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Analysis of staffing and operational costs pre-November 1993     
Vehicle testing and enforcement                                  
                                |Spend     |Staffing             
                                |£                               
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Carlisle                        |191,316   |16.15                
Bishopbriggs                    |366,322   |31.52                
Livingston                      |324,764   |26.53                
Inverness                       |174,611   |11.21                
Kilmarnock                      |156,263   |14.10                
Aberdeen                        |143,794   |12.94                
Perth                           |176,641   |15.59                
Scottish GMO                    |51,860    |3.00                 
                                |-------   |-------              
Scottish total                  |1,586,591 |131.04               
                                                                 
Derby                           |183,936   |16.84                
Bredbury                        |355,218   |34.06                
Heywood                         |380,824   |34.67                
Kirkham                         |351,395   |33.17                
Liverpool                       |303,418   |32.79                
Wrexham                         |348,493   |31.16                
North West GMO                  |42,797    |3.00                 
                                |-------   |-------              
North West total                |1,966,081 |185.71               
                                                                 
Nottingham                      |268,355   |23.09                
Beverley                        |165,193   |14.19                
Walton                          |236,361   |18.97                
Doncaster                       |162,060   |12.52                
Grimsby                         |133,695   |19.82                
Sheffield                       |206,076   |14.42                
Leeds                           |385,201   |34.22                
Darlington                      |265,789   |23.32                
Newcastle                       |253,708   |22.08                
North East GMO                  |49,482    |2.75                 
                                |-------   |-------              
North East total                |2,127,940 |185.18               
                                                                 
Kidderminster                   |253,372   |22.89                
Birmingham                      |343,941   |31.06                
Wolverhampton                   |301,692   |27.57                
Stoke                           |441,958   |37.29                
Llantrisant                     |258,628   |21.48                
Pontypool                       |143,024   |12.40                
Ammanford                       |172,672   |15.04                
Wales Mid GMO                   |47,602    |3.00                 
                                |-------   |-------              
Wales Mid and South West total  |1,962,889 |170.75               
                                                                 
Southampton                     |256,210   |21.66                
Newbury                         |152,105   |13.06                
Poole                           |205,310   |17.62                
Bristol                         |380,822   |34.72                
Exeter                          |313,527   |26.06                
Plymouth                        |207,013   |16.00                
Gloucester                      |124,762   |12.87                
Bicester                        |141,899   |13.18                
South West GMO                  |45,296    |2.80                 
                                |-------   |-------              
South West total                |1,826,946 |158.01               
                                                                 
Purfleet                        |359,021   |32.33                
Edmonton                        |359,750   |29.49                
Leicester                       |205,678   |19.35                
Weedon                          |184,781   |18.81                
Grantham                        |168,092   |15.93                
Chelmsford                      |196,745   |18.62                
Royston                         |193,161   |15.81                
Leighton Buzzard                |146,178   |15.60                
Norwich                         |190,383   |17.62                
Peterborough                    |277,252   |27.78                
Ipswich                         |185,965   |17.82                
East GMO                        |54,626    |2.00                 
                                |-------   |-------              
East total                      |2,523,632 |231.16               
                                                                 
Yeading                         |422,591   |33.00                
Mitcham                         |314,421   |25.00                
Canterbury                      |155,972   |13.54                
Gillingham                      |185,931   |16.29                
Hastings                        |111,341   |9.84                 
Lancing                         |160,131   |14.05                
Guildford                       |188,422   |16.62                
South East GMO                  |51,666    |2.00                 
                                |-------   |-------              
South East total                |1,590,495 |130.34               
                                |-------   |-------              
Vehicle Testing and Enforcement                                  
 total                          |13,584,574|1,192.19             

Traffic Enforcement                                              
                                   |Spend    |Staffing           
                                   |£                            
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Edinburgh                          |117,173  |9.00               
Glasgow                            |85,342   |6.00               
Perth                              |61,868   |4.00               
Scottish EMO                       |71,201   |6.00               
                                   |-------  |-------            
Scottish Total                     |335,584  |27.00              
                                                                 
Manchester                         |96,299   |8.00               
Preston                            |96,837   |9.00               
Carlisle                           |53,372   |4.00               
Warrington                         |82,371   |7.00               
North West EMO                     |131,645  |8.50               
                                   |-------  |-------            
North West Total                   |480,524  |36.50              
                                                                 
