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Immigration Rules
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will investigate whether Bulgarian replacement crews due to arrive in Glasgow on 8 December are adhering to all immigration rules in respect of the Bulgarian fishing vessels Afala, Aktinia, Kaprela, Ofelia and Rotalia in United Kingdom waters; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholas Baker: Under the immigration rules people seeking entry to join a vessel as members of its crew are eligible for admission if they are under contract to join a ship due to leave British waters. If the immigration officer is so satisfied he will grant leave to enter.
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Merseyside Police
Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what financial support (a) he provided to Merseyside police in 1993 94 and (b) is proposed for 1994 95; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Maclean: Details of Home Office grant payments to Merseyside police in respect of current and capital expenditure are as follows:
£ million
|Current |Capital
--------------------------------------------------------
1993-94 (actual) |103.267 |3.044
1994-95 (estimated) |109.622 |3.708
Police Authorities, Wales
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was (a) the cash increase and (b) the percentage increase in grants and moneys to each of the police authorities in Wales in the most recent year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean: There are no separate standard spending assessments-- SSAs--for police authorities in Wales for this or previous years, on which to base year-on-year comparisons. County council SSAs include provision for police services. Expenditure on policing is determined by county councils in the light of their statutory responsibilities, local needs and available resources. Fifty-one per cent. of actual net police expenditure--both capital and current--is met by Home Office grant. The increase in police grant payable to each Welsh police authority between 1992 93 and 1993 94, in cash and percentage terms, is as follows:
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|1992-93 |1993-94 |Cash difference|Percentage
Authority |£ million |£ million |£ million |difference
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dyfed Powys |20.848 |22.827 |+1.979 |+9.5
Gwent |21.852 |21.770 |-0.082 |-0.4
North Wales |29.332 |31.105 |+1.773 |+6.0
South Wales |67.177 |69.310 |+2.133 |+3.2
From 1 April 1995 police authorities will become freestanding authorities with their own cash-limited police grant and SSA allocations, the proposals for which were announced on 1 December.
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make available more grants to the North Wales police authority in order to facilitate the provisions of more police officers and special constables on the beat on housing estates; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean: Proposed allocations of grant to police forces were announced by my right hon. and learned Friend in reply to a question from the hon. Member for Uxbridge (Mr. Shersby) on 1 December at columns 844-45. It is for the chief constable in consultation with his police authority to decide how the available resources should be deployed in the force area.
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to meet the police
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authority in North Wales to discuss its budget provisions; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Maclean: My right hon. and learned Friend has no plans at present to meet the North Wales police authority.The setting of the force budget is a matter for the police authority.
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers are currently held in HMP Winchester; and how long these individuals have been held under Immigration Act powers.
Mr. Nicholas Baker: As at 8 December 1994, a total of five people who had sought asylum were detained at HM prison Winchester. All these cases have spent between two to six months in detention at HM prison Winchester.
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Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of23 November, Official Report , columns 159 61, how long each of the detainees referred to in table C had been in police cells.
Mr. Nicholas Baker [holding answer 12 December 1994]: Figures for the length of detention of those detained in police cells on 18 November 1994 are not available retrospectively and details relating to those currently detained could be obtained only at
disproportionate cost.
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Mr. Robert Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the number of applications for asylum (a) made at ports and (b) made in the country in each month in 1993; (2) what was the number of applications for asylum (a) made at ports and (b) made in the country in each month in 1994.
Mr. Nicholas Baker: The information requested is given in the table.
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Applications<1> received for asylum in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, by location of application and month,
1993 to end-November 1994 Number of principal applicants
1993 1994
|Applied in port |Applied in-country|Total<2> |Applied in port |Applied in-country|Total<2>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January |600 |1,355 |1,960 |775 |1,575 |2,350
February |440 |1,740 |2,180 |720 |1,285 |2,000
March |515 |1,250 |1,765 |770 |1,990 |2,755
April |420 |1,400 |1,820 |790 |1,720 |2,505
May |660 |1,205 |1,865 |760 |1,895 |2,650
June |560 |1,290 |1,850 |735 |1,730 |2,465
July |660 |1,335 |1,995 |755 |1,890 |2,645
August |590 |705 |1,295 |900 |1,795 |2,695
September |625 |1,360 |1,990 |1,315 |2,385 |3,695
October |655 |945 |1,600 |950 |2,045 |2,995
November |665 |1,140 |1,805 |745 |2,375 |3,125
December |925 |1,320 |2,245 |- |- |-
|-------- |-------- |-------- |-------- |-------- |--------
Total |7,320 |15,050 |22,370 |9,210 |20,680 |29,890
<1> Provisional and estimated figures rounded to the nearest 5.
<2> Figures exclude applications made overseas.
