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Mr. Howard : The Government are required to consult the following advisory non-departmental public bodies before legislation proposals :
Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs
Animal Procedures Committee
Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council
Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England
Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Wales
Poisons Board
Police Advisory Board
Police Negotiating Board
In addition, the Government's response to advice supplied by the following bodies must be published :
Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England
Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Wales
Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the advisory bodies he has set up in his Department since the publication of "Public Bodies 1993".
Mr. Howard : The National Board for Crime Prevention.
Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department that have a statutory basis.
Mr. Howard : The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, the Animal Procedures Committee, the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council, the Local Review Committees, the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England, the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Wales, the Parole Board, the Poisons Board, the Police Advisory Board, the Police Negotiating Board.
Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which are required to publish their advice to Government.
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Mr. Howard : The information requested is as follows :
Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England
Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Wales
Caravans
Mr. John Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of caravans intended for permanent occupation entering the United Kingdom ; and what steps he is taking to stop their entry.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The importation of caravans is not a matter for my Department.
People travelling to the United Kingdom within the common travel area which comprises the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and the Republic of Ireland do not pass through immigration controls. Nationals of countries in the European Economic Area may enter the United Kingdom from outside the common travel area in accordance with Community law and are subject to a passport and identity card check.
Firearms Certificates
Mr. Lidington : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of Ernst and Young on the administration of firearms certification.
Mr. Martyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the report by Ernst and Young on the administration of the firearms licensing system.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Copies of the Ernst and Young report on the cost of the administration of the firearms licensing system will be made available and a copy placed in the Library when an announcement is made about the current reviews of firearms fees.
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Mr. Spellar : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement as to whether Mr. Joseph Cowlam had a firearms licence.
Mr. Charles Wardle : I understand that Mr. Cowlam did not hold a firearm certificate.
Mr. Lidington : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to see that police forces adopt the recommendations of Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary concerning the administration of firearms certification.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The administration of firearms licensing is a matter for individual chief officers of police. I understand, however, that the chairman of the Association of Chief Police Officers crime committee sub-group on the administration of firearms licensing has written to chief constables commending the recommendations of the report of Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary to them. In addition, Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary will pay particular attention to this subject in its annual inspections of forces.
Cruelty to Livestock
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions for cruelty to livestock were brought in each year since 1985 ; and how many in each case were brought by (a) the Government and (b) the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Information held centrally by the Home Department does not identify the individual summoning body. The table shows the number of prosecutions under the Protection of Animals Act 1911 and Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1968 by type of proceedings from 1985 to 1992. The 1993 data will not be available until the autumn.
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Number of prosecutions under the Protection of Animals Act 1911 (as amended)<1> and Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions)
Act 1968 by type of
proceedings 1985-1992
England and Wales
Type of
Proceedings
Offence/Year |Apprehensions |Summons by Police|Summons other |Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Protection of Animals Act 1911<1>
1985 |53 |372 |564 |989
1986 |71 |316 |638 |1,025
1987 |59 |288 |684 |1,031
1988 |91 |278 |655 |1,024
1989 |117 |264 |669 |1,050
1990 |88 |300 |779 |1,167
1991 |82 |255 |865 |1,202
1992 |83 |276 |795 |1,154
Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1968-Sections 1, 2 & 6 (relating to welfare of livestock)
1985 |- |- |3 |3
1986 |- |1 |10 |11
1987 |- |3 |8 |11
1988 |- |8 |12 |20
1989 |- |3 |12 |15
1990 |1 |2 |10 |13
1991 |- |1 |17 |18
1992 |- |2 |14 |16
<1>Cannot distinguish between offences involving livestock or other animals.
Note:-The statistics of court proceedings are based on returns made by the police to the Home Office and although these
include offences where there has been no police involvement, such as those prosecutions instigated by government
departments, private organisations and individuals, the reporting of these types of offence is known to be incomplete.
Where proceedings involve more than one offence, the table records the principal offence.
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Community Care
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were imprisoned in each year since 1990 for non-payment of the community charge in each district council area in Wales and for Wales as a whole.
Mr. Maclean : The information requested is not available. The available information on where prisoners
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originate is for the county of the sentencing court. The table shows the number of receptions recorded centrally for non- payment of community charge by county in Wales.Column 41
Receptions into Prison Service establishments sentenced by a Welsh Court for non-payment of community charge,
1990-1994
Number received
for non-payment of
community charge
County of Welsh |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993<1> |1994<1><2>
court
sentencing
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |- |- |- |- |1
Dyfed |- |- |1 |- |-
Gwent |- |- |- |1 |-
Gwynedd |- |- |- |- |-
Mid Glamorgan |- |2 |1 |- |1
South Glamorgan |- |- |- |- |-
West Glamorgan |- |4 |1 |2 |3
Powys |- |- |- |- |-
All Wales |- |6 |3 |3 |5
<1> Provisional figures.
