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Mr. Boateng : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met the Attorney-General and if the legality of the procedures by which he is seeking to reform the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board was discussed at that meeting.

Mr. Maclean : The Home Secretary and the Attorney-General meet regularly. Their last formal bilateral meeting was on 21 September 1993. It is not the practice to disclose what matters are discussed when they meet.

Detention Centres

Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people held in (a) Haslar and (b) other detention centres have refused food for more than one day in the past year ; what discussions are held with such individuals ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Charles Wardle : The available information is as follows. In the 12 months ending 10 March 1994, 32 detainees have refused food for three days or more at the Home Office holding centre, Haslar.

In the period 10 May 1993 to 10 March 1994 the numbers of detainees who have refused food for three days or more in Immigration Service detention centres are as follows :


                           |Number                                            

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Campsfield House<1>        |21                                                

Harmondsworth              |7                                                 

Queens Building, Heathrow  |1                                                 

                           |---                                               

  Total                    |29                                                

<1> Since its opening on 29 November1993.                                     

TCW940314050                                                                  

                           |1979-1989       |Since 1989                       

(a) Awaiting parliamentary |-               |Second Channel                   

   approval                                 |Tunnel Rail Link                 

                                                                              

                                            |Crossrail                        

                                                                              

                                            |Croydon Tramlink                 

                                                                              

(b) Awaiting construction  |-               |Birmingham                       

                                            |Western Orbital                  

                                            |Route                            

                                                                              

                                            |West Coast Main                  

                                            |Line                             

                                                                              

(c) Under construction     |Jubilee Line    |Ashford                          

                           |Extension       |International                    

                                            |Station                          

                                                                              

                           |Heathrow Express                                  

Each case is handled on its merits, but it is made clear to detainees that they are not assisting their cases by taking such action.

Sammy Davis

Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning the removal of Sammy Davis from Britain ; what response he gave to the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants and the hon. Member for Islington, North ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Charles Wardle : Representations about the deportation of Mr. Sammy Davis were received from a noble Lord, four hon. Members, eight Members of the European Parliament, 14 organisations and 20 members of the public. Nevertheless, my right hon. and learned Friend decided that in all the circumstances the decision to deport Mr. Davis was correct. The reasons for this decision were fully explained to the hon. Member and to the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants before Mr. Davis left the United Kingdom on 8 March.


Column 505

Racial Attack Group

Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the inter-departmental racial attack group last met ; who is represented on the group ; and when the group is next scheduled to meet.

Mr. Peter Lloyd : My right hon. and learned Friend has recently reconvened the racial attacks group. It had its first meeting on 25 February 1994 and next meets on 9 May 1994.

The group is chaired by the Home Office and draws members from the Home Office, the Scottish Office, the Department of the Environment, the Department for Education, the Department of Health, the Crown Prosecution Service, the legal secretariat to the Law Officers, and representatives from the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Metropolitan police and the Commission for Racial Equality. In addition, other groups and individuals will be invited to contribute to the working of the group as circumstances and subject matter dictate.

Foreign National Flags

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what current regulations and restrictions there are for prohibiting the flying of a foreign national flag from a building other than the embassy which is the property of the country concerned ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Baldry : I have been asked to reply.

Provisions in the Town and Country Planning Act (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 1992 permit the flying of the national flag of any country, provided it is on a single, vertical flagstaff and displays no advertisement or subject matter additional to the flag's design. If the flagstaff is not vertical, it may require planning permission. If any building to which the flagstaff is attached is statutorily "listed", it may require listed building consent.

My right hon. Friend has no proposals to amend these provisions.

TRANSPORT

Public/Private Partnerships

Mr. Harvey : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list those transport projects involving public/private partnerships, initiated since 1989 which (a) await parliamentary approval, (b) have been approved but are not yet t (a) await parliamentary approval, (b) have been approved but are not yet to begin construction, (c) are under construction or (d) are completed or opened.

Mr. MacGregor : The information is as follows :

1979-1989 Since 1989

(a) Awaiting parliamentary --

approval Second Channel Tunnel Rail Link

Crossrail

Croydon Tramlink


Column 506

(b) Awaiting construction -- Birmingham Western Orbital Route

West Coast Main Line

(c) Under construction Jubilee Line Extension Ashford International Station

Heathrow Express

Bypasses

Mr. Harvey : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bypasses in the trunk roads programme are expected to be opened in the period 1992 to 1995 ; and if he will list them.

