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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 31 January 1995
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Judicial Powers
Mr. Heppell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many times judges have used their power of arrest in cases of contempt of court in each of the last three years.
Mr. John M. Taylor: My Department does not collect data about arrests which are made under the Contempt of Court Act 1981. Such information for the last three years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost and its accuracy could not be guaranteed.
N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will provide estimates for the total amount that has been paid to N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd. with respect to any work undertaken by it on privatisation programmes in which his Department has been engaged since 1979 after taking account of inflation.
Mr. John M. Taylor: There is no record that N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd. has been involved in any privatisation programmes for the Lord Chancellor's Department.
Ian Greer Associates
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on how many occasions departmental officials met representatives of Ian Greer Associates (a) formally and (b) informally on 26 January to discuss matters relating to their clients' interests.
Mr. John M. Taylor: As far as I am able to ascertain, no officials of the Lord Chancellor's Department met representatives of Ian Greer Associates on 26 January, either formally or informally, to discuss matters relating to their clients' interests.
TREASURY
Nirex
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor to the Exchequer what will be the effect on the public sector borrowing requirement of the expenditure on the Nirex rock characterisation facility.
Mr. Aitken: Nirex's estimate of the cost of constructing the rock characterisation facility is approximately £120 million at 1992 prices. This will be
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funded by Nirex's public sector shareholders, whose external financing requirements are included within the PSBR.N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide estimates for the total amount that has been paid to N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd. with respect to any work undertaken by it on privatisation programmes in which his Department has been engaged since 1979 after taking account of inflation.
Sir George Young: The table lists the sales conducted by the Treasury in which N. M. Rothschild was appointed and the roles to which it was appointed. The fees paid to firms appointed within the privatisation programme are commercially confidential.
Privatisation by Her Majesty's Treasury involving N. M. Rothschild Company |Year |N. M. Rothschild's role(s) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BP |1987 |Financial adviser Underwriter BT |1991 |French syndicate member BT |1993 |Global syndicate member
Public Expenditure Round
Mr. Dobson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the (a) exchange of letters between spending Departments and the Treasury, (b) official level bilateral meetings, (c) ministerial level bilateral meeting and (d) the EDX process--the Ministerial Committee on Public Expenditure-- will take place during 1995 as part of the public expenditure round; and what part the representatives of local government will play in this public expenditure round.
Mr. Aitken: The detailed timetable for the 1995 public expenditure survey has not yet been set. The process starts in the spring, but Treasury and spending Departments are in regular contact throughout. Most of EDX's meetings take place in September and October. Ministers from Departments with an interest in local government and their officials have regular discussions on service and expenditure issues with the local authority associations and individual authorities, and consider written representations from them. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and other interested Ministers meet the chairs of the local authority associations at the Central Council on Local Government Finance in July and October. Ministers take account of the views expressed by these means, along with those of other groups, in making public expenditure decisions.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Next Steps Agencies
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out for each of the next steps agencies in his Department, whether they have acquired their own headquarters buildings and, if so, at what purchase cost or annual rental; how many support
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staff they have required which were not required when their operations were within his Department; how many of them publish periodical journals and at what annual cost; how many have fleets of executive cars or single executive cars and at what annual cost; how many have specially designed logos and at what cost; how many have corporate clothing and at what cost; and what is the cost of specially designed and printed corporate stationery.Mr. Howard: I will write to the hon. Member.
Metropolitan Police
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers employed in the Metropolitan police area have been sacked for sexual or racial discrimination in each of the last three years.
Mr. Maclean: Sexual discrimination is not a specific disciplinary offence. One officer was dismissed in 1992 for discreditable conduct, following a series of allegations of sexual discrimination; there were no comparable cases in 1993 or 1994.
Racially discriminatory behaviour is an offence under paragraph 9 of schedule 1 to the Police (Discipline) Regulations 1985. No officers were dismissed on this ground in 1992, 1993 or 1994. From the information that has been collected, it is not possible to say whether an allegation of racially discriminatory behaviour may have been a contributory factor in some cases of dismissal on other grounds, such as discreditable conduct, misconduct towards a member of a police force, or abuse of authority.