<2> January to May only.
Criminal Injuries Compensation
Mr. Hutton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for compensation were made to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board by police officers in each year since 1988 ; what was the average compensation in each year expressed in constant 1994 prices ; and what proportion of total claims in each year were made by police officers.
Mr. Maclean : I regret that the available records do not separately identify applications from, or payments made to, the police or other occupational groups.
Private Prisons
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of the heads of agreement between the Home Secretary and Group 4 in respect of The Wolds prison ;
(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of the heads of agreement between the Home Secretary and Premier Prison Services Ltd. in respect of Doncaster prison ;
(3) if he will place in the Library a copy of the heads of agreement between the Home Secretary and United Kingdom Detention Services Ltd. in respect of Blakenhurst prison.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for these matters has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 4 July 1994 : The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about the placing in the Library of a copy of the Heads of Agreement between the Home Secretary and Group 4, Premier Prison Services Limited, and United Kingdom Detention Services for Wolds, Doncaster and Blakenhurst prisons respectively.
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Copies of the Heads of Agreement for Wolds and Blakenhurst will be placed in the Library. No Heads of Agreement were signed in relation to Doncaster prison, because Premier Prison Services Limited did not require them.Police (Standard Spending Assessments)
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide tables showing (a) the standard spending assessment, (b) the figure his Department estimated as its contribution to spending at standard spending assessment level and (c) the actual figure paid out in respect of each police force in England and Wales for 1993-94 and for each of the previous three financial years.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The following table lists the standard spending assessment for each police force in England between 1990-91 and 1993-94. For Wales, provision for the police is included in the overall assessment made for Welsh county councils. Details of the initial estimate of grant and actual grant paid by the Home Office to all forces in England and Wales during the same period are also shown. The outturn figures for 1993-94 are provisional.
1990-91
£ thousands
|SSA |Initial estimate|Actual specific
|of |grant paid
|specific grant
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon and Somerset |50,802 |49,157 |52,199
Bedfordshire |18,039 |16,836 |18,155
Cambridgeshire |19,824 |19,575 |21,606
Cheshire |30,911 |29,685 |31,809
Cleveland |24,640 |24,100 |26,296
Cumbria |19,129 |19,475 |20,380
Derbyshire |29,670 |30,038 |31,243
Devon and Cornwall |47,096 |50,267 |53,887
Dorset |20,801 |22,725 |25,002
Durham |22,753 |21,336 |22,932
Essex |49,255 |47,233 |53,399
Gloucestershire |19,262 |18,191 |20,520
Hampshire |54,289 |52,067 |56,688
Hertfordshire |29,917 |28,650 |29,959
Humberside |32,963 |33,610 |35,545
Kent |51,544 |49,767 |55,597
Lancashire |52,506 |52,802 |55,149
Leicestershire |29,124 |30,615 |31,250
Lincolnshire |19,576 |20,641 |21,214
Norfolk |22,538 |22,496 |24,539
Northamptonshire |18,550 |20,159 |20,443
North Yorkshire |22,886 |23,721 |24,172
Nottinghamshire |38,358 |35,589 |38,612
Staffordshire |36,207 |35,203 |37,879
Suffolk |19,626 |20,646 |21,934
Surrey |30,103 |27,313 |29,134
Sussex |50,825 |44,907 |47,425
Thames Valley |63,248 |62,976 |68,397
Warwickshire |16,415 |16,727 |18,402
West Mercia |32,946 |33,311 |35,041
Wiltshire |17,954 |19,033 |20,851
Greater Manchester |115,636 |112,319 |116,561
Merseyside |77,791 |79,681 |81,955
Northumbria |58,132 |49,076 |61,896
South Yorkshire |49,279 |47,157 |48,337
West Midlands |113,021 |109,358 |116,921
West Yorkshire |87,025 |91,679 |92,405
Metropolitan Police |613,875 |624,636 |622,941
City of London |17,983 |18,965 |18,908
Dyfed-Powys |- |15,555 |15,748
Gwent |- |16,150 |16,976
North Wales |- |21,837 |22,810
South Wales |- |50,376 |54,191
