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Prisoners (Activities)
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average number of hours per week which prisoners spent in purposeful activity, in each month of 1994 to the latest available date.
Mr. Michael Forsyth: 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 24 October 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the average number of hours per week which prisoners spend in purposeful activity, in each month of 1994 to the latest available date.
The latest available information is as follows:
Weekly average hours per prisoner in purposeful activity Month |Hours ------------------------- January 1994 |23.3 February |25.5 March |26.3 April |25.0 May |26.7 June |26.3 July |27.3 August |26.9 September |26.4
Drug Prescribing
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department at which prisons medical officers are authorised to prescribe opiate substances as part of a drug rehabilitation programme.
Mr. Michael Forsyth: 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 24 October 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking at which prisons medical officers are authorised to prescribe opiate substances as part of drug rehabilitation programmes. All prison medical officers are authorised to prescribe opiate substances when its use is clinically indicated.
Prison Cells
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners since the
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beginning of April have been held three to a cell designed for one; on what dates and at which prisons prisoners have been held three to a cell; and how many prisoners have been held three to a cell on each occasion.Mr. Michael Forsyth: 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 24 October 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me 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.
Prisons
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the prison population were (a) remanded and (b) sentenced prisoners in each month from April to the latest available date.
Mr. Michael Forsyth: 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 24 October 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking what percentage of the prison population were (a) remanded and (b) sentenced prisoners in each month from April to the latest available date.
The attached table shows this information for the last day of each month, from April to August 1994.
Percentage of prison population by type of
custody:
England and Wales, April-August 1994<2>
|Percentage|Percentage
|on remand |sentenced
--------------------------------------------
1994
April |25 |74
May |26 |73
June |26 |73
July |25 |74
August |26 |73
<1>Figures relate to last day of month.
They include prisoners held in police
cells.
<2>Non-criminal prisoners account for about
1 per cent. of the total prison population
and are excluded from both the remand and
sentenced.
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the prisons in which no drug rehabilitation programmes are available.
Mr. Michael Forsyth: 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 24 October 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question on the availability of drug rehabilitation programmes in prisons. All Prison Service establishments provide prisoners with access to a range of services including education, treatment and counselling
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for drug misuse via the prison health care centre, the probation service or outside drug agencies.As part of the new Prison Service drugs strategy, to be launched in the near future, all prison governors will be required to develop and implement local drug strategies which will form part of their contract with their area manager. These local strategies will include additional provision for education, treatment and throughcare services for prisoners who misuse, have misused or are potential misusers of drugs.
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of prisoners with access to 24-hour sanitation, at the latest available date.
Mr. Michael Forsyth: 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 24 October 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of prisoners with access to 24 hour sanitation. At the end of September 1994, 94 per cent. of prison places, or approximately 47,000 prisoners, had access to night sanitation.
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) prison workshops and (b) farms and gardens enterprises there are in operation at the latest available date; and in which prisons they are.
Mr. Michael Forsyth: 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 24 October 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of workshops and farms and gardens enterprises there are in operation in each prison.
I enclose a list of all prisons in England and Wales having workshops, arranged in alphabetical order and a separate list of Farms and Gardens activities arranged in enterprises. There are 240 workshops in all, at 98 prison establishments. All establishments have a grounds maintenance enterprise; 38 have major agricultural and horticultural enterprises; in addition, approximately 24 establishments have smaller scale horticultural production units.
