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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Decisions about the appropriate protection to provide in individual cases are an operational matter for the police.
Eider Ducks
Mr. Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many field visits his staff made in 1994 to assess reported damage by eider ducks at shellfish farms prior to the issue of a licence for the killing of this bird. [19149]
Sir Hector Monro: A site visit was made prior to the approval of the one licence to shoot eiders issued during 1994.
Mr. Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many applications his staff have received for licences to kill eider ducks at shellfish farms during each year since 1987. [19141]
Sir Hector Monro: Since 1987 three applications have been received under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to kill eider ducks at shellfish farms in Scotland. One application was received in 1991, one in 1994 and one in 1995.
Mr. Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many licences have been issued during each year since 1981 under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 for the killing of eider ducks at shellfish farms; and what bag limits were imposed on these licences. [19147]
Sir Hector Monro: Two licences have been issued since 1981 both in respect of the same site. The first, for the period 23 November to 31 December 1994, had a limit of 50 eider ducks and eight were reported as shot. The second was from 14 March to 30 April 1995 with a limit of 20 birds.
Mr. Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from Scottish Natural Heritage about the siting of mussel farms in relation to eider duck populations. [19139]
Sir Hector Monro: None. The siting of mussel farms is primarily a matter for the Crown Estate Commissioners, who consult SNH and other appropriate interests before granting leases for such developments.
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Mr. Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what advice he has received from Scottish Natural Heritage on the issuing of licences to kill eider ducks during 1994; and if he will publish it. [19150]
Sir Hector Monro: SNH advised against the issue of a licence on the single application received in 1994. The basis of SNH's advice was that the farm had been badly sited and that the solution to the predation problem was to relocate it.
Mr. Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what evidence is used to justify the granting of a licence to allow the killing of eider ducks at a shellfish farm; and if he will make it his practice to publish it. [19148]
Sir Hector Monro: Before any licence application is considered, evidence is required on the amount and significance of the expected damage to shellfish at the farm. It is not the practice to publish information on actual or likely damage in relation to specific businesses.
Mr. Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what methods of non-lethal predator control his staff insist must be tried at shellfish farms before any licence is issued for the killing of eider ducks. [19140]
Sir Hector Monro: Each application is assessed on its merits. However a range of non-lethal methods, such as nets and scarers, must have been tried before a licence to shoot is considered.
Correspondence
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the average time his Department takes in replying to letters from right hon. and hon. Members; what is the (a) shortest and (b) longest time it has taken to reply in full in the last calendar year; and if he will make a statement. [18989]
Mr. Lang: My Department has a target of replying to correspondence received from right hon. and hon. Members within 17 working days of receipt. The average time taken to reply to the 5,562 letters received during the 1994 calendar year was 19.6 working days. The shortest time taken to reply in full was one working day and the longest time was 92 working days.
Economic Statistics
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what statistics he keeps on the effect of Renfrew district on the Scottish economy; and if he will make a statement. [18997]
Mr. Kynoch: Available official economic data include employment and unemployment statistics, data from the annual census of production, number of manufacturing and other units, data on the size and characteristics of the labour force from the labour force survey, VAT registrations and deregistrations, and detailed data on economic activity from the census of population. Because of the different dates and frequency of compilation, and the possible changes in boundary definitions over time, data from different sources cannot be reliably compared. Further details are given in the table.
Source |Frequency |Latest available |Key statistics
|data
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Census of Employment |Biennial |1991 |Employment by industry and gender status number of units
Scottish Register of Employment |Annual |1992 |Manufacturing employment units
Unemployment |Monthly |March 1995 |Gender, age and duration
|(Note: rates are not available at district level)
Annual Census of Production |Annual |1992 |Output, employment and purchases for production industries
Labour Force Survey |Quarterly |Winter 1994/95 |Characteristics of the labour force,
|numbers economically active, inactive. Data is limited at district level
VAT Registrations |Annual |1993 |Registrations, deregistrations and end of year stocks,
|by broad industry group
Census of Population |Decennial |1991 |Wealth of detail on economic activity, by industry,
|social class, and socio-economic group
Availability of official data at district level or for similar sized areas is, in general, limited due to the relatively small sample sizes of key national surveys falling within districts. This applies across the United Kingdom/Great Britain. Further, districts do not match travel-to-work areas, creating conceptual and practical difficulties in providing some labour market statistics. Key statistics such as earnings and gross domestic product estimates have been produced at district level on an ad hoc basis, but are generally available only at Scottish regional level or above. Planned developments in data on services are at an all Scotland level, and not below in geographical terms.
