House of Commons Hansard Debates for 24 May 1995

Mr. Dorrell: My answer of 17 May related to a question about the historical significance of the papers. As to the value, the National Heritage Memorial Fund took independent advice from a different source; this was from a well respected dealer in the field of antiquarian books.

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if the Churchill papers are fully catalogued. [25154]

Mr. Dorrell: An outline catalogue is available at Churchill college, Cambridge, and at the national register of archives in Chancery lane.

Work on a detailed catalogue began at Churchill college in 1991. It is expected to take a further five years to complete.

British Broadcasting Corporation

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage to what extent the closure of BBC Radio CWR and other local radio stations will affect the BBC's statutory obligations in its charter. [25230]

Mr. Dorrell: The BBC's royal charter requires the corporation to provide such broadcasting services and facilities as may be required by any licence granted to, or any agreement made with, the BBC by the Secretary of State. Under the terms of the annex to its current licence and agreement the board of governors recognises that the BBC has a duty to undertake to provide a properly balanced service displaying a wide range of subject

Column 648

matter. Subject to meeting this obligation, it is for the BBC to decide how best to allocate its resources.

Mr. Jim Cunnigham: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many licences have been issued to private radio stations to replace those stations that will be reduced or merged by the BBC. [25229]

Mr. Dorrell: It is for the Radio Authority to determine the pattern for licensing independent local radio stations.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what discussions he has had with the BBC management following the decisions to close BBC Radio CWR and other local BBC radio stations, in respect of the transparency of the BBC's decision-making progress. [25226]

Mr. Dorrell: None. The transparency of the BBC's decision-making process is a subject which is being reviewed in the context of discussions about its new charter and agreement.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make it his policy to demand full disclosure of the BBC's future financial plans with particular regard to (a) programme production and (b) local services. [25227]

Mr. Dorrell: The White Paper on the future of the BBC proposed that the BBC should publish objectives for each of its services and for programme production, and should undertake public consultation prior to making any material change to the nature of its services.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many local radio stations are to be merged with other radio stations; and if he will list the radio stations that will be merged or lose their licence to broadcast. [25228]

Mr. Dorrell: These are matters for the BBC and the Radio Authority. It is for the BBC to determine what local radio services it will provide and for the Radio Authority to license and oversee the development of independent local radio.

Tourism-related Regulations

Mr. Pendry: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list all those tourism-related regulations that have been amended or repealed as part of the Government's deregulation initiative. [24138]

Mr. Dorrell: A complete list of regulations amended or repealed which affect the tourist industry could only be assembled at disproportionate cost, but progress has been made in several of the key areas identified during my Department's inquiry into regulatory burdens on tourism. Examples include food hygiene regulation, road signposting and the Electricity at Work Regulations. We are continuing to follow up a number of issues made to me in the course of the inquiry.

National Lottery

Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the arts and sports bodies in the London borough of Ealing to which grants have been given from national lottery proceeds; what sum of money was involved in each case; and if he will make a statement. [24811]

Mr. Dorrell: There have as yet been no national lottery awards made to arts or sports organisations based in the London borough of Ealing.

Column 649

Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will summarise the criteria used for the allocation of national lottery money in Wales. [24841]

Mr. Dorrell: The national lottery distributing bodies operating in Wales have each developed their own eligibility criteria for lottery funding, within the framework provided by the directions made under section 26 of the National Lottery etc. Act 1993, and the individual bodies' governing legislation. Copies of the directions have been placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how he expects the national museums of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales to benefitfrom national lottery money; and if he will make a statement. [24842]

Mr. Dorrell: The national museums of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are eligible for national lottery funding from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.

Mrs. Fyfe: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will consider relaxing the restrictions for the national lottery on publishing information about the district in which a winning ticket was sold. [25579]

Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 22 May 1995]: Protection of winners' anonymity is a section 5 licence condition and therefore a matter for the director general of the national lottery. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member, placing copies of his response in the Library of the House.

Mrs. Fyfe: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what measures he plans to enable theowners of unclaimed winning lottery tickets to come forward. [25580]

Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 22 May 1995]: This is an operational matter for Camelot Group plc. I have therefore asked the director general of the national lottery, who is responsible for regulating the operation of the lottery, to write to the hon. Member, placing copies of his response in the Library of the House.

Historic Documents

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what special training is given to persons who have responsibility for assessing the historical significance of documents held by his Department. [23282]

Mr. Dorrell: Training in assessing the historical significance of departmental records is carried out under the guidance of the keeper of public records. It is provided in a number of different ways, including courses on the appraisal of records and through conferences and seminars arranged by the Public Record Office.

Rural Economy

Mr. Colvin: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is his estimate of the net annual financial saving, or cost, of his Department's submission for the proposed White Paper on the Rural Economy. [24328]

Mr. Dorrell: Proposals for the rural White Paper remain subject to continuing collective consideration and discussion. The cost of measures contained in the White Paper will be taken into account in the Public Expenditure Survey.