Leeds                              |81,820   |7.00               
Brigg                              |95,583   |8.00               
Gateshead                          |102,454  |8.00               
Sutton in Ashfield                 |101,594  |7.00               
North East EMO                     |119,104  |13.08              
                                   |-------  |-------            
North East Total                   |500,535  |43.08              
                                                                 
Cobridge                           |70,595   |6.00               
Cardiff                            |105,049  |9.00               
Worcester                          |73,361   |6.00               
Birmingham                         |112,253  |8.00               
West Midlands and South West EMO   |162,872  |13.08              
                                   |-------  |-------            
West Midlands and South West Total |524,130  |42.08              
                                                                 
Bristol                            |73,397   |6.00               
Poole                              |100,439  |7.00               
Plymouth                           |80,917   |6.00               
Reading                            |76,559   |6.00               
Western EMO                        |100,103  |10.00              
                                   |-------  |-------            
South West Total                   |431,415  |35.00              
                                                                 
Grantham                           |77,584   |5.00               
Weedon                             |63,981   |5.00               
Aylesbury                          |75,279   |6.00               
Norwich                            |93,392   |7.00               
Harwich                            |98,865   |8.16               
Eastern EMO                        |120,749  |12.81              
                                   |-------  |-------            
East Total                         |529,850  |43.97              
                                                                 
Uckfield                           |73,170   |5.00               
Dover                              |77,520   |5.00               
Maidstone                          |85,421   |5.00               
Chessington                        |135,461  |10.00              
Belvedere                          |124,837  |9.00               
Stanmore                           |12,413   |0.00               
South East and Metropolitan EMO    |133,521  |10.66              
                                   |-------  |-------            
South East Total                   |622,343  |44.68              
                                   |-------  |-------            
Traffic Enforcement Total          |3,404,381|272.31             

Total vehicle inspection and 
traffic enforcement          
Spend      |Staffing         
£                            
-----------------------------
308,489    |25.15            
453,664    |37.52            
386,632    |30.53            
174,611    |11.21            
155,283    |14.10            
143,794    |12.94            
176,641    |15.59            
123,081    |11.00            
-------    |-------          
1,922,175  |158.04           
                             
280,235    |24.84            
452,055    |43.08            
434,196    |38.67            
433,766    |40.17            
303,418    |32.79            
348,493    |31.16            
174,442    |11.50            
-------    |-------          
2,426,605  |222.21           
                             
350,175    |30.09            
260,756    |22.19            
338,835    |26.97            
263,654    |19.52            
133,695    |19.62            
208,076    |14.42            
385,201    |34.22            
265,789    |23.32            
253,708    |22.08            
168,586    |15.83            
-------    |-------          
2,628,475  |228.26           
                             
323,967    |28.89            
448,990    |40.08            
375,053    |33.57            
554,211    |45.29            
258,628    |21.48            
143,024    |12.40            
172,672    |15.04            
210,474    |16.08            
-------    |-------          
2,487,019  |212.83           
                             
329,607    |27.66            
252,544    |20.08            
286,227    |23.62            
457,381    |40.72            
313,527    |26.08            
207,013    |16.00            
124,762    |12.87            
141,899    |13.18            
145,401    |12.80            
-------    |-------          
2,258,361  |193.01           
                             
436,605    |37.33            
423,731    |34.49            
280,957    |25.35            
278,173    |25.81            
266,957    |24.09            
198,745    |18.62            
193,161    |15.81            
146,178    |15.60            
190,383    |17.62            
277,252    |27.78            
185,965    |17.82            
175,375    |14.81            
-------    |-------          
3,053,482  |275.13           
                             
495,761    |36.00            
391,941    |30.00            
221,393    |18.54            
321,392    |26.29            
236,178    |18.84            
172,544    |14.05            
188,422    |16.62            
185,207    |12.66            
-------    |-------          
2,212,838  |175.02           
                             
Total      |Total            
16,988,955 |1,464.50         
Notes:                       
1. Allocations of VI         
staffing between testing and 
enforcement divisions can be 
carried out on the basis of  
the management accounts      
produced for same period ie  
Testing 55 per cent. and     
enforcement 45 per cent.     
2. Operational costs are     
those quoted on the October  
district/sector unit cost    
analysis.                    
3. On 1 November 1993 VI     
split its operational work   
between two dimensions:      
Vehicle Testing (VT) and     
Road Transport Enforcement ( 
RTE). VT created a new       
regional structure based on  
14 Regions. RTE reorganised  
into 23 areas integrating    
traffic and roadworthiness   
enforcement work.            
4. GMO=Group Managers        
Office.                      
EM0=Enforcement Managers     
Office.                      