1991-92
£ thousands
|SSA |Initial estimate|Actual specific
|of |grant paid
|specific grant
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon and Somerset |55,443 |57,543 |56,870
Bedfordshire |20,238 |19,198 |19,965
Cambridgeshire |21,691 |22,218 |24,029
Cheshire |33,986 |33,843 |34,150
Cleveland |27,037 |25,940 |28,487
Cumbria |21,151 |21,825 |22,991
Derbyshire |32,276 |34,993 |33,684
Devon and Cornwall |51,536 |58,579 |59,892
Dorset |22,879 |26,450 |26,523
Durham |24,751 |24,344 |24,780
Essex |54,851 |56,662 |58,925
Gloucestershire |20,953 |21,168 |22,752
Hampshire |59,904 |60,706 |63,735
Hertfordshire |32,973 |33,238 |32,063
Humberside |36,128 |38,749 |39,472
Kent |57,435 |59,156 |65,654
Lancashire |57,873 |58,383 |62,230
Leicestershire |32,636 |34,943 |34,270
Lincolnshire |21,547 |22,838 |24,090
Norfolk |25,345 |26,127 |27,591
Northamptonshire |20,539 |22,408 |23,204
North Yorkshire |25,345 |26,077 |26,356
Nottinghamshire |42,194 |41,071 |42,141
Staffordshire |39,638 |38,839 |41,903
Suffolk |21,673 |23,384 |24,515
Surrey |33,255 |30,409 |32,344
Sussex |56,093 |49,722 |54,151
Thames Valley |70,893 |70,881 |76,201
Warwickshire |18,451 |19,341 |20,319
West Mercia |36,415 |38,589 |39,387
Wiltshire |21,115 |21,423 |23,570
Greater Manchester |126,349 |124,535 |126,895
Merseyside |84,622 |89,383 |91,231
Northumbria |63,939 |65,099 |67,741
South Yorkshire |53,967 |53,406 |52,615
West Midlands |124,080 |120,723 |127,915
West Yorkshire |95,027 |102,676 |100,585
Metropolitan Police |676,931 |981,979 |696,595
City of London |20,639 |21,030 |20,818
Dyfed-Powys |- |16,732 |17,927
Gwent |- |17,756 |18,708
North Wales |- |25,486 |25,857
South Wales |- |57,446 |60,454
1992-93
£ thousands
|SSA |Initial estimate|Actual specific
|of |grant paid
|specific grant
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon and Somerset |63,999 |63,097 |63,404
Bedfordshire |25,127 |21,946 |22,547
Cambridgeshire |26,516 |26,116 |25,513
Cheshire |39,805 |38,449 |37,213
Cleveland |31,139 |31,785 |30,499
Cumbria |24,609 |24,635 |25,246
Derbyshire |38,354 |37,766 |38,653
Devon and Cornwall |60,702 |65,137 |65,418
Dorset |26,993 |30,222 |28,378
Durham |28,796 |27,719 |27,145
Essex |64,662 |64,547 |64,175
Gloucestershire |24,546 |24,804 |24,514
Hampshire |71,551 |68,522 |69,071
Hertfordshire |38,803 |36,214 |34,947
Humberside |42,168 |42,966 |42,901
Kent |68,381 |67,204 |70,225
Lancashire |66,943 |66,662 |65,621
Leicestershire |38,416 |37,774 |37,120
Lincolnshire |25,002 |25,643 |26,043
Norfolk |29,978 |29,662 |30,133
Northamptonshire |24,671 |24,711 |25,815
North Yorkshire |29,398 |29,218 |29,806
Nottinghamshire |48,595 |46,673 |45,649
Staffordshire |45,921 |45,787 |44,748
Suffolk |25,562 |26,513 |25,873
Surrey |39,239 |35,216 |36,148
Sussex |60,754 |57,327 |58,708
Thames Valley |85,179 |82,676 |81,861
Warwickshire |21,520 |22,244 |21,669
West Mercia |42,562 |42,356 |42,162
Wiltshire |26,495 |25,205 |26,214
Greater Manchester |144,376 |140,895 |138,817
Merseyside |97,563 |99,575 |96,533
Northumbria |74,676 |74,818 |69,632
South Yorkshire |62,838 |58,428 |59,947
West Midlands |143,090 |141,330 |144,980
West Yorkshire |109,774 |111,696 |106,449
Metropolitan Police |729,511 |751,921 |756,059
City of London |23,187 |22,855 |22,565
Dyfed-Powys |- |18,826 |19,837
Gwent |- |20,294 |19,872
North Wales |- |27,268 |28,584
South Wales |- |64,783 |64,923
1993-94
£ thousands
|SSA |Initial estimate|Actual specific
|of |grant paid
|specific grant
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon and Somerset |66,489 |66,123 |66,215
Bedfordshire |26,498 |23,289 |24,494
Cambridgeshire |27,457 |27,495 |29,817
Cheshire |41,353 |39,272 |40,800
Cleveland |32,350 |32,216 |32,255
Cumbria |25,566 |25,421 |25,755
Derbyshire |39,846 |39,457 |40,959
Devon and Cornwall |63,064 |70,144 |68,802
Dorset |28,043 |30,072 |30,871
Durham |29,917 |28,362 |28,519
Essex |67,767 |67,815 |68,820
Gloucestershire |25,501 |26,113 |27,045
Hampshire |75,453 |69,198 |72,382
Hertfordshire |40,290 |37,203 |37,582
Humberside |43,809 |45,222 |44,899
Kent |72,419 |72,994 |76,819
Lancashire |69,547 |68,609 |71,298
Leicestershire |39,910 |39,068 |38,182
Lincolnshire |25,975 |25,855 |27,574
Norfolk |31,144 |31,933 |32,064
Northamptonshire |25,630 |27,834 |28,306
North Yorkshire |30,541 |31,346 |32,201
Nottinghamshire |50,485 |48,725 |50,258
