| Previous Section | Home Page |
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 24 January 1994] : I have been asked to reply.
Column 636
The decision of the European Court of Justice on joined cases C267 and C268/91--Keck and Mithouard--of 24 November 1993 is very recent, and its full implications for intra-Community trade are still being considered. The cases relate to national measures which prohibit the reselling of products at prices less than their actual purchase price. In concluding that the purpose of the national measures under consideration was not to regulate trade in goods between member states, the European Court of Justice held that the measures were permissible provided that they had the same effect, in law and in fact, upon all products, domestic or imported, of the same kind, and were not used expressly to prohibit or restrict imports or to inhibit free trade.Column 637
I have no reason to believe that there is any similarity between the situation addressed by the European Court in the cases referred to, and the current situation of over-supply of salmon to the European market.OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION
Liberian Trust Fund
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution Britain has made to the Liberian trust fund ; and what are the limitations placed upon the use of those funds.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have contributed $1 million to the United Nations Trust Fund for Liberia. The contribution is for humanitarian relief purposes only.
Humanitarian Aid
Mr. Jim Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the role of the United Nations agencies in delivering humanitarian aid.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Each of the operational humanitarian agencies of the United Nations has a role in delivering humanitarian aid, according to its individual mandate. Co-ordination of the delivery of such aid is the responsibility of the United Nations department of humanitarian affairs.
Eastern Europe
Mr. Jim Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the distribution of aid funds to the eastern European countries and the former Soviet Union.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The main objective of the know-how fund, Britain's programme of bilateral technical assistance to central and eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, is to help these countries move towards democracy and a free market economy by providing advice and expertise. Total expenditure for 1992-93 was £47.1 million. The public expenditure provision for 1993-94 is £53 million. A list of projects and the latest annual report are in the Libraries of both Houses.
Aid Programme
Mr. Jim Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the consequences of the United Kingdom's efforts for developing countries ; and what proposals he has to improve the United Kingdom's aid programme.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The effectiveness of the United Kingdom aid programme has been recognised by the development assistance committee of the OECD. My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development's speech at Chatham house on 18 October 1993 described future directions for the aid programme. Copies of the speech are in the Libraries of the House.
World Bank
Mr. Jim Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the accountability to Parliament of the United Kingdom board member of the World bank.
Column 638
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The United Kingdom executive director of the World bank is appointed by, and accountable to, Her Majesty's Government. The Government are accountable to Parliament for payments made to these institutions.
South Africa
Mr. Robert Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all the remaining European Union restrictive measures in force against South Africa.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 31 January 1994] : The remaining measures are an embargo on exports of arms and para-military equipment to South Africa ; an embargo on imports of arms and para-military equipment from South Africa ; a refusal to co-operate in the military sphere--that is, a continuing ban on joint military exercises.
On 4 October 1993, the Foreign Affairs Council lifted the separate ban on accreditation of defence attache s and on official contacts and agreements in the security sphere.
Yugoslavia
Mr. Jim Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much humanitarian aid is currently supplied by the United Kingdom to the former Yugoslavia ; and what information he has on aid supplied by other countries.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 26 January 1994] : We have committed over £157 million, including our share of EC aid, for victims of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. We were the largest bilateral contributor to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' programmes there in 1993. Other major bilateral donors include the United States, France, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands. We also contribute substantially to the Sarajevo airlift ; through our contribution of 2,300 troops to UNPROFOR and through our approximately 140 ODA staff in the field.
