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Street Patrols
Mr. Mike O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans he has to require security firms to become approved or registered before appointment to private street patrols ;
(2) what plans he has to investigate the incidence and operation of private street patrols ;
(3) what plans he has to draft a national code of practice for security firms involved in private street patrols.
Mr. Charles Wardle : We have no such plans.
Immigration
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for (1) entry clearance and (2) leave to remain as working holidaymakers have been (a) received, (b) granted and (c) refused to citizens of (i) India, (ii) Bangladesh, (iii) Pakistan, (iv) Australia, (v) Canada, (vi) Ghana, (vii) Nigeria and (viii) Malaysia during 1993 and 1994 to the latest convenient date.
Mr. Charles Wardle : I will write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were detained under Immigration Act powers (1) overnight, (2) between one night and one month and (3) for a period of more than one month in (a) Harmondsworth detention centre, (b) the Queen's building, Heathrow, (c) terminal 4, Heathrow, (d) the Beehive, Gatwick, (e) Haslar holding centre, (f) Her Majesty's prison Pentonville, (g) Campsfield house detention centre and (h) other establishments, by name, during (1) 1993 and (2) 1994 to the latest convenient date ; and how many of these people in each category were (i) women, (ii) children under 18 years and (iii) men.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The available information is given in the table. The other information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Persons detained overnight or longer at certain locations<1>
Location, length of |1993 |1994<4>
stay, type of
detainee
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harmondsworth<2> |345 |206
Queen's Building, Heathrow |1,321 |438
Haslar |432 |252
Terminal 4, Heathrow<3>:
Overnight:
Men |688 |-
Women |515 |-
Children under 18 years |16 |-
|------- |-------
|1,219 |-
More than one night, less than one month:
Men |7 |-
Women |21 |-
Children under 18 years |- |-
|------- |-------
|28 |-
One month or more |- |-
The Beehive, Gatwick:
Ovenight:
Men |1,279 |366
Women |335 |47
Children under 18 years |25 |4
|------- |-------
|1,639 |417
More than one night, less than one month:
Men |1,344 |1,019
Women |435 |318
Children under 18 years |33 |32
|------- |-------
|1,812 |1,369
One month or more |- |-
Campsfield House, Kidlington
Overnight:
Men |26 |11
Women |3 |5
Children under 18 years |1 |-
|------- |-------
|30 |16
More than one night, less than one month:
Men |95 |175
Women |15 |39
Children under 18 years |3 |2
|------- |-------
|113 |216
One month or more:
Men |64 |262
Women |16 |56
Children under 18 years |1 |1
|------- |-------
|81 |319
Stansted:
Overnight:
Men |186 |84
Women |66 |16
Children under 18 years |2 |3
More than one night, less than one month:
Men |279 |159
Women |76 |22
Children under 18 years |3 |-
One month or more |- |-
<1> Unless otherwise stated, the data include persons detained initially
elsewhere prior to being detained at the location given.
<2> Data mainly exclude persons detained initially elsewhere, and
exclude illegal entrants and deportees detained.
<3> Not used for overnight detention after 22 October 1993.
<4> January to June 1994.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were received into prison department establishments under Immigration Act powers during (a) 1993 and (b) 1994 to the latest convenient date, by individual prison establishment ; what was the average daily population of persons so detained in each of those years ; what was the average length of time spent in detention by persons so detained in each of those years ; and if he will give a breakdown by nationality of persons so detained for each of those years.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The number of detainees received into Prison Service establishments in England and Wales
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under the Immigration Act 1971 is given in table 1 for 1993 and for January to May 1994. The number is shown by the establishment of initial reception.The average population in 1993, including persons originally received for a criminal offence, was 431. The average for January to May 1994 is 510. A breakdown of receptions into Prison Service establishments by nationality is given for 1993 and for January to May 1994 in table 2.
The average period of detention for detainees released in 1993 and in January to May 1994 is provisionally estimated at 12 weeks and 15 weeks respectively.