Photo-identity Passes
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the current uses of photo-identity passes by central and local government in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [19007]
Mr. Lang: Photographic security passes which are issued by my Department to staff and other authorised personnel form part of the access control security procedures in place in the main Scottish Office buildings. In addition, photographic identity cards are issued to staff who, during the course of their official or statutory duties, may be required to identify themselves. Arrangements in local government are a matter for local authorities.
Loitering
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to amend the laws on loitering; and if he will make a statement. [18983]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: There is no criminal offence of loitering in Scotland and there are no plans to introduce one. A law against loitering would unduly restrict the rights of assembly and movement of law-abiding citizens. Instead, there are a number of common law and statutory offences which target specific types of anti-social and criminal behaviour associated with loitering. In particular, section 46 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 makes it an offence for any person to loiter in a public place for the purposes of prostitution. Section 53 of the same Act makes it an offence for a pedestrian in a public
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place wilfully to obstruct the lawful passage of others. In addition, behaviour likely to cause alarm or annoyance may constitute the common law crime of breach of the peace.Street Traders
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to review the laws governing street traders, with particular reference to regulating their right to compete with bona fide shopkeepers; what plans he has to legislate on the council tax liability of street traders; and if he will make a statement. [18988]
Mr. Kynoch: The licensing provisions governing street traders are contained in the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982. A review of the Act will be carried out once reorganisation of local government is complete.
Barnacle Geese
Mr. Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what bag limit was imposed on licences to kill barnacle geese under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in Orkney in the last year; and what non-lethal measures were taken to avoid serious damage to crops before the licence was issued. [19146]
Sir Hector Monro: Only one licence has been issued in respect of barnacle geese in Orkney. The licence is not subject to a bag limit but can be revoked at any time.
The applicant carried out non-lethal scaring measures as recommended by the Department before a licence was issued.
Police (Court Time)
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to make legislative and procedural changes to ensure that the time spent in court by police officers waiting to give evidence which is not heard on the date or at the time they are called to give evidence is minimised; and if he will make a statement. [19030]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Proposals in the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill, including mandatory first and intermediate diets and provisions for the leading of
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certificate evidence and the agreement of evidence in advance of trial, will lead to a substantial reduction in the time spent by police officers waiting to give evidence in court. Additionally, police forces and courts are currently introducing a number of administrative changes to reduce police waiting times.Urban Aid, Glasgow
Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people are employed (a) full time and (b) part time in urban aid projects in the east end of Glasgow; and of these, how many reside in the area. [19142]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Information obtained--which from Strathclyde regional council and Glasgow district council are responsible for the management of urban programme projects in the area--shows that 161 people are employed full time and 37 part time in such projects in the east end of Glasgow. Information on how many of these people are resident in the area is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mining Subsidence
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the most recent information available to him on the stability of the disused coal mineworkings which lie under the town of Johnstone and the village of Elderslie; if he will commission a study into the need for further ground stabilisation measures; and if he will make a statement. [18990]
Mr. Kynoch: Where properties suffer damage as a result of coal mining subsidence, the Coal Authority or the relevant mine owner is responsible for repair or compensation under the Coal Mining Subsidence Act 1991 as amended by the Coal Industry Act 1994. I understand that the Coal Authority is not aware of any stability problems relating to the mineworkings under the town of Johnstone or the village of Elderslie.
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Advisers
Ms Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many advisers his Department employs broken down to show (a) political advisers and (b) economic advisers; at what grade and salary they are employed; and what are their minimum working hours in each case. [19417]
Mr. Lang: My Department employs two political advisers. Their salaries and conditions of work are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings.
Economic advice is obtained from career civil servants, who are employed on standard civil service terms and conditions. The following numbers by grade are full-time equivalents:
Senior economic adviser--unified grade 5--3
Economic adviser--unified grade 7--10.6
Economic assistant/senior economic assistant--11.6
Council Tax
Sir David Steel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the average council tax band D bill for the changeover period between the poll tax and the council tax. [19523]
Mr. Lang: In 1993 94, the Scottish average band D council tax levels excluding council water charge were as follows: regional average, £397; islands average, £423; district average, £163. In calculating the averages, no allowance has been made for the effects of council tax transitional relief and council tax benefit in reducing the amounts to be paid.
Mrs. Fyfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost of establishing (a) the poll tax and (b) the council tax. [17902]
Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 4 April 1995]: Costs incurred by local authorities in establishing the community charge and the council tax, which were reimbursed by my Department through grant schemes and capital allocations are set out in table 1. Known costs for administering local taxation collection are shown in table 2.