Column 650

VE Day

Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to congratulate the staff of the royal parks for their part in the VE day commemorations; and if he will make a statement. [24123]

Mr. Dorrell: The VE day commemorations in Hyde park were a great success and I am conveying appropriate congratulations and thanks to all those involved in the organisation of the events, including staff of the Royal Parks Agency.

Evidence to Select Committees

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, what training his civil servants receive in preparation to give evidence to select committees with special reference to (a) watching a video, (b) written information and (c) oral information. [25577]

Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 22 May 1995]: Training is available from the Civil Service College for those civil servants who are likely to appear in person to give evidence. A number of senior civil servants in my Department have already attended such courses. A copy of the Cabinet Office guidance "Departmental Evidence and Response to Select Committees" is sent to all grade 5s and above in my Department. Copies of the guidance are available in the House Libraries.

Welsh Fourth Channel

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to his answer of 16 May, Official Report, columns 148 50, to the right hon. Member for Watford (Mr. Garel-Jones) if he will state the basis for the Beastall report's conclusions that all five intermediary companies used were genuinely trading; what checks were made with Companies House and each company's auditors with respect to annual reports and accounts pertinent to that issue; and if he will make a statement. [25698]

Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 22 May 1995]: Mr. Beastall's concern was to check that the companies involved had not been created merely as vehicles for sponsorship payments. His conclusion that they were genuinely trading was based on evidence from S4C, the proprietors of the companies and, in some cases, ABSA that they were engaged in film, video or programme production or related activities at the time that the sponsorship payments were made.

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to his answer of 16 May to the right hon. Member for Watford (Mr. Garel-Jones), Official Report, columns 148 50, what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority concerning the date on which the disciplinary action was taken against the member of S4C in relation to the Pengwyn Pinc issue; and what form the disciplinary action took. [25267]

Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 22 May 1995]: I have had no discussions with the chairman of the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority on this topic. The timing and form of any disciplinary action is a matter for S4C.

Column 651

for submitting a report to the Comptroller and Auditor-General; and if he will make a statement on the accountability of the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority to the Committee of Public Accounts. [25266]

Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 22 May 1995]: A copy of the report by Mr. John Beastall has been sent to the Comptroller and Auditor General. The chief executive of S4C is designated as the accounting officer for payments made to S4C under the Broadcasting Act 1990. He may be called upon to appear before the Committee of Public Accounts.

Tourism (EC Funding)

Mr. Hawksley: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if private sector applications are eligible for moneys under European structural fund objective 5B, priority 3 measure 3.1 in the tourism sector. [24581]

Mr. Eggar: I have been asked to reply.

European regional development fund grants in the tourism sector are covered in all the UK objective 5b single programming documents, although the precise priorities and measures involved vary. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Broxtowe (Mr. Lester) today, on new rules on private sector involvement in ERDF projects. Tourism projects are treated in the same way as other projects.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Prison Governors

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 15 May, Official Report , column 17 , what steps are being taken to recruit more members of the ethnic minorities to governor grades. [25530]

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 Mr. Doug Hoyle, dated 24 May 1995: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the recruitment of members of the ethnic minorities to the prison governor grades.

During a voluntary survey of staff ethnic origins, four members of the governor grades indicated that they were members of the ethnic minorities. There are a further 520 members of the prison officer grades of ethnic minority origin, who have an avenue of promotion into the governor grades. We expect that the currently small number of governor grades from ethnic minority backgrounds will increase over time, as some of these officers progress through the ranks under the normal arrangements for promotion. The Prison Service is continuing to try and increase the level of recruitment to the prison officer grades from ethnic minority groups.

The Prison Service's Acceleration Promotion Scheme is attempting to recruit ethnic minority graduates by a range of means. We have taken part in a mentoring scheme with one of the London universities, which arranges for black and Asian students to shadow a manager from the ethnic minorities, and an undergraduate is shortly to be sponsored by the Prison Service through the Windsor Fellowship Scheme. Last autumn, the Accelerated Promotion Scheme's national recruitment campaign placed advertisements in ethnic minority newspapers--The Voice, The Weekly Journal, Asian Times and Eastern Eye--as well as in the national

Column 652

broadsheets. Advertising is also placed in careers publications aimed specifically at ethnic minority undergraduates, such as Hobsons' Racial Equality Casebook and Kaleidoscope, both of which are circulated widely among universities and community relations organisations. Attempts will be made late this year to target universities with high numbers of black and Asians students, where we hope to offer presentations outlining career options in the Prison Service, under both the Accelerated Promotion Scheme and more generally.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what number of prison governors, by grade, are women. [25531]

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 Mr. Doug Hoyle, dated 24 May 1995: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of female governors in the Prison Service.