Table 1
Receptions of persons detained under the Immigration Act 1971 into
Prison Service establishments in England and Wales: by establishment
1993 and January-May 1994
Number of
Persons<1><2>
Establishment |1993 |1994
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Remand Centres
Blakenhurst |41 |32
Brinsford |5 |6
Dorchester |19 |2
Exeter |9 |8
Feltham |49 |4
Glen Parva |1 |1
Haslar |475 |188
Low Newton |2 |-
Moorland |6 |-
Lancaster Farms |- |1
Local Prisons
Bedford |23 |-
Belmarsh |38 |7
Birmingham |189 |84
Bristol |22 |8
Brixton |36 |22
Bullingdon |1 |2
Canterbury |130 |46
Cardiff |6 |1
Chelmsford |17 |-
Dover |35 |25
Durham |9 |2
Elmley |25 |15
Gloucester |8 |3
Highdown |56 |20
Hindley |1 |-
Holloway |59 |17
Holme House |10 |5
Hull |30 |6
Leeds |15 |6
Leicester |41 |-
Lewes |33 |-
Lincoln |12 |-
Liverpool |14 |14
Manchester |8 |17
Norwich |30 |16
New Hall |2 |-
Pentonville |204 |42
Preston |3 |-
Pucklechurch |3 |-
Reading |5 |3
Risley |2 |2
Rochester |13 |4
Shrewsbury |5 |6
Swansea |6 |7
Wandsworth |8 |8
Winchester |9 |6
Wolds |7 |1
Wood Hill |9 |-
Wormwood Scrubs |26 |11
Establishment not recorded |2 |2
Nationality not recorded/other |26 |11
|--- |--
All Establishments |1,785 |661
<1> The figures are those recorded centrally and are approximate:
detailed
checking of individual cases would involve disproportionate cost.
<2> Provisional figures.
Table 2
Receptions into Prison Service establishments by nationality, 1993 to
May 1994
Number of
persons<1><2>
Nationality |1993 |1 January to
|31 May 1994
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Afghanistan |5 |-
Albania |4 |3
Algeria |105 |49
Angola |39 |6
Anguilla |1 |1
Armenia |1 |-
Ascensioni Island |3 |-
Austria |1 |-
Australia |2 |-
Bahrain |1 |-
Bangladesh |36 |15
Barbados |- |1
Belgium |1 |1
Brazil |3 |1
Bulgaria |3 |-
Cameroon, United Republic of |4 |1
Canada |2 |2
Central African Republic |2 |-
Chad |1 |-
Chile |1 |-
China |18 |6
Colombia |17 |3
Congo |4 |-
Cyprus |9 |3
Czechoslovakia |- |1
Denmark |- |1
Dominica |2 |1
Djibouti |1 |1
Egypt |12 |2
Ethiopia |5 |4
Equador |2 |-
France |19 |2
Gambia |4 |2
Germany |3 |1
Ghana |119 |55
Grenada |1 |-
Guinea |2 |-
Guinea-Bissau |1 |-
Guyana |3 |1
Haiti |- |1
Hong Kong |13 |2
Hungary |1 |-
India |332 |130
Indonesia |2 |-
Iran |6 |1
Irish Republic |5 |2
Indian Ocean Territories |1 |-
Israel |6 |1
Iraq |2 |1
Italy |5 |-
Ivory Coast |16 |10
Jamaica |67 |18
Japan |- |1
Jordan |1 |1
Kenya |18 |6
Kuwait |1 |-
Lebanon |11 |2
Liberia |11 |7
Libya |14 |2
Malaysia |9 |1
Mali |- |2
Morocco |26 |7
Mauritania |1 |-
Mauritius |3 |1
Malawi |1 |-
Mexico |1 |-
Mozambique |- |2
Netherlands |- |5
Netherland Antillies |- |1
Nepal |1 |3
Nicaragua |2 |-
Niger |5 |2
Nigeria |254 |87
Pakistan |87 |37
Peru |7 |-
Philippines |3 |-
Poland |12 |5
Portugal |3 |3
Romania |73 |10
Russia |10 |4
Saudi Arabia |1 |-
Senegal |1 |-
Singapore |1 |-
Sierre Leone |26 |4
Slovakia |- |1
Somalia |22 |5
South Africa |9 |4
Spain |3 |-
Sri Lanka |24 |13
St. Lucia |2 |-
Sudan |4 |3
Syrian Arab Republic |1 |-
Switzerland |2 |-
Tanzania |11 |4
Togo |- |1
Thailand |- |1
Trinidad and Tobago |1 |-
Tunisia |4 |3
Turkey |117 |54
Uganda |12 |-
United Arab Emirates |4 |-
United States of America |9 |2
Yemen, Arab Republic (North) |2 |-
Yemen, Peoples Democratic
Republic (South) |2 |-
Yugoslavia |9 |6
Zambia |3 |3
Zaire |39 |26
Zimbabwe |2 |2
Nationality not recorded/other |27 |11