Curent Test Fees                                                            
£                                                                           
Vehicle                              |Cost        |Re-test Cost             
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV)                                                  
Motor Vehicles                       |Test Fee<1> |Re-test fee              
  2 axle                             |32.70       |16.60                    
  3 axle                             |33.70       |16.60                    
  4 or more axles                    |34.70       |16.60                    
                                                                            
Trailers                                                                    
  1 axle                             |16.70       |8.30                     
  2 axle                             |17.10       |8.30                     
  3 or more axles                    |17.90       |8.30                     
                                                                            
Clearance of Prohibition by partial inspection                              
Motor Vehicle                        |16.60       |-                        
Trailers                             |8.30        |-                        
<1>Retest after failure (within 14 days of initial inspection)              
                                                                            
Public Service Vehicle                                                      
                                     |Test Fee    |Retest fee               
9-12 passenger seats                 |28.20       |14.10                    
13+ passenger seats                  |40.30       |19.80                    
                                                                            
Clearance of Prohibition by partial inspection                              
9-12 passenger seats                 |14.10       |-                        
13+ passenger seats                  |19.80       |-                        
                                                                            
C.O.I.F.                                                                    
Examination (inclusive of tilt test) |129.00      |-                        
Tilt retest                          |129.00      |-                        
Examination retest                   |15.40       |-                        
                                                                            
A.D.R.                                                                      
Motor Vehicle (excluding annual test                                        
   fee)                              |-           |98.80                    
Trailer (excluding annual test fee)  |-           |98.80                    
                                                                            
T.I.R.                                                                      
Initial inspection                   |62.60       |-                        
Re-inspection                        |43.70       |-                        

January 1994 staffing analysis               
VT division                                  
Region                     |Staffing         
---------------------------------------------
West Scotland              |39               
East Scotland              |40               
North East                 |60               
North West                 |53               
Merseyside and North Wales |62               
North Midlands             |55               
South Wales                |47               
West Midlands              |60               
East Midlands              |53               
South West                 |58               
South Central              |48               
London                     |70               
East                       |54               
South East                 |44               
                           |---              
  VT Total                 |743              

RTE division                                    
Group                         |Staffing         
------------------------------------------------
Scotland and North West       |170              
West Midlands and South Wales |99               
South East and West           |187              
North East and East           |214              
                              |---              
  RTE Total                   |670              

VI summary                   
Division   |Staffing         
-----------------------------
VT         |743              
RTE        |670              
           |---              
  VI Total |1,413            
Note: VI also employs 316    
staff at its headquarters in 
Bristol and Swansea working  
in VT, RTE and central       
services.                    

HOME DEPARTMENT

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many awards of criminal injuries compensation were made, resulting from (a) physical abuse, (b) sexual abuse and (c) neglect cases involving children, in each of the last 10 years.

Mr. Maclean : The Criminal Injuries Compensation Board does not record centrally information about awards made in respect of abuse, neglect or other categories of injury.

However, since 1989, it has recorded information about the number of applications received in respect of children under the age of 18 at the date of the incident who have suffered abuse. The information summarised below is taken from CICB's annual reports, copies of which are held in the Library.


Column 331


                                                |1992-93|1991-92|1990-91|1989-90        
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All cases (including those of a non-sexual                                              
   nature)                                      |7,211  |6,822  |5,571  |4,825          
All sexual assaults                             |3,200  |2,881  |1,812  |1,318          
Sexual abuse within the family or by a relative |1,700  |1,661  |1,011  |802            

Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many awards of criminal injuries compensation were made in each year since 1979 ; and what was the value of payments in each year.