Prison Farms and Gardens Enterprises
Establishment |Enterprise
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All establishments |Amenity/sports areas
Dartmoor |Quarrying
Dartmoor |Beef
Guys Marsh
Hatfield
Onley
Stocken
Ford |Compost
Camphill |Dairy-Milk
Dartmoor
East Sutton Park
Everthorpe
Featherstone
Hatfield
Hewell Grange
Hollesley Bay
Colony
Kirkham
Littlehey
New Hall
Rochester
Stocken
The Verne
Usk/Prescoed
Werrington
East Sutton Park |Dairy-Mozzarella Cheese
Guys Marsh |Dairy-replacement stock
Leyhill
Portland
Swinfen Hall
Askham Grange |Field Scale Vegetables-
Everthorpe
Featherstone
Ford |Green vegetables,
| roots and potatoes
Hatfield
Haverigg
Hewell Grange
Hollesley Bay
Colony
Kirkham
Lindholme
Morton Hall
Northallerton
North Sea Camp
Portland
Ranby
Rudgate
Stanford Hill
Swinfen Hall
The Vern
Thorn Cross
Usk/Prescoed
Whatton
Wymott
Albany |Glasshouses/ Polytunnels-
Ashwell
Blantyre House
Blundeston |Salad items, pot plants
|and floral decorations
Bullingdon
Bullwood Hall
Camphill
Channings Wood
Coldingley
Drake Hall
East Sutton Park
Erlestoke
Featherstone
Ford
Frankland
Glen Parva
Grendon/Springhill
Guys Marsh
Haslar
Haverigg
Hewell Grange
Highdown
Highpoint
Hindley
Hollesley Bay Colony
Holme House
Huntercombe/Finnamore Wood
Kirkham
Leyhill
Lindholme
Morton Hall
New Hall
Northallerton
North Sea Camp
Norwich
Onley
Portland
Pucklechurch
Ranby
Rochester
Rudgate
Send
Standford Hill
Stocken |Glasshouses/ Polytunnels-
Styal
Sudbury/Foston |Salad items, pot plants
| and floral decorations
Swinfen Hall
The Verne
Thorn Cross
Wellingborough
Werrington
Wetherby
Whatton
Hollesley Bay Colony |Horses-Suffolk Punches
Highpoint |Jam factory-Jam
| and marmalade
Full Sutton Wayland |Machinery repairs-
|Mowers, farm equipment
| and 4-wheel trucks
Ford |Nursery stock- Trees and shrubs
Blundeston |Pigs-
Everthorpe
Hatfield |Bacon and pork
Haverigg
Hewell Grange
Hollesley Bay
Colony
Kirkham
New Hall
North Sea Camp
Portland
Rochester
Standford Hill
Stocken
Swinfen Hall
The Verne
Usk/Prescoed
Lindholme |Poultry-Eggs
Dartmoor |Sheep
Featherstone
Gartree
North Sea Camp
Hollesley Bay Colony |Vegetable preparation units
Kirkham
Leyhill
Lindholme
Standford Hill
Hafield |Cereal
Stocken
East Sutton Park |Vineyard
Usk |Sawmill
Everthorpe |Woodland
Dartmoor
Featherstone
Swinfen Hall
Huntercombe
Hollesley Bay
All establishments |21 enterprises
Radioactive Materials
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking on illegal trading in radioactive materials, following his meeting in Berlin on 8 September with justice Ministers for central and eastern Europe.
Mr. Howard: My officials, together with colleagues in other Departments, are participating in work within the inter-governmental structures of the European Union to review the incidence of illegal trading in radioactive materials and to examine proposals for increased co- operation against it, in furtherance of the declaration of the ministerial conference in Berlin on 8 September. Responsibility for executive action in respect of any attempt illegally to import or export radioactive materials, or to engage in any other criminal activity involving such materials, remains with HM Customs and Excise and with the police respectively.
Prevention of Terrorism Acts
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now arrange to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Acts.
Mr. Howard: I have no plans to do so at the present time.
Exclusion Orders
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will arrange to revoke all exclusion orders which exclude citizens normally resident in Northern Ireland from entering the rest of the United Kingdom; how many such people are currently subject to such exclusion orders; how frequently such orders require renewal; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Howard: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced last Friday that I had that day revoked the orders excluding Mr. Gerry Adams and Mr. Martin McGuinness from Great Britain, that other exclusion orders would remain in place for the time being, and that my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State
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for Northern Ireland would keep the need for them under review. It is the Government's hope that the day is approaching when exclusion orders will no longer be needed but we are not prepared to lower our guard prematurely.There are currently 72 orders in force, of which 62 have been made by myself and my predecessors and 10 by my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. All orders expire after three years unless revoked earlier. Of the 62 Home Office orders, 55 involve exclusion from Great Britain and seven exclusion from the United Kingdom.
Salford Prison
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the timetable for the site purchase, planning, building and opening of the proposed new prison in Salford;
(2) whether the proposed new prison at Salford will be planned, built and run by private sector companies;
(3) how many prisoners will be held at the proposed new prison at Salford, announced on 18 October;
(4) whether the proposed new prison in Salford, announced on 18 October, will be one of the six new prisons announced by the Home Secretary in October 1993.
Mr. Michael Forsyth: 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 24 October 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about the announcement on 18 October by the Prison Service of plans to build a new category B prison in Greater Manchester.