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the months of (a) October, (b) November and (c) December 1994 officers of the Metropolitan police have been unable to attend magistrates courts in order to give evidence against those charged with offences due to budget limitations of the force; and on how many occasions in each month the persons concerned were discharged and no further proceedings taken.
Mr. Maclean: None, in each case.
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints of sexual or racial discrimination have been made against (a) policemen and (b) policewomen employed in the Metropolitan police area in each of the last three years.
Mr. Maclean: The following figures refer to complaints for which investigations were completed. It is not possible to provide the information in the form requested during the year in question. In 1992, 205 complaints of racially discriminating behaviour against Metropolitan police officers were investigated, and in 1993, 198 complaints. In some cases, the complaint may have involved more than one officer. It is not possible to identify the numbers of male and female officers involved.
In 1994, the latest figures available indicate that a total of 287 complaints of racially discriminating behaviour were the subject of completed investigations. These related to 315 officers, of whom 259 were male and 43 female. The sex of the remaining 13 officers has not been recorded.
Figures for complaints of sexually discriminating behaviour are not collected centrally.
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Policing of Protests (Costs)
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what compensation is available from EEC funds for the policing costs of enforcing EEC regulations against the protests in the United Kingdom; and if he will request support from EEC funds for police action at British ports in respect of (a) live calf exports and (b) fishermen's protests.
Mr. Maclean: Law enforcement is an area where the Community rightly has no competence and there is therefore no provision in the Community budget for such expenditure.
Policing, Shoreham
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what extra funds he will be making available to the West Sussex police authority for the extra policing required at Shoreham port; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Shoreham (Mr. Stephen) on 19 January, Official Report , column 672.
Prison Sentences
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of prison sentences given by the courts are of the statutory maximum.
Mr. Maclean: The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Compensation Orders, Newcastle and Gateshead
Mr. Clelland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many compensation orders were made by (a) Gateshead magistrates court in 1993, (b) the Gateshead magistrates court in 1994, (c) the Central Newcastle magistrates court in 1993, (d) the Central Newcastle magistrates court in 1994, (e) the Newcastle Crown court in 1993 and (f) the Newcastle Crown court in 1994;
(2) what is the total value of compensation orders which remain unpaid made by (a) the Gateshead magistrates court in 1993, (b) the Gateshead magistrates court in 1994, (c) the Central Newcastle magistrates court in 1993, (d) the Central Newcastle magistrates court in 1994, (e) the Newcastle Crown court in 1993 and (f) the Newcastle Crown court in 1994;
(3) what was the total value of compensation orders made by (a) the Gateshead magistrates court in 1993, (b) the Gateshead magistrates court in 1994, (c) the Central Newcastle magistrates court in 1993, (d) the Central Newcastle magistrates court in 1994, (e) the Newcastle Crown court in 1993 and (f) the Newcastle Crown court in 1994;
(4) how many compensation orders remain unpaid made by (a) the Gateshead magistrates court in 1993, (b) the Gateshead magistrates court in 1994, (c) the Central Newcastle magistrates court in 1993, (d) the Central Newcastle magistrates court in 1994, (e) the Newcastle Crown court in 1993 and (f) the Newcastle Crown court in 1994.
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Mr. Mclean: Information held centrally, which is given in the table, shows the number of compensation orders issued and the value of the amounts made for 1992 and 1993--the latest available figures. 1994 data will not be available until the autumn.
Information is not collected centrally on the number and amounts of compensation orders that remain unpaid. However, for further information I would refer the hon. Member to the footnotes of the table given in my reply on 17 January, column 377 .
Compensation order data for Gateshead and Newcastle
magistrates courts and Newcastle Crown court 1992 and 1993
|Number of
|compensation |Amount issues
Court/Year |orders |£
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Gateshead Magistrates court
1992 |512 |65,400
1993 |467 |63,600
Newcastle Magistrates court
1992 |1,094 |125,600
1993 |1,078 |124,000
Newcastle Crown court
1992 |196 |90,000
1993 |136 |99,700
Source: Home office.
Disabled People
Mr. McAllion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion and number of non-industrial civil servants in the Departments and agencies for which he has responsibility are registered disabled and disabled as defined by the Cabinet Office document "Focus on Ability".