Mr. Maclean : The information is taken from the annual reports of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board, copies of which are held in the Library of the House. It is also summarised at annex A of the White Paper "Compensating victims of violent crime : Changes to the criminal injuries compensation scheme" (Cm 2434) published on 15 December 1993.


Column 332


Financial year |Number of     |Compensation                 
               |awards        |paid (£m)                    
------------------------------------------------------------
1979-80        |17,460        |15.7                         
1980-81        |20,784        |21.5                         
1981-82        |17,350        |22.0                         
1982-83        |19,733        |29.4                         
1983-84        |21,133        |32.8                         
1984-85        |19,771        |35.3                         
1985-86        |22,534        |41.6                         
1986-87        |21,925        |48.2                         
1987-88        |20,991        |52.0                         
1988-89        |27,752        |69.4                         
1989-90        |27,926        |72.7                         
1990-91        |35,190        |109.3                        
1991-92        |39,249        |143.7                        
1992-93        |36,638        |152.2                        

Column 334

Fire Deaths

Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons died in fires in each year since 1979, where the fire was located in (a) domestic dwellings, (b) industrial installations, (c) private residential homes, (d) offices, (e) recreational venues, (f) high-rise flats and (g) public houses, clubs and discotheques.

Mr. Charles Wardle : The available information is given in the table.


Column 333


Number of deaths from fires attended by local authority fire brigades                                                                   
in the specified locations in the United Kingdom, 1979-92<1>                                                                            
Year             |Dwellings<2>    |Industrial      |Elderly persons'|Offices<4>      |Recreational    |Public houses,                   
                                  |premises        |and children's                   |venues          |clubs<5>                         
                                                   |homes<3>                                                                            
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979             |865             |13              |7               |1               |1               |2                                
1980             |822             |6               |6               |0               |0               |<6>40                            
1981             |780             |4               |6               |3               |0               |6                                
1982             |728             |7               |8               |2               |7               |10                               
1983             |710             |18              |4               |8               |2               |5                                
1984             |692             |25              |7               |1               |6               |2                                
1985             |700             |5               |6               |0               |<7>58           |1                                
1986             |753             |13              |7               |2               |2               |5                                
1987             |710             |8               |7               |2               |0               |4                                
1988             |732             |11              |15              |2               |0               |4                                
1989             |642             |6               |4               |0               |2               |5                                
1990             |627             |2               |5               |1               |0               |3                                
1991             |608             |2               |7               |3               |0               |1                                
1992             |594             |6               |13              |0               |1               |0                                
<1> Data for 1993 are not yet available.                                                                                                
<2> Includes deaths in high rise flats, separate data are not available.                                                                
<3> Includes homes for the disabled or handicapped.                                                                                     
<4> Includes all deaths from fires starting in rooms used as offices, including any in offices in dwellings.                            
<5> Includes wine bars, discotheques in clubs etc.                                                                                      
<6> Includes 37 deaths in unlicensed drinking clubs in Soho.                                                                            
<7> Includes 56 deaths in Bradford City football ground.                                                                                
Source: Home Office Fire Statistics.                                                                                                    

Trespass

Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to strengthen protection for private landowners against trespass by hunts and to provide remedies for trespass on public footpaths.

Mr. Maclean : The proposed new offence of aggravated trespass, contained in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill, will apply to all trespassers, including hunters, who wilfully disrupt, or seek to disrupt, a lawful activity on land. It will be possible to commit the new offence on footpaths and bridleways.

Immigration

Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department further to his oral statement of 4 May, Official Report, columns 823-26, which organisations and individuals have so far been consulted on possible changes to the immigration rules in 1994 ; and what form the consultation has taken.

Mr. Charles Wardle : In July 1993, copies of a working draft of the revised immigration rules were sent to the following organisations : Bar Council

Camden Law Centre

Commission for Racial Equality

Immigration Advisory Service

Immigration Law Practitioners' Association (ILPA)


Column 334

Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI)

Law Centres Federation

Law Society

National Association of Citizens' Advice Bureaux

Refugee Legal Centre

Copies of the working draft were placed in the Vote Office and Library of the House. They were also made available, on request, to a number of legal practitioners and others. Officials held meetings in December with representatives of ILPA, JCWI and the Law Society to discuss their written responses to the working draft.

Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department further to his oral statement of 4 May, Official Report, columns 823-26, what are the compelling and compassionate circumstances in which it may allow an application from a homosexual non-United Kingdom citizen for leave to remain in the United Kingdom with a homosexual partner who is a United Kingdom citizen.

Mr. Charles Wardle : Factors which may be taken into account in assessing whether compelling compassionate circumstances are present in such an application are the health of the settled partner and the length and stability of the relationship.

Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for leave to remain in the United Kingdom made by non -United Kingdom citizens on the basis of a same-sex relationship with a citizen of the United Kingdom have been (a) accepted and (b) rejected since 1990.


Column 335

Mr. Charles Wardle : The information requested is not separately identified in the statistics.

Drug Abuse, Hampshire

Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimate of the cost of drug-related crime in Hampshire for the last year for which figures are available.

Mr. Maclean : The involvement of drug misusers in criminal activity is difficult to quantify. It is not possible to estimate with any accuracy the amount of crime which is drug related.

Refugees

Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is meant by exceptional leave to enter for persons applying for refugee status.

Mr. Charles Wardle : A person who is not recognised as a refugee in the United Kingdom in accordance with the 1951 United Nations convention relating to the status of refugees may be granted exceptional leave to enter or remain if there are compelling humanitarian reasons for not returning him to his country of origin.

Operation Elgar

Ms Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people were detained following operation Elgar ; how many have subsequently been released ; how many are still detained ; and how many of those detained were employed by the London borough of Southwark ;

(2) if he will make a statement on operation Elgar which took place on 27 April ;

(3) how many people have been deported following operation Elgar.

Mr. Charles Wardle : Operation Elgar was a joint operation by the Immigration Service and the Metropolitan police aimed at detecting offenders against the immigration laws.

As a result of visits conducted on 27 April, 59 people were detained. Two more were detained following related visits on 28 April and 1 May. Of these 61, 11 have been removed from the United Kingdom as illegal entrants or under the deportation process, and two remain in detention with a view to removal. The remaining 48 were released and 22 of them are subject to reporting restrictions pending removal from the United Kingdom on further consideration of their cases. A total of 44 people were dealt with as offenders against the immigration laws.

Twenty-four of the people detained and dealt with as immigration offenders were identified as being on the payroll of the London borough of Southwark. It is not known how many were employed by the borough at the time of the operation.

The operation was carefully planned and the guidance in Home Office circular 131/1980 about the conduct of operations of this type was fully observed.

Identity Cards

Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated cost of supplying every adult with an identity card.


Column 336

Mr. Charles Wardle : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Warley, West (Mr. Spellar) on 7 December 1993, column 168 .

Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to make a study of the new identity card system to be introduced in the Netherlands in June.

Mr. Charles Wardle : We have no plans for a specific study of the system in the Netherlands.

Mr. Spellar : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions his Department has had with other member states of the European Union regarding mutual recognition of identity cards ; and what discussions his Department has had regarding a common European-wide identity card.

Mr. Charles Wardle : We have had no discussions with other European Union member states about identity cards. Community law already provides that nationals of any European Economic Area state may use a valid identity card issued by that state for travel throughout the European Economic Area. It is a matter for each member state to decide whether or not to issue identity cards.

Life Sentence Prisoners

Sir Ivan Lawrence : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements he proposes to introduce for interviewing life sentence prisoners for release on licence following the abolition of local review committees in September 1994.

Mr. Howard : I have asked the Parole Board to undertake the interviewing of life sentence prisoners currently performed by local review committees. This will include mandatory life sentence prisoners and discretionary life sentence prisoners whose tariffs have not yet expired. I am most grateful to the board for agreeing to take on this extra work.

I would also like to express my sincere thanks to all present and former members of local review committees for their outstanding contribution to the parole scheme over the last 25 years. They have given most generously of their time and I am very grateful to them for their hard work, dedication and the great care they have taken over their recommendations in this very sensitive area.

Public Alert System

Mr. Bill Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Caithness and Sutherland (Mr. Maclennan) of 28 February, Official Report, column 586, on studies of possible enhancements to the national public alert system, if he will give (a) the terms of reference of the studies, (b) the personnel carrying out the studies, (c) the expected cost of the studies, (d) the date on which they commenced and (e) the date on which the studies are expected to be completed ; and if he will publish the report of the studies.