War Crimes Act 1991
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which audit body is responsible for value for money spent on investigations under the War Crimes Act 1991; what the budget is for these investigations; and what spending is already committed.
Mr. Maclean: The Metropolitan police war crimes unit is responsible for investigations carried out under the War Crimes Act 1991 in England and Wales. The unit's expenditure is subject to audit by the Metropolitan police service internal audit branch and the National Audit Office.
Provision for police specific grant included £500,000 to support the Metropolitan police in their war crimes investigations in 1994 95. After precept, this amount generated a sum of £962,000. A total of £589,850 had already been spent by 31 October 1994 and the remaining is committed expenditure.
Entry Visas
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present waiting time for interview for entry visas for the United Kingdom at British high commission offices in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India for (a) husbands, (b) wives and (d) fiance s and fiance es.
Mr. Nicholas Baker: Information on waiting times to first interview for applicants in the settlement queues in Pakistan and India is published in table 2.5 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin issue 25/94 "Control of Immigration: Statistics UK First and Second Quarters
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1994" published on 20 October 1994, a copy of which is in the Library. Information on Sri Lanka is not collected centrally.Energy Expenditure
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total expenditure on energy for offices and buildings by (a) his Department and (b) his agencies in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
Mr. Nicholas Baker: The Home Office leases one property used, for security reasons, as the London residence of the Home Secretary of the day. The total expenditure on energy--gas and electricity--at the property in each of the last three financial years was:
1991 92: £1,079
1992 93: £1,628
1993 94: £4,699
Disclosure of Evidence
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 2 December, Official Report, column 915, when he expects to complete his consideration on the disclosure of evidence; and what plans he has for announcing the outcome.
Mr. Nicholas Baker: We are making arrangements to give effect to the judgment of the Divisional court in ex parte Hickey and others, which concerned the procedure by which decisions are taken in cases where it is represented to us that a miscarriage of justice has
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occurred. Separately, the case of Mr. Malone, one of the applicants to the Divisional court, was referred to the Court of Appeal on 8 December.DEFENCE
Drug Testing
Mr. Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to introduce random compulsory drug testing in the armed forces.
Mr. Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to introduce random compulsory drug testing in the armed services.
Mr. Soames: The House will be aware that we have for some time been working on plans to introduce random compulsory drug tests in the armed forces.
The Government attach very high priority to tackling the problem of drug misuse. This is reflected in the proposals set out in the recent Green Paper "Tackling Drugs Together". In the spirit of the Green Paper, a number of measures are already taken in the armed forces to educate recruits and service personnel about the dangers of drugs, and the unlawful possession or supply of a controlled substance is contrary to service as well as civilian law.
Following detailed studies, a broad policy framework was agreed last year for the introduction of a compulsory drug testing regime in each of the three services, should that be judged necessary. I can now announce that, following an anonymous trial of testing procedures in the Army, we have decided as a further deterrent to introduce compulsory drug testing in the Army.
With immediate effect, Army personnel may be required to provide urine specimens for testing at any time and with no prior warning. Personnel who are tested positive or who refuse to provide a specimen will in the case of officers be required to resign and soldiers will normally be discharged. Lance corporals and below may in certain circumstances be given a second chance and allowed to remain in the Army for counselling.
The Royal Navy is initiating compulsory drug testing trials, which will allow decisions to be taken as to whether there is a need to introduce a drug testing regime. The Royal Air Force does not need to introduce compulsory drug testing for the moment, but it is keeping its policy under review. In the meantime the RN and RAF will continue to apply other measures to deter drugs misuse.
Quangos
Mr. Fatchett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many quangos his Department was responsible for (a) in 1979 and (b) in the latest year for which a number is available;
(2) if he will list (a) those quangos his Department has abolished since 1979 and (b) those quangos established since 1977.
Mr. Soames: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Scarborough (Mr. Skyes) on 25 November 1994, Official Report , column 458 . No records are available prior to 1979.
Mr. Fatchett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of quangos to which he is
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responsible for appointing members are employed by companies which supply his Department.Mr. Soames: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Fatchett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many members of quangos to which he is responsible for appointing members have previously served as councillors representing (a) the Conservative party, (b) the Labour party and (c) the Liberal Democrat party;
(2) how many members of quangos to which he is responsible for appointing members have stood as candidates for boroughs, city, district or county councils for (a) the Conservative party, (b) the Labour party and (c) the Liberal Democrat party;
(3) how many members of quangos to which he is responsible for appointing members have stood as parliamentary candidates for (a) the Conservative party; (b) the Labour party and (c) the Liberal Democrat party;
(4) how many known members of (a) the Conservative party, (b) the Labour party and (c) the Liberal Democrat party currently serve on quangos to which he is responsible for appointing members; (5) how many members of quangos to which he is responsible for appointing members currently serve as councillors representing (a) the Conservative party, (b) the Labour party and (c) the Liberal Democrat party.