Discussions are taking place about the purchase of the site and about the planning implications, but a formal planning notice has not yet been submitted to the relevant planning authority, Salford City Council. Subject to the outcome of these discussions, it is envisaged that tenders could be invited for the prison's construction by the summer of 1995, which would enable the prison to open before the end of the financial year 1998 99.
Our initial assessment is that the site is large enough to accommodate up to 800 prisoners but the level of occupancy will be one of the issues for discussion with the planning authority. This will be one of the six prisons announced by the Home Secretary on 2 September 1993, for which the design, construction, management and finance will be contracted out to the private sector.
DEFENCE
Pregnancy (Dismissals)
Mr. Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many women have been dismissed from each of the armed forces on the grounds of pregnancy in each year since August 1990; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Soames: Records held centrally show only the total numbers of women who left each of the services on grounds of pregnancy during the period since August 1990. These figures are as follows:
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Female Non-commissioned
officers<1> females
|RN |Army |RAF |RN |Army |RAF
----------------------------------------------------------------------
August 1990-1 April 1991<2> |2 |10 |7 |35 |98 |73
1991-92 |4 |17 |15 |78 |177 |140
1992-93 |3 |16 |18 |85 |204 |112
1993-94 |- |6 |9 |85 |184 |91
1 April 1994-June 1994<3> |- |- |2 |35<4>|29 |12
Notes:
<1>Actual figures for the number of female officers who left on
pregnancy between 1990-91 and 1992-93 are not available and could
only be provided at disproportionate cost and effort. The figures
provided are therefore estimates based on the percentage of
non-commissioned females leaving on pregnancy.
<2>Figures represent pro-rata apportionment for 1990-91. Separate
figures for period from August are not available.
<3>Latest figures available.
<4> This figure includes women who left on marriage. Separate figures
are not available at present.
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Depleted Uranium Shells
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the outcome of the seabed search for depleted uranium shells fired into the Solway firth conducted on behalf of his Department during the summer; and what has been the cost to his Department to date.
Mr. Freeman: Following an underwater video survey by the Fisheries Protection Vessel, Solway Protector, British Telecom Marine, using Ministry of Defence equipment was contracted to attempt the recovery of sample depleted uranium penetrators from the bed of the Solway firth. Sonar, visual and magnetometer surveys were conducted with no result. Water and seabed silt samples showed no increase in background radiation levels. The cost of these activities was some £27,000 for work covering six days overall.
Equal Treatment Directive
Mr. Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department conducted an evaluation of the impact of the equal treatment directive on any of their employment policies or practices when it came into force; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Soames: I am not aware of any such evaluation having taken place within my Department. In any case, my Department believed at that time that the directive did not apply to the armed forces.
Plutonium
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to obtain a copy of the report published in August by the Washington-based Natural Resources Defence Council on the control over military usable plutonium.
Mr. Soames: My Department already holds a copy of the report in question.
Al-Yamamah Agreement
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent meetings he has had with Saudi Arabian Government officials on the plans of the Saudi Offset committee in regard to the Al-Yamamah agreement.
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Mr. Freeman: My officials met the Saudi economic offset committee on 17 October to review the progress of the Al-Yamamah offset programme.
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has requested from the Sunday Times the original tape recordings and other evidence reported on 9 October alleging the payment of brokerage fees to Mr. Mark Thatcher in regard to the Al-Yamamah defence contracts with Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Defence Export Sales Organisation has held any formal or informal meetings with Mr. Mark Thatcher in regard to the Al-Yamamah defence agreement with Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Freeman: I know of no evidence that Mr. Thatcher played any part in, or influenced, the British Government's negotiations with the Saudi Arabian Government on the Al-Yamamah contracts.
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of the Al-Yamamah defence agreements signed with Saudi Arabia on 26 September 1985, 17 February 1986 and 3 July 1988; and what plans there are to update these agreements.
Mr. Freeman: No. The understandings referred to are confidential between the British and Saudi Arabian Governments. There are no current plans to update these understandings.
Army Apprentices College
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department expects to spend in total on refurbishing the army apprentices college, Chepstow; and if he will publish a breakdown of that expenditure.
Mr. Soames: The estimated total cost of converting Beachley camp, Chepstow from an apprentices college to
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an infantry battalion barracks is £15,300,000. These costs are broken down as follows:
|£
-----------------------------------------------------
Conversion of barracks |9,300,000
Provision of additional quarters |5,000,000
Design and management |1,000,000
All of these figures are inclusive of VAT
Air Chief Marshal (Residence)
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will describe the procedures leading to the appointment of KPMG Marwick to carry out an investigation into expenditure on the Air Chief Marshal's official residence.