Mr. Peter Lloyd : The requirements of the study now being considered were :

"To review current receipt and generation arrangements using only peacetime Broadcasting Systems for alerting/warning the public and to produce a proposal for a National Warning System using existing peacetime Broadcasting Networks as a primary system for warning the United Kingdom population of an air attack."


Column 337

The study was carried out by the BBC at a cost of £4,200 and was presented in October last year. It is being examined by officials in the course of their normal duties. The study contains information confidential to the BBC's operations and it would not be appropriate for my Department to publish it. The need for and scope and timing of further studies have not yet been decided.

Mr. Bill Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Caithness and Sutherland (Mr. Maclennan) of 28 February, Official Report, column 586, if he will place in the Library a copy of the representations by his officials to the Local Government Commission for England on the subject of emergency planning.

Mr. Peter Lloyd : A copy of the letter referred to in my reply to the hon. Member for Caithness and Sutherland (Mr. Maclennan), column 586, has been placed in the Library.

European Union (Ministerial Meetings)

Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the formal meetings at which representatives of the United Kingdom Government have attended in accordance with article K3 of the European Union treaty since the coming into force of that treaty


Column 338

together with the subject matter under consideration at the meeting and the title U1 of the official representing the United Kingdom Government.

Mr. Charles Wardle : This information is not routinely collected centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Police Complement

Mr. Nigel Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many supernumerary officers there are in each police authority and how many of them are on royal protection duties.

Mr. Charles Wardle : It is not our practice to publish details of police deployment to protection duties, for security reasons.

Police Sick Leave

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list by sex, and by year for the last 10 years, the average number of police officer days lost for reasons of sickness in each police authority.

Mr. Charles Wardle : The information is not available in the form which is requested. Information is available on the average number of days which were lost due to sickness for the years 1990 to 1993 and is shown in the table.


Column 337


Average number of days absence due to sickness<1>               
Police forces in England and Wales<2>                           
Forces                  |1990   |1991   |1992   |1993           
----------------------------------------------------------------
Avon and Somerset       |10.1   |10.1   |8.7    |12.0           
Bedfordshire            |13.2   |12.4   |11.6   |11.7           
Cambridgeshire          |12.4   |10.8   |10.1   |11.3           
Cheshire                |10.8   |12.2   |14.5   |11.2           
City of London          |12.7   |11.0   |11.1   |11.4           
Cleveland               |19.6   |16.2   |14.0   |14.9           
Cumbria                 |11.5   |10.6   |11.6   |10.4           
Derbyshire              |10.9   |14.2   |12.4   |12.8           
Devon and Cornwall      |9.5    |10.1   |9.9    |9.6            
Dorset                  |7.6    |10.9   |9.6    |9.5            
Durham                  |11.6   |12.4   |12.8   |15.3           
Dyfed-Powys             |11.0   |11.7   |10.9   |12.7           
Essex                   |12.9   |11.4   |8.0    |8.4            
Gloucestershire         |10.1   |11.5   |12.2   |11.2           
Greater Manchester      |14.2   |13.0   |10.9   |11.6           
Gwent                   |10.9   |13.8   |14.0   |11.2           
Hampshire               |10.5   |13.9   |11.7   |9.5            
Hertfordshire           |13.5   |14.0   |12.6   |11.3           
Humberside              |13.6   |10.4   |12.0   |15.5           
Kent                    |9.8    |6.8    |10.6   |12.7           
Lancashire              |16.5   |15.6   |13.8   |13.0           
Leicestershire          |13.7   |13.9   |13.2   |15.8           
Lincolnshire            |13.7   |14.9   |11.5   |12.9           
Merseyside              |17.0   |19.6   |17.1   |17.1           
Norfolk                 |12.9   |11.0   |10.1   |12.0           
North Wales             |13.7   |17.0   |16.9   |15.1           
North Yorkshire         |11.8   |14.0   |13.6   |12.7           
Northamptonshire        |12.7   |13.4   |9.7    |9.7            
Northumbria             |10.3   |9.8    |13.1   |13.3           
Nottinghamshire         |12.1   |12.0   |13.2   |13.4           
South Wales             |13.9   |15.8   |15.0   |11.7           
South Yorkshire         |12.3   |12.5   |12.5   |13.1           
Staffordshire           |15.0   |16.3   |15.6   |14.1           
Suffolk                 |7.8    |7.4    |6.6    |9.0            
Surrey                  |9.3    |11.6   |10.8   |13.8           
Sussex                  |10.2   |13.7   |8.9    |11.3           
Thames Valley           |7.3    |9.8    |8.0    |9.8            
Warwickshire            |12.4   |14.0   |14.3   |15.3           
West Mercia             |12.4   |13.0   |12.3   |12.2           
West Midlands           |7.1    |9.6    |14.0   |6.2            
West Yorkshire          |10.9   |12.4   |12.4   |13.4           
Wiltshire               |9.1    |8.2    |7.4    |8.5            
                        |-------|-------|-------|-------        
Provincial Total        |11.8   |12.5   |12.0   |11.9           
Metropolitan Police     |12.7   |12.7   |12.9   |<2>            
                        |-------|-------|-------|-------        
England and Wales Total |12.0   |12.5   |12.2   |9.3<2>         
<1>Information is based on the average strength of each force   
throughout each year.                                           
<2>Figures for the Metropolitan Police are not yet available    
for 1993.                                                       