Staffordshire |47,707 |46,854 |46,413
Suffolk |26,557 |27,355 |27,078
Surrey |40,503 |38,027 |38,534
Sussex |64,004 |63,511 |62,281
Thames Valley |90,575 |90,407 |91,106
Warwickshire |22,443 |22,477 |24,225
West Mercia |44,218 |45,322 |45,200
Wiltshire |27,763 |26,926 |28,764
Greater Manchester |149,884 |155,736 |152,486
Merseyside |101,359 |100,931 |102,285
Northumbria |77,581 |79,340 |76,704
South Yorkshire |65,282 |64,488 |63,895
West Midlands |148,656 |152,480 |151,775
West Yorkshire |114,045 |116,843 |118,708
Metropolitan Police |761,712 |793,317 |791,091
City of London |26,570 |25,125 |26,054
Dyfed-Powys |- |20,980 |21,493
Gwent |- |20,330 |20,888
North Wales |- |29,479 |30,590
South Wales |- |68,177 |67,091
Blakenhurst Prison
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who received the interest on the performance security provided by United Kingdom Detention Services Ltd. to his Department under the terms of the contract to manage Blakenhurst prison.
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 4 July 1994 : The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about who received the interest on the performance security provided by United Kingdom Detention Services Ltd. to his Depatment under the terms of the contract to manage Blakenhurst prison.
Under the terms of the contract to manage Blakenhurst prison the contractor is required to provide the Prison Service with performance security. This was provided by means of a Peformance Bond, and therefore the issue of any interest payments does not arise.
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money has been witheld from United Kingdom Detention Services Ltd. for loss, destruction or damage to Blakenhurst prison, listing the circumstances and amount of each separate penalty.
Column 46
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 4 July 1994 : The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the amount of money witheld from United Kingdom Detention Services Limited for loss, destruction or damage to Blakenhurst prison.
The only occasion on which money was witheld from UKDS is set out in my letter to you of 29 June ( Hansard Col. 627).
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many claims have been made against the public liability insurance policy held by United Kingdom Detention Services Ltd. and his Department in connection with Blakenhurst prison ; what were the circumstances in each case ; what were the amounts claimed ; and how many claims have been successful.
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 4 July 1994 : The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of claims made against the public liability insurance policy held by United Kingdom Detention Services Limited and his department in connection with Blakenhurst prison ; the circumstances ; the amounts and the success of the claims. There have been no claims made against the public liability insurance policy held by United Kingdom Detention Services Limited.
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what contact (a) the Health and Safety Executive, (b) the environmental health office and (c) the fire service has had with Blakenhurst prison ; how many inspections of Blakenhurst prison have been made by each of these bodies ; and what were the findings in each case.
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 4 July 1994 : The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about what contact (a) The Health and Safety Executive, (b) the Environmental Health Office and (c) the Fire Service has had with Blakenhurst Prison.
Representatives of the Health and Safety Executive have visited on three occasions. On 19 February 1993 they made seven recommendations, all of which have been actioned. They visited again on the 14 October 1993 when a further seven recommendations were made, including a complaint about cleanliness. Again, all have been actioned. The last visit was on 10 March this year when they expressed general satisfaction in a verbal report.
The local Environmental Health Officer has visited on two occasions. The report of 19 November 1993 contained twenty recommendations. On 22 April this year the Environmental Health Officer assessed progress and found that nineteen of the original recommendations had been actioned satisfactorily. One recommendation is still outstanding.