All |1,785 |661
<1>The figures are those recorded centrally and are approximate:
detailed
checking of individual cases would involve disproportionate cost.
<2>Provisional figures.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) pursuant to his answer of 26 May, Official Report, column 253, how many of the 29 entry clearance applications were successful, how many refused, and how many of those decisions were appealed against ;
(2) pursuant to his answer of 26 May, Official Report, column 253, of the 29 entry clearance applications, what is the longest period of time which it has taken for the application to be determined from date of application to notification to the application of decision ; what was the average length of time of decision making ; and what was the shortest period of time within which a decision was reached.
Mr. Charles Wardle This information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) pursuant to his answer of 26 May, Official Report, column 254, what was the nationality of the citizens of the Union and the third-country national
Column 275
spouses of the 39 applicants for residence documents who were interviewed in respect of their applications in 1993 and 1994 ; (2) pursuant to his answer of 26 May, Official Report, column 254, how many of the 39 applications made between 1993 and 1994 for residence documents, in which an interview was carried out, applications were (a) granted, (b) refused and (c) were otherwise disposed ; and in what way they were so disposed of.Mr. Charles Wardle : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 18 July, Official Report , columns 36-38.
Asylum
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many applications for asylum have been refused with 48 hours in which to lodge an appeal since 26 July 1993 ; and how many people served with such notice have lodged appeals ;
(2) how many asylum applications, by nationality, have been refused as being unfounded (a) on safe third-country grounds and (b) on other grounds.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Information, covering the period 1 August 1993 to 30 June 1994, on the number of refusals on safe third-country by nationality is given in the table. There were 845 third-country refusals, of which an estimated 300 were "fast-track" refusals who had 48 hours in which to lodge an appeal. In addition, provisional data suggest that about 300 cases have been refused on other without-foundation grounds.
Information on the number of "fast-track" appeals lodged or on the nationality of those refused on other without-foundation grounds is not readily available.
Decisions<1><2> to refuse asylum and exceptional leave on
safe third country
grounds<3>, by nationality, 1 August 1993 to 30 June 1994
Number of principal applicants
Europe and Americas |Number
------------------------------------------------------------
Bulgaria |*
Colombia |10
Romania |20
Turkey |110
Former USSR |15
Former Yugoslavia |35
Others |30
|---
Africa
Angola |40
Benin |*
Cameroon |*
Congo |5
Ethiopia |30
Ghana |60
Nigeria |25
Sierra Leone |30
Somalia |80
Sudan |5
Togo & Ivory Coast |15
Uganda |10
Zaire |35
Others |80
|---
Total |425
Middle East
Iran |10
Iraq |20
Lebanon |5
Others |15
|---
Total |45
Asia
China |10
India |20
Pakistan |15
Sri Lanka |95
Others |10
|---
Total |155
Other and unknown nationalities *
|---
Grand total |845
<1> Excluding dependants.