Mr. Key : I set out the bypasses completed in 1991-92 to 1993-94 and plans for 1994-95 to 1995-96 :

1991-92

15 bypasses completed :

A5 Chirk Bypass

A6 Burton Latimer Bypass

A6 Quorn-Mountsorrel Bypass

A16 Louth Bypass

A30 Zelah Bypass

A35 Axminster Bypass

A41 Whitchurch Bypass

A43 Blisworth Bypass

A47 Eye Bypass

A65 Draughton Bypass

A134 Fornham St. Martin Bypass

A418 Leighton Linslade Bypass

A516 Etwall Bypass

A595 Hensingham Bypass

A650 Drighlington Bypass

1992-93

14 bypasses completed :

A3 Liphook-Petersfield Bypass

A3 Milford Bypass

A5 Little Brickhill Bypass

A5 Telford-Shrewsbury Bypass

A6 Market Harborough Bypass

A16 Ludborough Bypass

A16 Stickford Bypass

A27 Brighton and Hove Bypass (Patcham-Coldean)

A47 East Dereham-North Tuddenham Bypass

A47 Norwich Southern Bypass (Contracts 1, 2, 3 and 4)

A66 Bowes Bypass

A523 Macclesfield Relief Road Bypass

A420 Kingston Bagpuize and Southmoor Bypass

A602 Little Wymondley Bypass

1993-94

8 bypasses completed :

A27 Crossbush Bypass

A27 Westhampnett Bypass

A39 Wadebridge Bypass

A41 Berkhamsted Bypass

A41 Kingslangley Bypass

A339 Basingstoke Northern Bypass (Stage 3)

A595 Egremont Bypass

A596 Wigton Bypass


Column 507

1994-95

5 bypasses planned to complete :

A19 Easingwold Bypass

A52 Ashbourne Relief Road Bypass

A65 Burley in Wharfedale Bypass

A564 Foston, Hatton, Hilton Bypass

A568 Widnes Eastern Bypass (North)

1995-96

10 bypasses planned to complete :

A5 Fazely--Two Gates Bypass

A17 Leadenham Bypass

A17 Wigtoft--Sutterton Bypass

A27 Brighton & Hove Bypass (Kingston--Hangleton)

A30/A39 Indian Queens--Fraddon Bypass

A46 Leicester Western Bypass

A249 M2--Iwade Bypass Improvement

A417 Brockworth Bypass

A428 Bedford Southern Bypass

A435 Norton--Lenchwick Bypass

subject to successful completion of statutory procedures and the availability of funds.

Rail Privatisation

Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what is his current estimate of the cost of rail privatisation in the forthcoming financial year ;

(2) what is the current estimate for the costs of rail privatisation for the forthcoming financial year.

Mr. Freeman : Planned expenditure by my Department, the Office of the Rail Regulator, and the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising for 1994- 95 is £28.9 million. British Rail's and Railtrack's estimates of costs associated with reorganisation are a matter for them. The breakdown of this estimate is given in the following table :


Expenditure on rail      |Staff and          |External           |Total                                  

privatisation            |internal costs     |consultants        |(£ million)                            

1994-95                                                                                                  

                         |(£ million)        |(£ million)                                                

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Department of Transport  |2.0                |12.0               |14.0                                   

Office of the Rail                                                                                       

Regulator                |3.8                |1.6                |5.4                                    

Office of Passenger Rail                                                                                 

Franchising              |3.6                |5.9                |9.5                                    

                                                                 |---                                    

                                                                 |28.9                                   

Aircraft (Smoke Hoods)

Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received about the fitting of smoke hoods in aircraft ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Norris : The responsibility for the safety regulation of United Kingdom civil aviation rests with the Civil Aviation Authority. It is for the authority to determine the requirements for passenger safety equipment. In the past five years my Department has received the following representations on the subject of smokehoods :


                                                |Number       

--------------------------------------------------------------

Transport Select Committee Meetings             |3            

Early Day Motions                               |3            

Parliamentary Questions                         |17           

Letters from Members of Parliament              |23           

Letters from the public/smokehood manufacturers |8            

Meetings between DOT Ministers and Interested                 

  parties                                       |2            

Ministerial Offices

Mr. Boyes : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the cost of new furniture for his private office during the year 1993-94.

Mr. MacGregor : The total cost of furniture for my private office for the year 1993-94 was £1,149.15.

British Rail

Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 23 February, Official Report, columns 244-45, whether the public service obligation grant to British Rail was taxed (a) in the year to 31 March 1992 and (b) in the year to 31 March 1991.


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