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Hereford and Worcester Fire Service have visited eleven times for exercises or familiarisation visits.The Fire Service do not carry out full surveys or inspections. These are carried out by the Fire Safety Section of the Prison Service and they have visited on three occasions since Blakenhurst Prison opened.
A full fire survey was carried out in June 1993 and Fire Safety Section's recommendations are being actioned.
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes have been made by his Department to the services provided by United Kingdom Detention Services Ltd. under the contract to manage Blakenhurst prison.
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 4 July 1994 : The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the changes made by his Department to the services provided by United Kingdom Detention Service Limited (UKDS) under the contract to manage Blakenhurst Prison.
The only occasion on which changes were made to the services provided by UKDS under the contract to manage Blakenhurst prison is set out in my letter to you of 29 June (Hansard Col. 627).
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money has been paid by his Department for loss, destruction or damage to Blakenhurst prison, listing the circumstances and amount of each separate payment.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibilty 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 4 July 1994 : The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the amount of money paid by his Department for loss, destruction or damage to Blakenhurst prison ; the circumstances and the amount of each separate payment.
No money has been paid to United Kingdom Detention Services Limited for damage repair at Blakenhurst prison.
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) staff and (b) people applying to become staff, at Blakenhurst prison, have been refused Home Office certification as fit to perform such duties ; and, of these, how many have later reapplied and received such certification.
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 30 June 1994] : Responsibilty 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 4 July 1994 : The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of staff and people applying to become staff at Blakenhurst prison that have been refused Home Office certification ; and how many have later reapplied and become certificated.
Column 48
Twenty people who applied to work at Blakenhurst as prison custody officers (PCO) have been refused Home Office certification. Of these one has been reconsidered and subsequently received certification. Non-PCO do not require certification. All people who work at contracted out prisons are, however, subject to routine enquiries similar to those made for applicants for Prison Service employment.Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what notification or advice United Kingdom Detention Services Ltd. gave the Home Office regarding the buildings, facilities and design at Blakenhurst prison ; and what action has been taken as a result.
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 30 June 1994] : 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 4 July 1994 : The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking what notification or advice United Kingdom Detention Services Limited (UKDS) gave the Home Office regarding the buildings, facilities and design at Blakenhurst prison ; and what action has been taken as a result.
UKDS had no involvement in the original buildings, facilities and design at Blakenhurst. Since Blakenhurt became operational, UKDS have recommended changes to the existing conditions at Blackenhurst on a number of occasions. These have included fitting electric gates on house blocks ; creating canteens in four house blocks ; modifying the sewage system ; installing television cameras in the walkways ; modifying the holding cells in reception ; providing power outlets and drainage in the industrial workshop ; altering one spur of a house block to create a Vulnerable Prisoner Unit ; changing the majority of spy-holes to polycarbonate ; and installing a new bolt system for cell doors.
All these requests, which have come through the Controller at the prison, have been actioned.
It is common for modifications to be required in new prisons, especially in the first year of operation. UKDS has paid for a number of the alterations and the remainder have been paid for by the Prison Service.
Race Relations
Mr. Quentin Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to respond to the Commission for Racial Equality's second review of the Race Relations Act 1976.
Mr. Howard : I have today written to the chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality setting out the Government's formal response. A copy has been placed in the Library.
Computer Contracts
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many contracts his Department has entered into with the computer company EDS-Scion or its predecessor EDS ; when the contracts were entered into ; what is their total value ; and what is the subject matter of each contract.
Mr. Howard [holding answer 1 July 1994] : The Home Office has let three contracts to the specified company amounting to a total value of £80,942.23.
Details of the contracts are given below :
Date Contract let and Subject matter of Contract
12 September 1991
Hardware Maintenance
Column 49
10 July 1992Software licences for London Fire and Civil Defence Authority 8 January 1993
Evaluation of Performance of Classifying Finger Printing Images for Police System Research and Development Group
United Kingdom Detention Services Ltd.
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions money has been withheld from United Kingdom Detention Services Ltd. for giving an unsatisfactory performance or failing to provide the required service ; what were the circumstances on each occasion including dates and the nature of the failure ; and what were the amounts witheld on each occasion.
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 30 June 1994] : 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 4 July 1994 : The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of occasions money has been withheld from UKDS for giving an unsatisfactory performance or failing to provide the required service ; the circumstances and the amounts withheld. The only occasion on which money was withheld from UKDS is set out in my letter to you of 29 June (Hansard Col. 627).
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