<2> Figures rounded to nearest 5, with *'=1 or 2.
<3> Refused on the grounds that the applicant had arrived
from a safe
third country.
Deportations
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women, have been deported in the first six months of 1994 ; and what was the nationality of each person.
Mr. Charles Wardle : I will write to the hon. Member.
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women have been deported from Scotland in each of the past five years.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The number of people whose departure was enforced as a result of deportation action initiated in Scotland in each of the years 1989-1993 is shown in the table. The table also shows separately the number of people who were removed as illegal entrants. The sex of those concerned is not recorded centrally and such a breakdown could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
|1989|1990|1991|1992|1993
---------------------------------------------------
Deportation action |33 |11 |29 |46 |16
Illegal entry action |18 |12 |37 |35 |15
Special Advisers
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special advisers have (a) joined and (b) left his Department in each of the last five years.
Mr. Howard : The information requested is as follows :
|Number who|Number who
Year |joined |left
--------------------------------------------
1990 |1 |2
1991 |1 |-
1992 |2 |2
1993 |2 |2
<1>1994 |- |-
<1>To date.
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many special advisers who left
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his Department in each of the last five years became (a) management consultants and (b) joined a firm of consultants ; (2) if he will publish the names of the employers joined by special advisers who left his Department in each of the last five years.Mr. Howard : There is no requirement for special advisers to provide details of their employers after leaving Government service.
Fire Regulations
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will make new Fire Precautions (Places of Work) Regulations ; when they will take effect ; what estimates he has made of the provisional costs to (a) the public sector generally and (b) schools of complying with the new regulations.
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will implement the Fire Precautions (Place of Work) Regulations.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The report of the interdepartmental review of fire safety legislation and enforcement recommended that the Home Office should not proceed with the proposed Fire Precautions (Places of Work) Regulations but that the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 should instead be amended to implement fully the framework and workplace directives relating to the health and safety of workers at work. The Government are considering those recommendations.
The possible compliance costs to the public sector, including schools, have still to be finally assessed in the light of comments from other Government Departments. However, a compliance cost assessment will form part of any consultation document containing proposals for regulations to implement the general fire safety provisions of the framework and workplace directives.
Racial Equality
Mr. Watson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many race equality councils, or community relations councils, were in existence each year since 1988 ; and how many race equality officers, or their equivalent, grant-aided by the Commission for Racial Equality, were in post in each of these years.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The number of racial equality
councils--RECs--funded by the Commission for Racial Equality under section 44 of the Race Relations Act 1976 from 1988 is as follows. Almost all of these also receive local authority funding.
|Number
---------------------
1988 |85
1989 |84
1990 |83
1991 |91
1992 |88
1993 |91
These figures do not include RECs which are funded only by the local authority. In 1993 the total number of RECs in the country was approximately 104.
The numbers of racial equality officers funded by the Commission for Racial Equality since 1988 is as follows :
|Number
---------------------
1988 |199
1989 |191
1990 |201
1991 |211
1992 |192
1993 |150
Prison Statistics
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average cost per month of keeping someone in prison in 1993- 94.
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 A. J. Butler to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 20 July 1994 :
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about the average cost per month of keeping someone in prison in 1993-94. The estimated net operating cost per prisoner per month for 1993-94 is £2,326.
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the ethnic breakdown of all prisoners received into prisons in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Butler to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 20 July 1994 :
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question asking what was the ethnic breakdown of all prisoners received into prisons in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.
An ethnic breakdown by age and type of custody for prisoners received during the period July 1984 to March 1985 is shown in Tables 5 and 6 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin 17/86 "The Ethnic Origins of Prisoners ; the Prison Population on 30 June 1985 and Persons Received, July 1984-- March 1985" ; a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. The corresponding information for receptions in 1990 is in the attached table.