Mr. Soames: Members of Ministry of Defence non-departmental public bodies are appointed on the basis of suitability and merit. Information on members' political allegiance and record is neither sought nor held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
United Nations Peacekeeping
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultations he has had with the Foreign Secretary in drawing up clear operational guidelines for future United Nations peacekeeping.
Mr. Soames: The United Kingdom has played an active part in discussions aimed at enhancing the capacity of the United Nations to mount peacekeeping operations. In addition, the British Army is developing a manual on peacekeeping on which there has been consultation with the United Nations. My Department is in regular contact with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on these matters.
Consultants
Mr. Fatchett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will (a) list those consultancy contracts awarded by his Department in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993 and (b) the purpose of each individual contract.
Mr. Freeman: The Department's central contracts branch has placed in excess of 500 contracts with consultants in each of the last few years. In addition to this figure, consultancy contracts are placed as part of specific projects and as low value orders of under £10, 000. Under the Department's arrangements for the delegation of contractual authority, such contracts are placed without reference to the central contracts branch and so cannot be identified separately. In view of this and the large number of centrally placed contracts involved over the last 15 years, an answer to
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this question could be provided only at disproportionate cost and effort.Animal Testing
Mr. Fatchett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 2 December, Official Report, column 898, if he will list (a) the type of animals used for experiments and (b) the nature of the experiments for 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993.
Mr. Soames: The species of animals used by the Department for experiments were rats, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, sheep, goats, pigs, miniature pigs, marmosets and rhesus monkeys.
These experiments were designed to:
Investigate gravitational effects;
demonstrate the results of exposure to different pressures of air or oxygen;
assess the potential harm of chemical or biological agents; devise medical countermeasures;
demonstrate the efficacy of and safety of medical
counter-measures;
All the experiments involving the use of animals fully meet the spirit and letter of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
Exercise Iron Tempest
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many close air support missions with cannon were flown by Jaguar aircraft over Salisbury plain training area during Exercise Iron Tempest.
Mr. Soames: The planned close air support mission by two Jaguar aircraft on 10 December was cancelled due to poor weather, and no such missions were therefore flown.
Nuclear Weapons
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to keep the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrence under constant review.
Mr. Soames: We continue to keep our defence policy as a whole under review. We believe, however, that our nuclear forces continue to provide the ultimate guarantee of this country's security and remain an important element of NATO's strategy of war prevention.
Official Service Residences
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what savings he plans to make from the official service residences.
Mr. Soames: The review by Sir Peter Cazalet of representational entertainment in the armed forces, which is examining the requirement for senior officers to entertain and the means by which the entertainment should be carried out, will in particular consider whether there are alternative and more cost-effective means than the use of official service residences and other service married quarters, and, in the light of that, whether any properties can be disposed of. I shall report to the House in due course on the outcome of this work.
Redundancies
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultations he has had with the
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Secretary of State for Employment in formulating a policy for the provision of high-grade training for service personnel made redundant.Mr. Soames: The successful improvements introduced into the services resettlement programme, following "Options for Change", were developed with the full co-operation and assistance of the Department of Employment. In addition to participating in the strategic planning of the programme, Department of Employment staff work closely with my Department to provide a range of services which ensure that those leaving the armed forces have available the advice, training and job search opportunities to help best exploit their service skills in moving to a second career.
Research
Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sum was spent by his Department on research in each of the last 10 years; what percentage this was of the total annual budget; what is the research budget for the forthcoming year; what percentage this is of his total budget; and what additional new research is to be undertaken.
Mr. Freeman: The sums spent on research and development by the Department for the last 10 years were reported in the statistical supplement to the 1994 "Forward Look of Government-funded Science, Engineering and Technology." The expenditure on research and development and the percentage that this expenditure was of total departmental expenditure are as follows:
|R and D |Percentage of total
|£ millions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1985-86 |2,018.2 |11.1
1986-87 |1,941.5 |10.5
1987-88 |1,910.7 |10.1
1988-89 |1,879.8 |9.8
1989-90 |2,028.6 |9.8
1990-91 |2,062.9 |9.5
1991-92 |2,267.0 |9.8
1992-93 |2,220.9 |9.4
1993-94 |2,461.1 |10.5
1994-95 |2,314.6 |9.9
The expenditure on research and development in the coming year has still to be determined, and will be reported in the statistical supplement to the 1995 "Forward Look".
Information on new research areas is given in paragraph 437 of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1994"--Cm 2550.
Special Advisers
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of the special advisers serving in his Department during the last five years were subject to positive security vetting.
Mr. Soames: All special advisers are currently required to have a security clearance which will depend on the level of access they require to carry out their duties.