Mr. Soames: Wherever possible and appropriate my Department places consultancy work by competitive tender. On this occasion, however, the need to make rapid progress with the investigation made it preferable to engage Ms Masters of KPMG Marwick. Ms Masters was already engaged on other work for the Department and we were confident that she was a suitable choice to conduct the assignment.
Low Flying
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the guidance given regarding avoidance procedures to pilots operating in low flying or ultra-low-flying regimes when training over geographically prominent secondary schools.
Mr. Soames: No specific guidance on avoidance procedures is given to pilots when training in the vicinity of schools. However, pilots are instructed to avoid flying over major conurbations and towns and to avoid all other populated areas wherever possible, whether they are listed for avoidance or not. In tactical training areas, pilots are instructed, if possible, to avoid all buildings likely to be occupied by people when conducting operational low flying.
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if pilots are permitted to use geographically prominent secondary schools as low flying targets during low-level training flights.
Mr. Soames: Schools do not feature on lists from which targets for simulated toss and dive attacks must be selected. Aircrews are instructed that targets for simulated level attacks are to be selected with consideration for nearby habitation, thereby ruling out the choice of schools.
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the number of low-flying
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sorties which have passed within a five-mile radius of Berwickshire high school in Duns during the last 12 months.Mr. Soames: The information is not held in the form requested.
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria would have to be satisfied in order to secure a permanent low flying exclusion zone around a secondary school in a geographically prominent position in a low flying practice zone.
Mr. Soames: Many schools are located in areas such as large towns where low flying is not practised. It is our policy not to grant avoidances for schools in other areas where routine low flying takes place. To do otherwise would concentrate the activity on neighbouring communities and would have an unacceptable impact on our ability to meet essential training needs.
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence is he will make an official visit to Berwickshire high school in Duns in order to explain Her Majesty's Government's policy regarding low overflights of secondary schools in prominent positions in low flying practice zones.
Mr. Soames: There is no specific policy regarding low flying overflights of secondary schools in prominent positions in low flying practice zones. Our policy on low flying was explained to staff and parents at Berwickshire High School by the RAF regional community relations officer for the Borders when he visited the school on 11 May, and my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence responded in his letter of 22 July to further concerns raised by the clerk of the school.
Military Land Byelaws
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to reply to letters sent to him on 28 August, 5 September and 19 September by Lindis Percy, of Bradford, a constituent of the hon. Member for Bradford, West, concerning military land byelaws and related matters.
Mr. Soames: The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State's office replied on the 21st October to the letter of 28 August from Ms Lindis Percy. As to her letters of 5 and 19 September, replies will be sent shortly.
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people in each of the last 10 years to date have been (a) arrested, (b) charged, (c) convicted and (d) acquitted of offences relating to military land bylaws.
Mr. Soames: Before 1988 information of this sort was not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. From 1988 the figures, which relate to the number of reported incidents in England and Wales, are as follows:
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|1988|1989|1990|1991|1992|1993|1994
--------------------------------------------------
Arrested |245 |641 |619 |151 |30 |21 |3
Charged |175 |108 |88 |11 |6 |5 |-
Convicted |87 |35 |49 |5 |4 |3 |-
Acquitted |11 |- |16 |- |- |- |-
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to review military land byelaws at HMS Forest Moor, at Menwith Hill and at
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RAF Alconbury; when the review is due to be completed; when he expects to receive the conclusions of the review; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Soames: My Department is currently reviewing all military land byelaws. This will include those at HMS Forest Moor, Menwith Hill and RAF Alconbury. Because this is an extensive and legally complex task, I am unable to say when the review will be completed.
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total cost to his Department, in each year since 1984, to date, of legal costs relating to military land byelaws; and in how many court proceedings in each of these years relating to military land byelaws the Ministry has been legally represented.
Mr. Soames: It is not possible separately to identify the legal costs relating to military land byelaws from other work carried out by my Department's legal adviser and his staff.
I will write to the hon. Member concerning the number of court proceedings relating to military land byelaws in which the Ministry has been legally represented.
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military land byelaws he regards as being invalid; to which sites such byelaws relate; and what steps he has taken to take down byelaw notices displayed at these sites.
Mr. Soames: Court judgments have indicated that there are defects in the military lands byelaws at HMS Forest Moor, Menwith Hill, RAF Alconbury and Greenham Common. Byelaw notices are no longer displayed at these establishments.
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