Column 279
Receptions into Prison Service establishments in 1990: by ethnic origin, age, type of custody and sex
England and Wales Number and percentage<1>
Ethnic origin
Type of prisoner |White |West Indian |Indian |Chinese |Other, not |Totals
|Guyanese |Pakistani |Arab |recorded
|African |Bangladeshi |Mixed origin |(including
|refusals)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Males |Number
Aged under 21
Untried |15,033 |1,130 |388 |422 |268 |17,241
Convicted unsentenced prisoners |6,573 |414 |129 |159 |112 |7,387
Under sentence
Immediate custody |12,463 |771 |323 |283 |159 |13,999
Fine defaulters |3,190 |71 |29 |36 |34 |3,360
Non-criminal prisoners
Immigration Act 1971 |2 |19 |6 |14 |7 |48
Others |45 |6 |- |- |2 |53
Aged 21 and over
Untried |26,839 |4,041 |792 |640 |351 |32,663
Convicted unsentenced prisoners |8,514 |941 |181 |163 |76 |9,875
Under sentence
Immediate imprisonment |30,121 |3,031 |746 |507 |332 |34,737
Fine defaulters |11,638 |540 |103 |117 |56 |12,454
Non-criminal prisoners
Immigration Act 1971 |37 |382 |199 |117 |110 |845
Others |1,103 |108 |48 |21 |12 |1,292
_______
Aged under 21 |Percentage
Untried |87.2 |6.6 |2.3 |2.4 |1.6 |100
Convicted unsentenced prisoners |89.0 |5.6 |1.7 |2.2 |1.5 |100
Under sentence
Immediate custody |89.0 |5.5 |2.3 |2.0 |1.1 |100
Fine defaulters |94.9 |2.1 |0.9 |1.1 |1.0 |100
Non-criminal prisoners
Immigration Act 1971 |4.2 |39.6 |12.5 |29.2 |14.6 |100
Others |84.9 |11.3 |- |- |3.8 |100
Aged 21 and over
Untried |82.2 |12.4 |2.4 |2.0 |1.1 |100
Convicted unsentenced prisoners |86.2 |9.5 |1.8 |1.7 |0.8 |100
Under sentence
Immediate imprisonment |86.7 |8.7 |2.1 |1.5 |1.0 |100
Fine defaulters |93.4 |4.3 |0.8 |0.9 |0.4 |100
Non-criminal prisoners
Immigration Act 1971 |4.4 |45.2 |23.6 |13.8 |13.0 |100
Others |85.4 |8.4 |3.7 |1.6 |0.9 |100
_______
Females
Aged under 21 |Totals
Untried |562 |54 |4 |32 |27 |679
Convicted unsentenced prisoners |251 |12 |2 |10 |8 |283
Under sentence
Immediate custody |319 |40 |4 |14 |4 |381
Fine defaulters |150 |5 |1 |4 |2 |162
Non-criminal prisoners
Immigration Act 1971 |1 |2 |- |- |- |3
Others |8 |1 |- |- |- |9
Aged 21 and over
Untried |1,447 |340 |28 |103 |75 |1,993
Convicted unsentenced prisoners |550 |85 |8 |19 |21 |683
Under sentence
Immediate imprisonment |1,351 |253 |15 |68 |47 |1,734
Fine defaulters |603 |46 |1 |22 |11 |683
Non-criminal prisoners
Immigration Act 1971 |- |15 |1 |3 |1 |20
Others |29 |11 |2 |1 |1 |44
_______
Aged under 21 |Percentage
Untried |82.8 |8.0 |0.6 |4.7 |4.0 |100
Convicted unsentenced prisoners |88.7 |4.2 |0.7 |3.5 |2.8 |100
Under sentence
Immediate custody |83.7 |10.5 |1.0 |3.7 |1.0 |100
Fine defaulters |92.6 |3.1 |0.6 |2.5 |1.2 |100
Non-criminal prisoners
Immigration Act 1971 |33.3 |66.7 |- |- |- |100
Others |88.9 |11.1 |- |- |- |100
Aged 21 and over
Untried |72.6 |17.1 |1.4 |5.2 |3.8 |100
Convicted unsentenced prisoners |80.5 |12.4 |1.2 |2.8 |3.1 |100
Under sentence
Immediate imprisonment |77.9 |14.6 |0.9 |3.9 |2.7 |100
Fine defaulters |88.3 |6.7 |0.1 |3.2 |1.6 |100
Non-criminal prisoners
Immigration Act 1971 |- |75.0 |5.0 |15.0 |5.0 |100
Others |65.9 |25.0 |4.5 |2.3 |2.3 |100
<1> Percentages rounded independently and may not add up to totals.