Mr. Howard: On 25 January 1995, 229 members of staff in the Home Office and its agencies were registered disabled, representing 0.5 per cent. of all staff; a further 146--0.l3 per cent. of staff--have declared themselves as disabled, but have not registered as such. There are likely to be others who have not responded to the Department's voluntary surveys.
Mr. Daya Pal Singh
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a decision is going to be made on the asylum application first lodged in October 1986 by Mr. Daya Pal Singh, ref: IMG/94 330/972/1(S); when Mr. Singh was last interviewed; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholas Baker: Mr. Singh was last interviewed on 19 October 1994 and produced a number of additional documents which required translation before the application could be fully and properly considered. We expect to make a decision shortly. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as Mr. Singh has been notified.
National Missing Persons Bureau
Mrs. Golding: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children under the age of 16 years have been registered with the National Missing Persons Bureau since its opening.
Mr. Maclean: Information is not held in the form requested. From the opening of the bureau on 18 March
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1994 to 31 December 1994, a total of 2,363 persons under the age of 18 years were reported missing. Of these, 115 were still missing at 31 December.N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide estimates for the total amount that has been paid to N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd. with respect to any work undertaken by it on privatisation programmes in which his Department has been engaged since 1979 after taking account of inflation.
Mr. Howard: No work on a privatisation programme has been undertaken for the Home Office by N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd.
Mr. Mahwood Hussein Mettan
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) pursuant to his answer of 20 January, Official Report, column, 695 , relating to the papers relating to Mahmood Mettan's execution at Cardiff gaol in 1952, if he will give further consideration to the explanation given for the routine destruction of the relevant papers in 1986, having regard to the discovery of the papers in the Public Record Office; and if he will place a copy of those papers in the Library;
(2) if he will supply a copy of all or part of the papers relating to the trial and execution of Mahmood Mattan in 1952 to solicitors acting on the family's behalf in pursuit of their request for a posthumous pardon.
Mr. Howard: No. Further inquiries within my Department and the Public Record Office have confirmed the destruction of Home Office records of this case.
I understand that copies of documents from the Lord Chancellor's Department file at the Public Record Office were sent to the solicitors acting for Mr. Mattan's widow in September 1994.
Betting
Sir Ivan Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to amend the law on betting licensing.
Mr. Michael Forsyth: I have today issued a consultation document on possible changes to the law on betting permits and licences and track betting licences in Great Britain.
Subject to the consultation, the Government intend to make an order under section 1 of the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994 to implement these changes. It is hoped to bring the draft order before Parliament in spring 1995.
The purpose of the consultation document is to give details of the proposed changes and to seek the views of interested parties. Briefly, it is proposed to:
extend the duration of bookmakers permits and betting office licences from one year to three years,
simplify the procedure for renewal applications, and introduce a renewal procedure for the licensing of betting tracks.
Copies of the consultation paper have been placed in the Library.
Electro-shock Equipment
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his reply of 24 January,
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Official Report, column 152, when a company was last granted authority specifically to possess electric shock weapons; if he will name the company or companies involved; and for how long that permission was given.Mr. Maclean [holding answer 30 January 1995]: No company has been granted authority specifically to possess electric shock weapons in the last three years. Information about the granting of authority for that purpose in earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Welsh: To aks the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what further steps he is taking to review the operation of guidelines relating to the manufacture, marketing and supply of (a) electro-shock weapons and (b) weapons of torture; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what assessment he has made that guidelines relating to the manufacture, marketing and supply of (a) electro-shock weapons and (b) instruments of torture are being fully complied with; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Maclean [holding answer 30 January 1995]: Electric shock weapons are prohibited by section 5(1)(b) of the Firearms Act 1968, and cannot be possessed, manufactured or sold without the authority of the Secretary of State. The procedures for granting or refusing authority to possess prohibited weapons are kept under regular review.
It is not practicable to control trade in the wide range of goods which could be misused for the purposes of torture. The Government are willing to look at any tangible evidence of British companies knowingly involved in supplying materials and expertise for the purposes of repression.
LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL
Ian Greer Associates
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Lord President of the Council on how many occasions departmental officials met representatives of Ian Greer Associates (a) formally and (b) informally on 26 January to discuss matters relating to their clients' interests.