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Table 1
£ thousand
|1987-88|1988-89|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92|1992-93|1993-94|1994-95
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Capital allocation for introduction
of community charge |6,000 |15,000 |- |- |- |- |- |-
Community charge grant |- |- |- |- |437,000|16,000 |9,000 |7,400
Community charge transitional relief |- |- |- |24,000 |2,000 |- |- |-
Community charge reduction scheme |- |- |- |- |140,000|107,000|3,050 |900
Community charge rebilling grant |- |- |- |- |4,000 |- |- |-
Council tax transitional relief |- |- |- |- |- |- |17,000 |3,100
Council tax valuation grant |- |- |- |- |1,000 |7,000 |1,600 |0
k
Table 2
£ thousand
|1989-90 |1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94 |1994-95<1>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Community charge registration |9,645 |11,709 |14,048 |- |- |-
Council tax valuation |- |- |- |11,342 |13,798 |9,176
Community charge collection |10,426 |25,817 |25,618 |29,595 |- |-
Local tax collection |- |- |- |- |40,128 |28,800
Council tax preparation costs |- |- |- |7,302 |- |-
<1> Figures based on budget estimates.
Public Information Telephone Lines
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the public information telephone inquiry lines operated by his Department, in each case indicating the costs of establishing, operating and publicising these lines and the number of calls made to them up until this point; when they were established; and what assessment his Department has made of their effectiveness. [17460]
Mr. Lang [holding answer 3 April 1995]: The Scottish Office inquiry line and the free telephone lines from Scottish Office information points were established in October 1993. The cost of establishing these lines was £8,864 and telephone operating costs are approximately £5,000 per annum. All calls to these lines are dealt with by the Scottish Office central inquiry unit. The handling cost per call is less than £1. Initial publicity for the information points and lines cost £150,000. No further publicity costs have been incurred.
There have been some 6,600 calls to the inquiry line from all sources since its inception to 24 March 1995.
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A telephone call back survey to assess customer satisfaction levels with the service on these lines has just been completed.Advertising
Mrs. Ann Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list each non-departmental public body and agency for which he has responsibility and, for each, list separate figures for the spending by that body or agency on (a) television advertising, (b) radio advertising, (c) newspaper advertising, (d) other promotion materials and activities, (e) the totals in each year of (a) to (d) and (f) the proportion of (e) that was spent on recruitment advertising for each year since 1979 80 or for each year of its existence if it has been created since 1979 80; and what are his latest estimates of (a) to (f) for the years 1994 95 and 1995 96. [17608]
Mr. Lang [holding answer 3 April 1995]: Details of the relevant expenditure by agencies for which I have responsibility are set out in the following table. Information on individual items of expenditure by non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally.
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Advertising expenditure by agencies within the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Scotland
£ thousand
|Date of agency |1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94 |1994-95 estimate |1995-96 plans
|launch |outturn
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Historic Scotland |April 1991
a. television |n/a |42 |Nil |Nil |129 |129
b. radio |n/a |Nil |Nil |Nil |5 |5
c. newspaper |n/a |380 |253 |260 |93 |93
d. other promotion |n/a |Nil |65 |65 |70 |70
e. total |n/a |422 |318 |325 |297 |297
f. proportion of total spent on recruitment |n/a |3.6 per cent. |3.5 per cent. |3.4 per cent. |7.1 per cent. |5.4 per cent.
Registers of Scotland |April 1991
a. television |Nil |Nil |Nil |Nil |Nil |Nil
b. radio |Nil |Nil |Nil |Nil |Nil |Nil
c. newspaper |Nil |Nil |<1>1 |7 |1 |5
d. other promotion |Nil |Nil |Nil |Nil |Nil |Nil
e. total |Nil |Nil |1 |7 |1 |5
f. proportion of total spent of recruitment |Nil |Nil |3.0 per cent. |29.9 per cent. |29.9 per cent. |9.0 per cent.
Scottish Agricultural Science Agency |April 1992
a. television |n/a |n/a |Nil |Nil |Nil |Nil
b. radio |n/a |n/a |Nil |Nil |Nil |Nil
c. newspaper |n/a |n/a |6 |6 |11 |10
d. other promotion |n/a |n/a |Nil |1 |1 |1
e. total |n/a |n/a |6 |7 |12 |11
f. proportion of total spent on recruitment |n/a |n/a |100 per cent. |85.7 per cent. |91.7 per cent. |90.9 per cent.
Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency |April 1991
a. television |n/a |Nil |Nil |Nil |Nil |Nil
b. radio |n/a |Nil |Nil |Nil |Nil |Nil
c. newspaper |n/a |1 |1 |1 |1 |1
d. other promotion |n/a |5 |Nil |14 |20 |Nil
e. total |n/a |6 |1 |15 |21 |1
f. proportion of total spent on recruitment |n/a |Nil |Nil |Nil |Nil |Nil
Scottish Prison Service |April 1993
a. television |n/a |n/a |n/a |Nil |Nil |Nil
b. radio |n/a |n/a |n/a |Nil |Nil |Nil
c. newspaper |n/a |n/a |n/a |37 |66 |15
d. other promotion |n/a |n/a |n/a |Nil |Nil |Nil
e. total |n/a |n/a |n/a |37 |66 |15
f. proportion of total spent on recruitment |n/a |n/a |n/a |100 per cent. |100 per cent. |100 per cent.
Scottish Record Office |April 1993
a. television |n/a |n/a |n/a |Nil |Nil |Nil
b. radio |n/a |n/a |n/a |Nil |Nil |Nil
c. newspaper |n/a |n/a |n/a |3 |1 |2
d. other promotion |n/a |n/a |n/a |Nil |Nil |Nil
e. total |n/a |n/a |n/a |3 |1 |2
f. proportion of total spent on recruitment |n/a |n/a |n/a |Nil |Nil |Nil
Scottish Court Service |April 1995
Scottish Office
Pensions Agency |April 1993 |Nil in all years
Student Awards
Agency for Scotland |April 1994
<1> Estimate: not separately identified.
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HOME DEPARTMENT
Police, Hampshire
Mr. Barry Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the chief constable is required to report the promised increase in police numbers for the Isle of Wight and Hampshire to his Department. [18806]
Mr. Maclean: Police complements are now a local matter, and there are no formal requirements for reporting recruitment plans.
Rules and Regulations
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what requirements there are for officials in his Department to introduce a compliance cost assessment for all rules and regulations coming before him and his Ministers; and how many compliance cost assessments have been issued in his Department in the first three months of this year. [19349]
Mr. Howard: Details of when a compliance cost assessment is required are set out in today's reply by my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State for Corporate Affairs, in response to a similar question. In the Home Office no compliance cost assessments have been prepared in the first three months of 1995.
Ethnic Minorities
Mr. Pendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total amount of section 11 funding for each of the last two years; and what are the projected totals for 1995 96 and 1996 97. [19085]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: The following table shows expenditure out-turn figures for 1993 94 and 1994 95, and current financial provision figures for 1995 96 and 1996 97.
|£ million
------------------------------
1993-94 |131.20
1994-95 |115.02
1995-96 |91.55
1996-97 |86.76
The figures take into account projects originally approved by the Home Office under section 11, but for which responsibility for funding was transferred with effect from 1 April 1994 to the Department of the Environment's single regeneration budget.
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his latest estimate of the number of teaching posts likely to be lost in 1995 96 as a result of reductions in section 11 grant. [19129]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: It is not possible to make such an estimate. Increases or reductions in the numbers of section 11-funded posts in particular areas between 1994 95--when many projects ended their planned life--and 1995 96 may be due to a variety of factors. These include changes in levels of need, changes of approach adopted by local authorities in addressing such need, changes in the priorities of local authorities, and the availability of funding under other programmes--such as the single regeneration budget, which embraces such need but is
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structured quite differently. It is not possible to gauge the effect of a single factor.Refugees
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were assisted by the Refugee Council in the last year when figures were recorded. [19463]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: During 1993, 5,613 cases were assisted by the Refugee Council's advice service. The number of individuals assisted will have been higher than this, as a case may comprise an individual or an individual plus dependants. In the first ten months of 1994 figures are not yet available for the full year--the advice service assisted 5,970 cases.
The Refugee Council also administers a panel of advisers to assist unaccompanied child asylum seekers. Between March 1994, when the panel started operations, and February 1995, the latest date for which figures are available, 324 children were assisted by the panel.
The Refugee Council has a leading role in assisting those received under the Government's scheme to accept 1,000 vulnerable people from the former Yugoslavia, and their dependants. During 1994 95, 562 were assisted by the Refugee Council.
The Refugee Council also has a substantial role in advising and supporting local refugee organisations, and in the training and employment of refugees.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has on the funding available to refugees in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) each of the other EU member states. [19465]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: Home Office funding is available to national and regional refugee organisations to assist refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom. In 1994 95, this funding amounted to £3.3 million, with additional sums for the reception and settlement of refugees from the former Yugoslavia. No information is available about funding for refugees in EU member states.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what studies have been made by his Department of the needs of refugees in the last five years; and what proposals have been brought forward as a result of these studies. [19464]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: The report of a study by the Home Office into the settlement of refugees in Britain was published on 31 March. The report does not make specific recommendations, but its possible implications for policy are being considered. The report of a similar study of the settlement of Vietnamese refugees is in the final stages of preparation.