I pay tribute to the courage and dedication of the former ODA driver Paul Goodall who was so brutally murdered on 27 January. Following a review of security procedures with the UN, the ODA resumed convoy operations, on a phased basis, on 31 January. Despite the appalling atrocity committed against our drivers, their colleagues are determined that the aid effort should continue and are keen to resume full operations.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Voter Registration
Mr. Jim Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the percentage of voter non- registration in each of the age groups (a) from 17 to 24 years, (b) from 25 to 29 years, (c) from 30 to 49 years and (d) over 50 years ; if he will publish a breakdown of the estimated number of non-registered voters in each of those age groups by sex and ethnic origin ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Peter Lloyd : The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys carried out research on behalf of the Home Office and the Scottish Office Home and Health Department after the 1991 census to assess the coverage
Column 639
and quality of the electoral register in Great Britain in 1991. The proportions of eligible people in the survey who were not included in the register, for different groups of people, are set out in the table. Copies of the survey, "Electoral registration in 1991", are in the Library.
Non-registration by age and sex
|Men |Women |All
|Per cent.|Per cent.|Per cent.
------------------------------------------------------------
Aged 17 (attainers) |20.3 |24.4 |21.9
18-19 |10.4 |13.6 |12.1
20 |21.1 |18.5 |19.5
21-24 |22.5 |19.3 |20.6
25-29 |16.6 |12.3 |14.9
30-49 |7.2 |4.3 |5.8
50 and over |2.6 |1.8 |2.1
Non-registration by ethnic groups
|Per cent.
---------------------------------------------------
White |6.5
Black |24.0
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi |15.1
Other groups |23.5
Secure Training Centres
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which sites are under consideration as locations for the proposed secure training centres for persistent juvenile offenders.
Mr. Maclean : A notice was placed in the Official Journal of the European Communities--OJEC--on 5 January inviting expressions of interest from companies to finance, design, build/refurbish, operate and maintain secure training centres either on Home Office land or on alternative sites which they themselves would propose. The deadline for receipt of applications is 11 February 1994. Before then, I cannot say which sites will be considered.
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which organisations have been invited to consider the establishment and running of secure training centres for persistent juvenile offenders.
Mr. Maclean : Potential providers of secure training centres will be identified through responses to the OJEC notice issued on 5 January 1994. Invitations to tender will be issued following an assessment of the responses received.
Terrorism
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 18 January, Official Report, columns 475-76, if he will list all those who have been convicted of scheduled, terrorist- related offences held in custody in England and Wales, giving in each case the nature of their conviction, the sentence given and the date on which their sentence began.
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.
Column 640
Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Harry Barnes, dated 1 February 1994 :The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about prisoners in custody in England and Wales convicted of terrorist related offences.
Readily available information on prisonerss serving sentences in England and Wales for serious offences related to terrorism is limited to those classified as Category A.
As at 28 January 1994 there were 44 such prisoners. Details of year of conviction, sentence and offence are set out in the attached table.
Year |Sentence |Offence
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1976 |Life |Attempted murder and possession of explosives
1976 |Life |Attempted murder and possession of explosives
1976 |Life |Attempted murder
1976 |Life |Attempted murder and conspiracy to cause
|explosions
1976 |Life |Murder
1977 |Life |Murder
1977 |Life |Murder
1977 |Life |Murder
1977 |Life |Murder
1977 |Life |Murder
1980 |Life |Murder
1980 |Life |Murder
1980 |Life |Murder
1981 |Life |Attempted murder
1983 |30 years |Attempted murder
1983 |35 years |Attempted murder
1985 |Life |Murder
1985 |Life |Conspiracy to cause explosions
1985 |15 years |Conspiracy to cause explosions
1985 |Life |Murder
1986 |25 years |Conspiracy to cause explosions
1986 |45 years |Planting explosives to endanger life
1986 |Life |Conspiracy to cause explosions
1986 |Life |Murder and conspiracy to cause explosions
1986 |Life |Conspiracy to cause explosions
1986 |Life |Conspiracy to cause explosions
1986 |Life |Conspiracy to cause explosions
1986 |Life |Conspiracy to cause explosions
1987 |25 years |Conspiracy to cause explosions
1988 |Life |Murder
1988 |17 years |Conspiracy to cause explosions
1988 |20 years |Conspiracy to cause explosions
1990 |30 years |Conspiracy to cause explosions
1990 |30 years |Conspiracy to cause explosions
1990 |30 years |Conspiracy to cause explosions
1993 |30 years |Conspiracy to cause explosions
1993 |Life |Murder and attempted murder
1993 |18 years |Attempted murder
1993 |22 years |Conspiracy to cause explosions
1993 |20 years |Arson
1993 |15 years |Arson
1993 |25 years |Conspiracy to cause explosions
1993 |25 years |Conspiracy to cause explosions
1993 |23 years |Conspiracy to cause explosions
Sharon Tabarn
Mr. Pickthall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Department has investigated the death after hypnosis of Sharon Tabarn of Hesketh Bank, Lancashire.