Magistrates Courts

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of people remanded in custody by magistrates courts in (a) Doncaster, (b) Barnsley, (c) Rotherham and (d) Sheffield 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.


Column 340

Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 16 May 1994 :

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking what was the total number of people remanded in custody by magistrates' courts in (a) Doncaster, (b) Sheffield in each of the last five years.

The information you have requested relating to the numbers received into a Prison Service establishment on remand from the Magistrates' courts requested is given in the attached table.


Column 339


Receptions into a Prison Service establishment in England and Wales on Remand from a Magistrates' court in Doncaster, Barnsley,      
Rotherham or                                                                                                                         
Sheffield, 1989-1993                                                                                                                 
                    Year                                                                                                             
Magistrates' court |1989              |1990              |1991              |1992              |1993                                 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Doncaster          |166               |167               |206               |260               |332                                  
Barnsley           |90                |105               |180               |198               |234                                  
Rotherham          |73                |95                |175               |181               |206                                  
Sheffield          |199               |165               |397               |524               |555                                  
                   |-------           |-------           |-------           |-------           |-------                              
Total              |528               |532               |958               |1,163             |1,327                                

Obscene Publications Branch

Mrs. Golding : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations have been made to him in relation to the future of the obscene publications branch at New Scotland Yard.

Mr. Charles Wardle : We have received 26 letters and three questions, apart from this one, from hon. and right hon. Members about this matter, and one other letter from a voluntary organisation. The future of the obscene publications branch was also the subject of a recent early-day motion, No. 1057.

Prisons (Drugs)

Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Director General of the Prison Service as to the number of drug finds that have been made in prisons in England and Wales.

Mr. Peter Lloyd : The number of drug finds is one aspect of the drugs problem in prisons, but it is not a reliable indicator of its scale. My right hon. and learned Friend has had frequent discussions about that problem with the Director General and others and the methods of dealing with it.

Prison Population, South Yorkshire

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list by Her Majesty's prison and remand home/centre, for the latest date he has figures


Column 340

available, the number of inmates whose place of residence is South Yorkshire ; and what were the figures (a) 12 and (b) 24 months ago.

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 Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 16 May 1994 :

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking if he will list by Her Majesty's prison and remand home/centre for the latest date he has figures available, the number of inmates whose place of residence is South Yorkshire ; and what were the figures (a) 12 and (b) 24 months ago.

The information available on where prisoners originate from is for the county of the court first committing to custody. The latest available provisional statistics are for the population in Prison Service establishments on 31 December 1993, who were first committed to custody by a court from South Yorkshire, and is given in the attached table.

I regret to inform you that the information on the population available before 1993 is unreliable because of the high proportion of sentenced cases with no court data recorded.