PRIME MINISTER
Mr. Ian Henderson
Mr. Galloway: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the capacities in which Mr. Ian Henderson, currently head of Bahrain's security and intelligence services, has been employed by Her Majesty's Government.
The Prime Minister: Mr. Ian Henderson served in the colonial police service in Kenya from 1948 until Kenyan independence in 1963. In that capacity, he was an employee of Her Majesty's overseas civil service.
Standard Chartered Bank
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister when he last met the chairman of the Standard Chartered bank; and if he will make a statement.
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The Prime Minister: The chairman of the Standard Chartered bank was present at a lunch given in honour of the Indian Prime Minister on 14 March 1994.
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister when he last met the Prime Minister of India; and if he discussed the position of the Standard Chartered bank.
The Prime Minister: I last met the Prime Minister of India when he visited the United Kingdom from 13 to 16 March 1994. We did not discuss the Standard Chartered bank.
Engagements
Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 31 January.
Sir Peter Tapsell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 31 January.
The Prime Minister: This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall be having further meetings later today.
Parliamentary Salaries (Deductions)
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister if he will support a proposal that all remuneration received by hon. Members for parliamentary duties from outside sources should be deducted from parliamentary salary in the same way that deductions are made from income support.
The Prime Minister: Hon. Members are entitled to the parliamentary salary as the remuneration payable to them as Members of this House. There are well-established procedures for determining this.
N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Prime Minister if he will provide estimates for the total amount that has been paid to N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd. with respect to any work undertaken by it on privatisation programmes in which his Department has been engaged since 1979 after taking account of inflation.
Lockerbie
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his letter of 25 January, whether in order to honour Her Majesty's Government's commitment in the letter to obtain justice for all the victims of the Lockerbie crime, he will discuss with Chancellor Kohl the possibility of the Scottish police interviewing Hafey Dalkamoni before such time as he is released.
The Prime Minister: There is no need for me to have such a discussion with Chancellor Kohl. My noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate has repeatedly stated that he cannot make public details of what inquiries, including interviews, have been or may be carried out in this case. It would be a matter for him to request legal assistance from the competent German authorities, if the Scottish police and Crown Office did indeed consider it necessary for any one in Germany to be interviewed or re -interviewed.
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Ian Greer Associates
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions departmental officials met representatives of Ian Greer Associates (a) formally and (b) informally on 26 January to discuss matters relating to their clients' interests.
DEFENCE
Bosnia
14. Mr. Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the present position in respect of the deployment of UN forces in and around Tuzla in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Mr. Rifkind: The headquarters of UNPROFOR's sector north-east is located in Tuzla and a mechanised infantry battalion of some 1,200 Swedish and Danish soldiers, together with a Jordanian
mortar-locating unit, are based in and around the town.
Future Large Aircraft
15. Mr. Brandreth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received concerning the development of the future large aircraft; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman: I have discussed the future large aircraft with both British Aerospace and my French and German counterparts. As my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Defence announced on 16 December, Official Report, column 823, we will rejoin the FLA programme at the end of the feasibility phase provided that it is managed on a commercial basis under the umbrella of the Airbus consortium. Resources will need to be available and our requirements on price and performance must also be met. A programme of work with our partners is in progress.
17. Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement concerning the prospect of his Department purchasing the future large aircraft consequent upon his decision to purchase Lockheed Hercules aircraft.
Mr. Freeman: As my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Defence announced on 16 December, Official Report, column 823, we will rejoin the FLA programme at the end of the feasibility phase provided that it is managed on a commercial basis under the umbrella of the Airbus consortium. Resources will need to be available and our requirements on price and performance must also be met. A programme of work with our partners is in progress.
Married Quarters Housing Stock
16. Mr. Norman Hogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how his Department's budget has been affected by the lack of sales of married quarters housing stock.
Mr. Soames: The defence budget continues to assume a substantial receipt from the sale of married quarters in Great Britain. Although the original plans for a housing trust have been dropped, other options are being pursued.
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Inhumane Weapons Convention
18. Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what new proposals he has to add new weapons to the inhumane weapons convention.
Mr. Soames: The United Kingdom has not proposed to add any weapons to the scope of the UN weaponry convention, but we are considering carefully those proposals made by others. Our main aim remains to strengthen restrictions on the use of anti-personnel land mines.
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