Mr. Charles Wardle : There was a police investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ms Tabarn's death. Such matters are entirely the responsibility of the chief officer of the police force concerned. I understand that an inquest subsequently found that Ms Tabarn died from natural causes.
Column 641
Mohammed Riaz and Abdul Raja
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 10 December, Official Report, column 414, when he expects to tell Mohammed Riaz and Abdul Qayyum Raja the life sentences they are to serve ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The decision as to the period to be served for retribution and deterrence was sent to each prisoner individually on 20 December 1993.
Life Sentences
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many life sentences have been referred to him since he became Home Secretary ; what was the racial origin of each prisoner ; in how many cases he has (a) increased the sentence recommended, (b) reduced the sentence recommended and (c) not varied the sentence ; by what date he expects all those serving life sentences will have been informed of the sentence they are to serve ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Since he took office, my right hon. and learned Friend has received 151 reports from the judiciary in respect of prisoners sentenced to mandatory life imprisonment. Details of their ethnic origin would be available only at disproportionate cost. The cases are being processed in accordance with the arrangements set out in my right hon. and learned Friend's reply to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Burton (Sir I. Lawrence) of 4 November 1993, at columns 376-78. The gist of the relevant judicial recommendations has been disclosed to 128 of these prisoners, and representations have been received from 26 of them. The period for retribution and deterrence--the tariff--has not been set in any of these cases. Also, in accordance with the arrangements referred to above, retrospective disclosure is being given to those prisoners whose tariffs have already been set. To date, 91 such disclosures have been made. Representations have been received from six prisoners, four of whom have received decisions.
We aim to complete the process of tariff setting and retrospective disclosure for all prisoners currently in custody, by the end of this year.
Prison Dog Service
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on plans to market test the prison dog service section ; and how much the exercise has cost.
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 1 February 1994 :
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about progress with plans to market test the Prison Dog Service ; and how much the exercise has cost.
This market test has been suspended, as under present law contractors in directly managed prisons would be unable to
Column 642
exercise powers to stop and search inmates. Provision is included in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill to change this situation and plans for market testing will be re-considered when it becomes law.Work on the project is estimated to have cost approximately £10,500, mainly for two staff members temporarily allocated to it.
Fire Service College
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when the Fire Service college annual report and accounts for the year ended March 1993 will be published ;
(2) what was the financial target set for the Fire Service college on being given trading fund status ; and if it has been achieved.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Fire Service college under its commandant chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from B. L. Fuller to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 31 January 1994 :
The Secretary of State has asked The Fire Service College to write to you directly in reply to two of your Parliamentary Questions about the College.
The Fire Service College Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended March 1993 were laid before both Houses on 4 November 1993 as part of Votes and Proceedings on that day. Printed copies of the Report should be available shortly but have been delayed due to my negotiating what the cost to the College would be of providing a limited number of copies.
On being given trading fund status, The Fire Service College was set two financial targets :
(i) "to manage the funded operations so that the revenue of the fund consists principally of receipts in respect of goods or services provided in the course of the funded operations and is not less than sufficient, taking one year with another, to meet outgoings which are properly chargeable to revenue account."