Population in Prison Service establishments   
in England and Wales on                       
31 December 1993 who were first committed to  
custody by a court in                         
South Yorkshire<1>                            
Prison Service  |Number of                    
establishment   |persons<2>                   
----------------------------------------------
Acklington      |14                           
Ashwell         |3                            
Askham Grange   |5                            
Aylesbury       |2                            
Bedford         |2                            
Birmingham      |1                            
Castington      |7                            
Chanings Wood   |1                            
Cookham Wood    |1                            
Deerbolt        |12                           
Drake Hall      |1                            
Durham          |1                            
Elmley          |2                            
Erlstoke        |1                            
Everthorpe      |33                           
Feltham         |1                            
Featherstone    |2                            
Frankland       |6                            
Full Sutton     |16                           
Garth           |7                            
Gartree         |2                            
Glen Parva      |3                            
Grenden         |2                            
Hatfield        |24                           
High Point      |2                            
Holme House     |5                            
Hull            |75                           
Huntercome      |1                            
Kirklevington   |1                            
Lancaster       |1                            
Leeds           |15                           
Lincoln         |16                           
Lindholme       |104                          
Littlehey       |1                            
Long Lartin     |1                            
Maidstone       |2                            
Manchester      |1                            
Moorland        |104                          
Morton Hall     |26                           
The Mount       |1                            
New Hall        |13                           
North Sea Camp  |2                            
Nottingham      |5                            
Onley           |2                            
Portsmouth      |1                            
Ranby           |44                           
Risley          |4                            
Rochester       |1                            
Rudgate         |19                           
Stafford        |2                            
Stocken         |12                           
Stoke Heath     |1                            
Sudbury         |3                            
Swaleside       |1                            
Swifen Hall     |1                            
Thorpe Arch     |7                            
Thorne Cross    |1                            
Usk             |2                            
The Verne       |1                            
Wakefield       |19                           
Wandsworth      |1                            
Wetherby        |10                           
Whatton         |15                           
Whitmoor        |1                            
Wolds           |190                          
Wormwood Scrubs |1                            
Wymott          |8                            
Not Recorded    |14                           
                |---                          
All Prisons     |886                          
<1>Provisional figures.                       
<2>Excludes those committed to custody for    
non-payment of a fine and non-criminal        
prisoners.                                    

Column 342

National Lottery Charities Board

Mr. Alan Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will name the members of the National Lottery Charities Board ;

(2) when the National Lottery Charities Board will be set up.

Mr. Peter Lloyd : My right hon. and learned Friend announced on 10 May that he was appointing as chairman of the National Lottery Charities Board the hon. David Sieff. Potential board members are currently under consideration, and he expects to make appointments within the next few weeks.

Ethnic Minorities

Mrs. Helen Jackson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give consideration to protecting educational and social welfare projects which have received section 11 grant since 1992 and which fall outside bidding guidance issued for the single regeneration budget.

Mr. Peter Lloyd : No guarantee can be given as regards the future of existing projects beyond existing commitments but the bidding guidance already covers activity of this sort. The specific aims of the budget include initiatives intended to

"enhance the employment prospects, education and skills of local people, particularly the young and those at a disadvantage, and promote equality of opportunity"

and to

"promote initiatives of benefit to ethnic minorities".

Privatisation (Consultants)

Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the cost of employing consultants in connection with privatisation programmes in which his Department has been engaged since 1980.

Mr. Howard [holding answer 4 May 1994] : The information is as follows :


                              |£                  
--------------------------------------------------
Sale of NTL (October 1991)    |2,152,000          
Sale of DTELS (March 1994)<1> |822,000            
<1>These are costs so far calculated. The final   
account has yet to be settled.                    

These figures exclude payments to the Government Actuary's Department.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

Physical Education Teachers

Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what guidance his Department has given the Sports Council on the development of pre-service and in-service training for physical education teachers.

Mr. Sproat : My Department is represented on the Sports Council's young people and sport advisory group which advises the Council, among other things, on its work with physical education teachers.


Column 343

Disabled People

Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what new initiatives he is taking to involve disabled people and their organisations in relation to fuller access to the arts.

Mr. Brooke : My Department aims to make the cultural life of the nation more widely accessible to everyone, including disabled people. To that end, the Department is taking the lead in an access initiative, to explore with our sponsored bodies how best to deliver this aim within existing resources.

In the specific field of the arts, the Department has demonstrated its commitment through its continuing support for ADAPT, established in partnership with the Carnegie (UK) Trust with the aim of adapting arts- related buildings to make them more accessible. For its part, the Arts Council for England has an established record in promoting the interests of disabled people, and is committed to maintaining its vigorous approach in these matters.


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