Political Advisers
Ms Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many advisers his Department employs broken down to show (a) political advisers and (b) economic advisers; at what grade and salary they are employed; and what are their minimum working hours in each case. [19421]
Mr. Howard: My Department employs two political advisers. Their salaries and conditions of work are
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negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings, and are confidential. Economic advice is obtained from career civil servants, who may be employed on a variety of working patterns. The following numbers by grade are full-time equivalents:Grade 6--1
Grade 7--1
Senior Economic Assistant--1
Senior Scientific Officer--1
Police
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many beat officers in each police authority have been replaced with special constables in each of the last three years. [18708]
Mr. Maclean: The deployment of all police officers, whether regulars or specials, is a matter for chief officers. But, according to the information we have available centrally, no chief officer has cut the number of regular beat officers in order to replace them with special constables. Specials are volunteers who work part-time to supplement, rather than to replace, the efforts of the regular police.
Asylum Seekers
Sir David Steel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each of the last 10 years (a) the number of asylum seekers, (b) the number of persons granted refugee status, (c) the number of persons granted exceptional leave to remain and (d) the total number of applicants held in detention; and if he will list for each year the six major countries of origin of the applicants. [18870]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: Information on the number of asylum applications and decisions made during 1994 is given in the table. The countries with the largest number of nationals applying for asylum in the United Kingdom in 1994 were Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Turkey, India, Ghana and Somalia.
Information on asylum applications and decisions for the years 1985 to 1993 is published in table 1.2 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin, "Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 1993", issue 17/94. Information on the nationalities of asylum applicants in the years 1985 to 1993 is published in table 2.1 of the same publication, a copy of which is available in the Library.
As at 29 March 1995, 619 persons who had sought asylum were detained. This included persons awaiting an initial decision on their claim for asylum and those pending appeal or awaiting the setting of removal directions. Information on the number of persons who have applied for asylum held in detention during 1990 to 1995 is not available.
Decisions on applications for asylum<1> received in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, 1994 Numbers of principal applicants --------------------------------------------------------- Asylum applications<2> |32,830 Total Decisions<2 3> |20,990 Recognised as a refugee and granted asylum |825 Not recognised as a refugee but granted exceptional leave to remain<4> |3,660 Total refused<5> |16,500 <1> Provisional figures rounded to the nearest 5, with = 1 or 2.<2> Figures exclude information on applications made overseas. <3> Decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same year. <4> Usually granted for a year in the first instance, subject then to further review. <5> Includes refusals made after full consideration, refusals under para 340 (para 180F prior to 1 October 1994) for failure to provide evidence to support the asylum claim within a reasonable period, and refusals on the grounds that the applicant had arrived from a safe third country.
Combat 18
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what actions his Department will take against the organisation known as Combat 18; and if he will make a statement. [18580]
Mr. Maclean: The Government consider the activities of Combat 18, and any other group which advocates violence, reprehensible. I am satisfied that the police have the resources and powers they need effectively to respond to such groups. For instance, the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 made the offence of publication and distribution of material likely to incite racial hatred an arrestable one, and created an imprisonable offence of intentional racial harassment.
Police National Computer
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many access requests are expected to be made by Government Departments and agencies to the police national computer in the coming year for security vetting purposes and if those subject to the vetting procedure give prior consent to the police national computer check. [18413]
Mr. Maclean: About 150,000 PNC checks per year are currently made on employees, potential employees, and contractors through the national identification service at the request of the Departments and agencies concerned. The introduction of direct access is not expected to affect either the number of checks carried out or the existing arrangements for obtaining the prior consent of subjects.
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if access requests made by Government Departments and agencies to the police national computer will return information on bind-overs, cautions and the seriousness of the crime; [18145]
(2) what categories of information outside departments and agencies will have access to on the police national computer. [18146]
Mr. Maclean: Access to the police national Computer by the Departments and agencies concerned will be by means of a discrete application, which will indicate only whether or not a subject is recorded on the criminal names index or listed as wanted or missing. No details of any criminal convictions or other disposals or of the circumstances in which the subject may be reported wanted or missing will be revealed. The response will
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confirm the name, age, sex, colour, and height of the subject of the inquiry.Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) under what terms and conditions outside Departments and agencies will have access to information held on the police national computer; [18119]
(2) what restrictions will be placed on the use of information from the police national computer by outside Departments and agencies when they have access to information held there; [18120]
(3) what measures he has taken to ensure that Government Departments and agencies do not misuse direct access to the police national computer; and if he is able to trace each access request to the individual making the request. [18412]
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