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the ethnic breakdown of all prisoners in England and Wales at the latest available date.
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 282
Letter from A. J. Butler to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 20 July 1994 :The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question on the ethnic breakdown of all prisoners in England and Wales at the latest available date.
The latest available provisional information is for 31 May 1994 and is given in the attached table.
Column 281
Population in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales on 31 May 1994 by sex and ethnic origin<1>
Ethnic Origin
|White |Black |South Asian |Chinese and Other |All persons
|African, |Bangladeshi, |Other Asian, Other,
|Caribbean, Other |Indian Pakistani |Chinese, Not
|recorded
|(including refusal)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Males |39,028 |5,283 |1,372 |1,061 |46,744
Females |1,346 |363 |28 |51 |1,788
|------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |40,374 |5,646 |1,400 |1,112 |48,532
<1>Provisional figures.
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) sentenced and (b) unsentenced prisoners are currently being held in temporary allocation centres ; and at which prisons in England and Wales.
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 20 July 1994 : The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the numbers of prisoners held in temporary allocation centres. The only temporary allocation centre is located at Risley prison. On 15 July, the Risley temporary allocation centre held 138 sentenced and 24 unsentenced prisoners.
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) male foreign nationals and (b) female foreign nationals were held in prison in England and Wales at the latest available date.
Column 282
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 A. J. Butler to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 20 July 1994 :
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question asking how many (a) male foreign nations and (b) female foreign nationals were held in prison in England and Wales at the latest available date. The latest available provisional information is for 31 May 1994. On that date there were 3,780 non-British citizens (3,470 males and 310 females) in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales. This includes 600 male and 20 female nationals from the Irish Republic. A further 470 persons had no nationality recorded.
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give a breakdown by gender of all prisoners in England and Wales at the latest available date.
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 283
Letter from A. J. Butler to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 20 July 1994 :The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question asking if he will give a breakdown by gender of all prisoners in England and Wales at the latest available date.
On 15 July 1994 there were 47,247 males and 1,859 females held in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales. A further 121 males were held in police cells.
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give a breakdown by age of all prisoners in England and Wales at the latest available date.
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 A. J. Butler to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 20 July : The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question asking if he will give a breakdown by age of all prisoners in England and Wales at the latest available date.
The latest available information is for 31 May 1994. On that date there were 8,366 young offenders, ie persons aged under 21 years of age or 21 year old sentenced prisoners not classified as adults, and 40,166 adults held in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales. More detailed information by age for sentenced prisoners is published in "Prison statistics, England and Wales" (table 1.10 of the 1992 edition, Cm 2581), a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on which occasions since 1 April prisoners have been held three to a cell designed for one ; at which prisons ; and how many prisoners have been held three to a cell on each occasion.
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 A. J. Butler to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 20 July 1994 :
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about prisoners sharing three to a cell designed for one.
This information is reported by establishments on the last Friday of each month.
Since 1 April 1994, no prisoners have been reported as sharing three to a cell designed for one.
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many (a) male and (b) female prisoners have committed suicide in the year 1994-95 to date ; and how many of those were remand prisoners ;
(2) how many of the prisoners who committed suicide in 1993-94 were remand prisoners.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for these matters has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Butler to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 20 July 1994.