As at 1 May 1995 there are 1,020 staff employed in governor grades, of whom 96 (9.4%) are women. Broken down by grade the numbers are as follows:


                    |Number of women|Total number of                

Grade               |in grade (%)   |staff in grade                 

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Governor 1          |2 (4.4%)       |46                             

Governor 2          |5 (6.7%)       |75                             

Governor 3          |16 (12.7%)     |126                            

Governor 4          |37 (12%)       |309                            

Governor 5          |26 (7.8%)      |429                            

Governor 5 (APS)<1> |10 (28.6%)     |35                             

<1>Accelerated Promotion Scheme, the Prison Service's fast-track    

management development scheme.

The number of female governing governors has increased steadily over the last few years.

There are now eight male establishments and four female establishments where the governing governor is a woman. These are: Bullingdon

Bullwood Hall (f)

East Sutton Park (f)

Erlestoke

Holloway (f)

Kirklevington

Low Newton

The Mount

Norwich

Pucklechurch (f)

Swinfen Hall

Woodhill

The controller at Buckley Hall, a contracted prison, is a woman.

Lotteries

Mr. Corbett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will summarise the outcome of the Schindler case concerning the United Kingdom's ban on EC lotteries before the European Court of Justice, and its practical effects. [25763]

Mr. Nicholas Baker: The judgment in the Schindler case was delivered by the European Court of Justice on 24 March 1994. The court found that the importation of lottery advertisements and tickets into a member state relates to a service within the meaning of the treaty of Rome and that the UK lotteries legislation is an obstacle to the freedom to provide this service. However, the court also

Column 653

found that the aims of the UK legislation were to protect the users of the service as well as consumers generally and social order, and that such aims justified the restrictions on the freedom to provide services.

The practical effect of the judgment has been the continued ability of the UK to ban advertising and promotion of lotteries not permitted by our legislation, including those operating in other member states, under section 2 of the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976.

Job Losses

Ms Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many posts were lost in (a) the Home Office and (b) agencies for which the Home Office is responsible, listing the total lost posts agency by agency in (i) 1993 94 and (ii) 1994 95; and how many posts are proposed to be lost in 1995 96. [25075]

Mr. Howard: Changes in the numbers of posts are not recorded centrally. Consequently the information sought could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Staff in post information can be found in the annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" and in annex 4 of the Department's annual report, Cm 2508, both of which are available in the Library.

Action Against Crime Pack

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost of publishing the Action Against Crime pack; and what proportion of this represents the time spent by his officials. [25151]

Mr. Howard: For information on the cost of publication, I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Bristol, South (Ms Primarolo) on 24 April, Official Report , column 385 . The pack was drafted by my officials from existing material in the course of their normal duties and was not costed separately.

Prisons (Market Testing)

Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on the selection of prisons for market testing. [26488]

Mr. Howard: In August last year, the Prison Service announced a shortlist of establishments which were either poor performers or had been judged to have particular scope for improvement. The Prisons Board intended to select for market testing one or two establishments from this list, but in an attempt to resolve a complaint to the central arbitration committee about this process, selection was deferred.

The central arbitration committee heard the complaint 1 February and published its determination 27 March. I will place a copy in the Library. The Prison Service is today responding to the central arbitration committee

Column 654

determination by providing some additional information about the basis on which the short list was prepared.

Because of this regrettable delay, the information on which the present short list was prepared is now out of date. A fresh selection process will instead be conducted in due course.

Prisoner Transfers

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have been transferred from prisons in the mainland UK to prisons in Northern Ireland and Ireland over the past 10 years. [25401]

Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 22 May 1995]: The number of prisoners transferred from prisons in England and Wales to prisons in Northern Ireland over the past 10 years is given in the table. It is not possible for prisoners to be transferred to prisons in the Republic of Ireland because although the Irish Republic has signed the Council of Europe convention it has not yet ratified it.


Transfer of          

prisoners to         

Northern Ireland     

Year   |Number       

---------------------

1984   |1            

1985   |4            

1986   |2            

1987   |3            

1988   |5            

1989   |17           

1990   |13           

1991   |25           

1992   |26           

1993   |7            

1994   |19

Foundation for Business Responsibilities

Mr. Robert Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the fraud division at the Crown Prosecution Service has to investigate the affairs of the Foundation for Business Responsibilities. [24702]

The Attorney-General: I have been asked to reply.

The investigation of alleged criminal offences is a police function. The papers submitted to the CPS by the deputy leader of the opposition of Westminster city council will be referred to the police.

Derek Bentley

Mr. Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the report submitted to his Department by the investigating officer on behalf of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis regarding inconsistencies in the evidence, including evidence not available to the court or the public, relating to the case of Derek Bentley. [24936]

Mr. Nicholas Baker: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to his question of 18 May, Official Report , column 363 .

Column 653

Home Page