exercise, of the costs for the financial years 1994-95 ; 1995-96 and 1996-97. These estimated costs were £28.468 million for 1994-95 ; £29.283 million for 1995-96 and £29.816 million for 1996-97. These figures include the cost of custody of prisoners at court, but exclude the costs of escorting and of court custody of category A prisoners.

Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost of escorting category A prisoners in the Metropolitan police district in each of the last five years.

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 D. Lewis to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 12 January 1994 : The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the cost of escorting Category A prisoners in the Metropolitan Police district in each of the last five years.

Information in the form requested is not readily available and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prisoners (Home Leave)

Mr. Luff : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review the operation by the Prison Service of grants of home leave for prisoners.

Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for these matters 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 D. Lewis to Mr. Peter Luff, dated 12 January 1994 :

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The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the review of the operation of home leave for prisoners. The information you request is contained in my letter to the Member for Brecon and Radnor on 17 December (Col. 946).

Ministerial Powers

Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the powers he has under public legislation to give directions to local authorities or otherwise require them to act in a way which he prescribes, giving in each case the legislative authority under which he may exercise these powers.

Mr. Howard : The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Doncaster Prison

Sir Ivan Lawrence : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if a contract has been let for the management of Doncaster prison.

Mr. Howard : On 1 February 1993 it was announced that from 1 April 1993 the Prison Service agency would assume full responsibility for taking forward Government policy on the involvement of the private sector in the management of prisons.

In accordance with EC services directive 92/50 EEC, a notice advertising the requirement for service provision for the operation of Doncaster prison was placed in the supplement to the Official Journal of the European Community.

Following the issue of this notice, invitations to tender were issued to eight bidders on 16 July 1993.

After careful consideration of the proposals submitted, the prisons board has decided to award the contract to Premier Prison Services Ltd. A contract will be signed in the next few days, subject to the agreement of satisfactory terms and conditions.

Premier Prison Services Ltd. is a joint venture company owned by Serco Ltd. and Wackenhut Corrections Corporation. Wackenhut Corrections Corporation has experience of running penal establishments in the USA and Australia.

Doncaster is a category B local prison and is due to take its first prisoners by July this year.

Deportation

Sir Ivan Lawrence : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the outcome of the joint Home Office/Metropolitan police review of deportation procedures.

Mr. Howard : Following the tragic death of Mrs. Joy Gardner, I put in hand a joint review, with the Metropolitan police, of procedures in cases where the force assists the immigration service in the removal of people from this country under immigration powers. A representative of the Association of Chief Police Officers has also been involved in the review.

Police involvement is required in only a small minority of removal cases. Wherever possible, the departure of people voluntarily or under the supervision of the immigration service is the preferred option. Compulsion is used only as a last resort.

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The review is now complete. I am placing a copy of its report in the Library. I have accepted its recommendations as a sensible basis for continued co-operation in this sensitive area.

As a result of the review, in cases involving the removal of someone from the United Kingdom, there will be systematic arrangements for consultation between the immigration service and the police before visits are made to private premises. These will include more informative requests for police assistance, to a standard format ; joint planning meetings in potentially difficult cases ; and an expectation that the need for a planning meeting will be addressed in every case.

The review addressed the use of special restraint equipment in cases where the person being removed behaves violently or disruptively. The conclusions were that handcuffs should be available where necessary in accordance with ordinary police practice ; that the use of additional arm and leg restraints, under strictly controlled conditions, is justified in those cases where the detainee cannot be adequately restrained with handcuffs ; but that the use of mouth restraints--which was suspended in August 1993-- should not be resumed. I accept these conclusions.

The report of the review also contains recommendations for enhanced training of police officers who act as escorts in such cases. The police have an important role in assisting the immigration service to remove people in breach of the immigration laws, especially where it proves necessary to arrest such people in the community for detention pending removal. The review found that there was also a proportion of cases where the violent or disorderly nature of the person being removed, or his criminal record, warranted a police escort, but that otherwise trained escorts from suitable private contractors could continue to be used.

M11 Link Road

Mr. Gapes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what purpose his Department employs the private security firm of Norwest Holst in connection with the M11 link road.

Mr. Charles Wardle [holding answer 16 December 1993] : The Home Office does not employ the private security firm of Norwest Holst in connection with the M11 link road.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to his question by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for Epping Forest (Mr. Norris), on Tuesday 14 December, Official Report, column 589.

Police and Local Communities

Mr. Robert B. Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he intends to improve liaison between the police and local communities in rural areas ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Howard : Under proposals that I expect shortly to bring before Parliament, each police authority will have a duty to consult local people and to publish a local policing plan reflecting local and national goals. In addition, the parish constable scheme, which is being introduced on a pilot basis, will also improve the liaison between the police and the community.

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EMPLOYMENT

Health and Safety

Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many staff years have been expended on the Health and Safety Executive's market- testing programme since 1 January.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Health and Safety Executive expects its market-testing programme to produce significant savings. However, the initiative is at an early stage and, to date, the number of staff years spent on market testing, net of savings, is 14.5.

Mr. Barron : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will instruct the Health and Safety Executive to place in the Library a copy of the publication "The Cost to the British Economy of Work Accidents and Work -Related Ill Health".

Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 11 January 1994] : Yes, copies will be made available when it is published.

Mr. Barron : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if the Health and Safety Commission's review of regulations has so far highlighted any of the sets of regulations identified by the Secretary of State as early candidates for revocation in his press notice of 20 July 1993 as the source of substantial undue costs to business.

Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 11 January 1994] : The set of regulations referred to in the press notice were identified by the Health and Safety Executive as seeming to have outlived their usefulness in their contribution to maintaining health and safety standards.

The Government share the Health and Safety Commission's view that allowing outdated and unnecessary legislation to remain on the statute book adds to the complexity and uncertainty faced by business and others, distracts attention from essential requirements and thus reduces the effectiveness of the regulatory regime in maintaining necessary standards of health and safety.

Workstart

Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many job placements have been achieved by each of the workstart pilot schemes ; and in what categories of employment these placements have been found.

Miss Widdecombe : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Wallsend (Mr. Byers) on 7 December 1993, Official Report, columns 210-11.

The participants are working in a range of employment categories including factory operatives ; drivers ; sales assistants ; clerical assistants ; hotel and catering assistants ; and labourers.

Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what anti- displacement measures have been incorporated into the operating procedures of workstart pilots ; and how successful they have been.

Miss Widdecombe : All the pilots require employers to sign a declaration stating that they have not dismissed or made redundant any employees directly or indirectly for the purposes of employing the subsidised employee. Each pilot monitors the position of participating employers.

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