Column 284
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Questions about self-inflicted deaths in prison.This information is collected by calendar year, and is given in the following table.
Year Male Female
|Total |Remand|Total |Remand
--------------------------------------------------------
1993 |46 |19 |1 |1
1994 (until 18 July) |24 |10 |1 |0
Firearms
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to change the level of firearms fees and extend the period of validity of a firearms or shotgun certificate.
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria are used in determining the level of fee paid for a firearm or shotgun licence.
Mr. Howard : We have been reviewing the level of fees under the Firearms Acts and considering whether the life of a firearm or shot-gun certificate should be increased. As a result of this, I will be laying an order in both Houses in the autumn increasing the following fees :
|Current Fee |Proposed New
|Fee
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Firearm Certificate
Issue |46 |56
Shot Gun Certificate
Issue |17 |43
Renew |11 |18
Registered Firearm Dealer
Issue of certificate |94 |118
Home Office Club Approval |33 |84
The following fees will remain at their current level :
|£
------------------------------------------------------
Firearm certificate renewal |46
Firearm certificate variation |26
Firearm certificate replacement |9
Shotgun certificate replacement |8
Registered firearm dealer renewal |50
Register dealer in new area for purpose
of game fair, etc. |12
Individual British visitor's permit |12
Group British visitor's permit |60
Museum licence |<1>200
Grant of coterminous certificate |5
<1>Maximum.
I also intend to lay an order before both Houses in the autumn increasing the life of firearm and shot-gun certificates from three to five years, using the power granted to me by the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1992. I intend that both orders will take effect from 1 January 1995.
The proposed fee levels are designed to reflect the cost to the police service of operating the system, taking into account the best practice guidelines for administering the firearms licensing system which we issued to chief officers in 1991 and a subsequent costing exercise undertaken by the consultants Ernst and Young.
Column 285
In calculating costs we have assumed that police forces are already well on the way to operating best practice and will continue to make efficiency savings during the five-year period over which costs have been calculated. In the case of shotgun fees the cost of additional checks required since the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 is reflected for the first time. In particular, on first application, the police must make a home visit to make sure that the requirement for safe keeping at all times is satisfied. The increase for issue of a shotgun certificate amounts to only £3 per year over the five-year period of certificate life. The fee for renewal of a shotgun certificate remains almost exactly the same per year as it is now. Those shooters who take advantage of the coterminous certificate arrangements will be better off as they will still pay £51 for five-year certificates instead of three- year certificates. Without these increases there would be a shortfall in income of some £8 million over the five years to meet the police costs, a shortfall which would have to be met at the expense of some other police activity.I have today placed in the Library of both Houses a copy of the Ernst and Young report "Firearms Licensing Costs".
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland will be making a similar separate order in relation to fees in Scotland.
Prisoners' Compacts
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which prisons in England and Wales prisoners' compacts were in operation at the latest available date.
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 A. J. Butler to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 20 July 1994 :
The Secretary of State has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about prisons in England and Wales in which prisoners' compacts were in operation at the latest available date.
On 30 June 61 establishments were operating prisoners' compacts. A list is attached as an annex.
Annex
Askham Grange
Aylesbury
Bedford
Blakenhurst
Blantyre House
Blundeston
Brinsford
Bristol
Bullwood Hall
Canterbury
Chelmsford
Coldingley
Deerbolt
Dorchester
Downview
Drake Hall
Durham
Erlestoke House
Eversthorpe
Featherstone
Feltham
Gloucester
Grendon
Haslar
Hatfield
High Down
Hindley
Hollesley Bay
Hull
Kirklevington Grange
Leyhill
Lincoln
Lindholme
Long Lartin
Low Newton
Maidstone
Manchester
Moorland
The Mount
New Hall
Nottingham
Northallerton
Norwich
Pentonville
Risley
Rochester
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