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Military Equipment
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the share by value, and the total value in current and standard prices, of British production of (a) warships, (b) aircraft for military purposes, including the training of pilots, and (c) tanks and other armoured vehicles which was for (i) domestic and (ii) export purposes in each year since 1984.
Mr. Charles Wardle: I have been asked to reply.
The information is given in the following tables.
Table 1: Defence production expenditure for domestic
(United Kingdom) use
£ millions
|Sea equipment |Air equipment |Fighting vehicles
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current prices
1984-85 |1,925 |3,003 |131
1985-86 |2,128 |2,761 |155
1986-87 |2,134 |2,644 |148
1987-88 |2,475 |2,807 |212
1988-89 |2,421 |2,652 |235
1989-90 |2,642 |2,717 |180
1990-91 |2,700 |2,718 |252
1991-92 |2,809 |2,930 |243
1992-93 |2,720 |2,460 |149
1993 prices
1984-85 |1,210 |1,887 |82
1985-86 |1,413 |1,833 |103
1986-87 |1,464 |1,813 |102
1987-88 |1,784 |2,023 |153
1988-89 |1,850 |2,027 |180
1989-90 |2,161 |2,223 |147
1990-91 |2,350 |2,366 |219
1991-92 |2,604 |2,716 |225
1992-93 |2,630 |2,379 |144
Source:
Table 1.6 UK Defence Statistics series or from the Defence Analytical Services Agency,
table 2.1 "Economic Trends", October 1994.
Notes:
Sea equipment includes the full militarisation of the standard equipment.
Air equipment excludes the cost of training pilots. This information is not available.
Fighting vehicles excludes maintenance.
Estimates of 1993 prices were derived from current price figures using the implied
deflator for GDP at market prices.
Table 2: United Kingdom exports of defence equipment
£ millions
|SBAC
|Armoured |identified
|Military |fighting |additional
|aircraft |vehicles |aerospace
|Warships |and parts |and parts |equipment
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Current prices
1984 |40 |212 |146 |1,310
1985 |4 |174 |127 |940
1986 |12 |192 |87 |1,312
1987 |61 |326 |56 |1,853
1988 |26 |813 |59 |1,406
1989 |41 |1,524 |52 |717
1990 |3 |1,206 |70 |1,904
1991 |8 |1,367 |66 |807
1992 |3 |838 |89 |811
1993 |24 |1,310 |147 |n/a
1993 prices
1984 |25 |133 |92 |823
1985 |3 |116 |84 |624
1986 |8 |132 |60 |900
1987 |44 |235 |40 |1,335
1988 |20 |621 |45 |1,074
1989 |34 |1,247 |43 |587
1990 |3 |1,050 |61 |1,657
1991 |7 |1,267 |61 |748
1992 |3 |810 |86 |784
1993 |24 |1,310 |147 |n/a
Source:
Table 1.11 UK Defence Statistics series or the Defence Analytical
Services Agency.
Table 2.1 "Economic Trends", October 1994.
Notes:
These figures for exports of identified defence equipment are
understated because of dual-use products, for example Land Rovers.
The estimates of additional military exports are based on figures
from the Society of British Aerospace Companies. They relate only to
those items where the official commodity classifications do not
distinguish between military and civil aerospace equipment.
These are liable to alter from year to year in line with changes to
the classifications.
Exports for collaborative projects are excluded.
Estimates of 1993 prices were derived from current price figures
using the implied deflator for GDP at market prices.
n/a-Not available.
Departmental Telephone Bills
Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were his Department's telephone bills in each of the last five years.
Mr. Freeman: The Department's direct telephone running costs for the year's 1991 92, 1992 93 and 1993 94 were £67.1 million, £64.9 million and £61.4 million respectively. Figures prior to these dates are not available.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Special Advisers
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Attorney-General which of the special advisers serving in his Departments during the last five years were subject to positive security vetting.
The Attorney-General: There have been no special advisers in the Departments for which I am responsible during the last five years.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Special Advisers
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which of the special advisers serving in his Department during the last five years were subject to positive security vetting.
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Mr. Robert G. Hughes: All special advisers are currently required to have positive vetting.
Consultants
Dr. Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is his Department's policy regarding the use of executive search consultants in making appointments to public bodies; and if he will list (a) the appointments where such consultants have been used and (b) the cost in each case in the period April 1992 to December 1993.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: It is the policy of my Department to follow the guidance provided in the "Guide on Public Appointments Procedures" which advises that the use of executive search consultants is one option which may be appropriate for certain full and some part-time posts.
Executive search consultants were used for the appointments of the Director General of the Research Councils and chief executives of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Natural Environment Research Council and the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council. The total cost was £78,960 including VAT. This fee was negotiated to cover all four appointments and it is not possible to disaggregate the figure.
Research Council
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what decisions were taken on the fourth framework programme at the Research Council on 1 December.
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