(ii) "a further financial objective desirable of achievement by the Fire Service College for the period 1 April 1992 to 31 March 1995 shall be to achieve a minimum return, average over the period as a whole, of 6.5 per cent. in the form of an operating surplus expressed as a percentage of average net assets employed at current values." The first was not met in 1992-93, the second cannot be finally assessed until 1995 but the first year showed a return of 0.65 per cent.
I hope this is helpful.
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Fire Service college has made a loss since achieving trading fund status ; and who will make good such a loss.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The Fire Service college became an agency operating as a trading fund on 1 April 1992. In the year 1992-93, it made a small operating surplus, but, after allowing for interest on the capital debt, it recorded a deficit of £1.152 million. The college is a Home Office establishment and the situation is being kept under review.
Prisons (Code of Standards)
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will be publishing the Prison Service code of standards referred in para 7.22 of the Prison Service corporate plan published in April 1993.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : It is hoped to publish a code of standards early in 1994.
Column 643
Prison Service Headquarters
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what payment has been paid to Hyperion Properties in respect of the cancellation of the move of the Prison Service headquarters to Derby ; and on what basis the payment was made ;
(2) what payment has been made to any company other than Hyperion Properties in respect of the cancellation of the move of the Prison Service headquarters to Derby ; and on what basis such payment was made ;
(3) what has been the cost of negotiations between the Prison Service and/or his Department and companies seeking compensation in respect of the cancellation of the move of the Prison Service headquarters to Derby.
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 1 February 1994 :
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about the cancellation of the move of Prison Service Headquarters to Derby.
A payment of a little under £9 million has been paid to Hyperion Properties plc in settlement of their claim for damages for breach of contract following the cancellation of relocation. This payment represents full and final settlement of all claims from Hyperion, their contractor and sub-contractors.
In addition, £20,000 was paid to Barcol-Air (UK) Ltd in respect of design work for the air conditioning system which would have been installed in the headquarters in Derby.
The Prison Service's costs in negotiating this settlement amounted to around £128,000.
Obscene Publications
Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the adequacy of the enforcement of the Obscene Publications Act 1959.
Mr. Maclean : The enforcement of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 is a matter for the police, and it is for the chief officers concerned to allocate resources to particular police activities. The Government are, however, most concerned to ensure that the law on obscenity is enforced as effectively as possible, and we take special account of the views of those who actually enforce the legislation, particularly when they identify gaps in the law which should be closed. That is why we have come forward in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill with a number of measures designed to improve matters in this area. These were described in the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Mr. Llwyd) on 7 December 1993, at column 163.
The most recent statistics we have for prosecutions under the Obscene Publications Act are for 1992. In that year, there were 213 prosecutions and 171 convictions under section 2 of the Act. Figures for seizures and forfeitures under section 3 of the Act are not collected centrally. However, from inquiries we have made of the two largest forces in England and Wales--the Metropolitan police and Greater Manchester--both of which have specialised obscene publications squads, I understand that a total of 234,386 items were seized by them in 1992.
Column 644
Buckley Hall Prison
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Buckley Hall prison will be market tested ; if an in-house bid has yet been received ; and when the prison will open.
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 1 February 1994 :
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about Buckley Hall prison.
No in-house bid has yet been received. The process of market testing has started and expressions of interest in tendering were received on 21 January. It is expected that invitations to tender will be issued in early February. The opening of the prison is dependent on the rebuilding programme. It is planned to open the prison in phases and the earliest possible date for the opening of the first phase would be October 1994.
Asylum
Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a breakdown of the number of asylum seekers held in detention on 1 January, (a) by nationality, (b) by length of detention and (c) by immigration status at the time of application.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The available information shows that 622 asylum seekers were held in detention on 21 January ; information relating to 1 January is not available.
The breakdown by nationality is as follows :
|Number
-------------------------------------
Afghanistan |1
Algeria |44
Angola |17
Bangladesh |7
Benin |1
Bermuda |1
Brazil |2
Bulgaria |1
Burma |1
Cameroon |2
China |9
Columbia |5
Congo |2
Cyprus |8
Djibouti |1
Egypt |3
Ethiopia |14
Eritrea |2
Ghana |74
Guinea-Bissau |2
Haiti |1
India |106
Iran |2
Ivory Coast |12
Jamaica |1
Kenya |20
Lebanon |1
Liberia |4
Libya |2
Lithuania |1
Malawi |1
Morocco |1
Niger |4
Nigeria |67
Pakistan |20
Peru |1
Poland |1
Romania |7
Sierra Leone |7
Singapore |1
Somalia |16
South Africa |2
Sri Lanka |22
Sudan |5
Tanzania |3
Tongo |1
Tunisia |2
Turkey |53
Uganda |2
Ex-USSR |4
Ex-Yugoslavia |9
Zaire |34
Zambia |1
Zimbabwe |1
Nationality Doubtful |1
Unrecorded |9
|-------
Total |622
The breakdown by length of detention is as follows :
Length of detention |Number
------------------------------------------------------------
Less than 1 month |193
1-2 months |216
2-6 months |133
6-12 months |64
12 months + |16
|--
Total |622
Of the 622 asylum seekers held in detention, 341 had been detained at the port of entry and 228 were discovered to thave entered unlawfully. They would not, therefore, have had current leave at the time of their application. The remaining 53 detainees are the subjects of deportation action. Of these, 42 are known to have been overstayers at the time of their asylum applications. The status of the remaining 11, who are to be deported on conducive grounds, or on the recommendation of a court, is not recorded.
Mr. Glens Tarimo
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons Glens Tarimo, being deported to Nairobi on 27 December, was placed on a plane to Khartoum.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Mr. Tarimo was removed to Nairobi via Khartoum, the same route by which he had arrived, in accordance with normal practice.
Prisons (Market Testing)
Ms Roddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria will be used to select the next two operational prisons for market testing.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for this matte 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 1 February 1994 :
Column 646
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about market testing of further operational prisons.The approach to the selection of operational prisons for market testing will be to select those where there is the greatest scope for improving performance. The Prisons Board will look at factors such as the extent and quality of regime activities and the cost per place in determining whether good value for money is currently being provided.
Consideration will also be given to factors which may affect performance, such as the nature of the prisoner population and any limitations of the buildings.
Crime Victims
Mr. Geoffrey Robinson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce provisions, in respect of compensating victims of violent crime, for individual assessment of loss of earnings and other financial loss.
Mr. Maclean : The recent White Paper, "Compensating Victims of Violent Crime : Changes to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme", Cm 2434, explained the Government's intention to establish a new tariff scheme, which will come into force on 1 April 1994. Under that scheme, compensation payments to blameless victims of violent crime will be made from a tariff of awards for injuries of comparable severity. The tariff levels have been set by reference to awards made in the recent past by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board which, because they are based on common law damages, include elements for loss of earnings and the other heads of damage. To that extent, the awards will contain an element of loss of earnings, but there will be no separate assessment.
The new scheme will be more straightforward and claimants should get their compensation more quickly and with less fuss. When the tariff scheme is introduced, the majority of claimants should get as much as or more than they could have expected under the current arrangements.
Detainees (Escorts)
Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) pursuant to his answer of 21 January, Official Report column 927, what was the total amount paid to private security firms for escorting detainees and their dependants overseas in 1993, including ticketing costs ;
(2) what was the total amount paid to Airline Securities Consultants Ltd. for escorting detainees and their dependants overseas in 1993 ; and what has been the total paid to ASC ever for this purpose.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The total amount paid to private security firms for escorting detainees and their dependants overseas in 1993, including ticketing costs, was £615,035. Information about payments to Airline Security Consultants Ltd. is commercially confidential.
Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 21 January, Official Report, column 927, who provided the 7 per cent. of in-flight escorts for people being removed at public expense, including deportees, which were not provided by the private sector.
| Next Section
| Home Page |