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Mr. Nicholas Baker: Regional government headquarters still to be disposed of and their values, assessed by the appropriate district valuer's office, are as follows:
|Assessed value
|£
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shipton, North Yorkshire |50,000 to 200,000
Bedford |270,000
Ashdown Forest, East Sussex |200,000
Soar, Devon |40,000
Chilmark, Wiltshire |District valuer's report awaited
Bridgend, South Wales |District valuer's report awaited
Sites at the following locations have been sold on the open market for the prices indicated:
|£
-------------------------------------
Lincoln |57,000
Loughborough |150,000
Norwich |165,000
Brentwood, Essex |151,001
Wrexham, North Wales |42,000
Preston |110,010
Nantwich, Cheshire |151,000
A site in Staffordshire and a property in Basingstoke were returned to the Ministry of Defence and to Property Holdings respectively, at no cost. A property at Rugby has been auctioned by the Ministry of Defence for £250,584 and the sale of a property at Hexham, Northumbria, for £1,200,000 has been agreed but not yet completed.
Rape
Mr. Chisholm: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of rape were (a) reported to the police, (b) reached court and (c) resulted in a guilty verdict in (i) 1985 and (ii) 1993. [28247]
Mr. Maclean: The available information shows that in England and Wales some 1.842 rape offences were recorded by the police in 1985, and there were 844 prosecutions and 430 convictions for rape offences in that year. The corresponding figures for 1993 are 4,589 offences, 1,704 prosecutions and 465 convictions. Information for Scotland is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.
Police Complaints
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to repeal section 98 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984; and if he will make a statement on his assessment of the impact of section 98 on the building of public confidence in the Police Complaints Authority. [28331]
Mr. Maclean: The Government have already announced their intention to amend section 98, when a suitable legislative opportunity arises, to allow the Police Complaints Authority discretion to publish such information as is reasonably necessary to inform the public of the outcome of investigations, without derogation from the principle of confidentiality between the authority, complaints and those that provide information.
Driving without Insurance
Mr. French: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those people convicted of driving without insurance in each of the past three years have been (a) under 20 years of age, (b) between 20 and 30 years of age and (c) over 30 years of age; [28335]
(2) how many people have been convicted of driving without insurance in each of the last three years. [28336]
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Mr. Maclean: The following table gives the available information which relates to the number of convictions for "using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks" in England and Wales for the years 1991 to 1993. Figures for 1994 are not yet available.
Convictions for using a motor vehicle
uninsured against third party risks
Persons aged
|Total
Year |convictions|Under 21 |21 and over
------------------------------------------------------------
1991 |225,910 |65,093 |160,817
1992 |246,054 |62,434 |183,620
1993 |281,136 |65,813 |215,323
Television Licences
Mr. Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost of imprisoning television licence defaulters in the years 1985 to 1995. [28227]
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 A. J. Butler to Mr. David Hanson, dated15 June 1995: The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about the cost of imprisoning television licence defaulters in the years 1985 to 1995.
Information on the cost of prisoners, according to their type of offence, is not collected centrally. On the basis of the number normally in custody --under 10--we estimate the costs of imprisoning these defaulters to be up to £200,000 a year.
Mr. Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were imprisoned in each of the last 10 years for the non- payment of fines relating to a television licence offence. [28228]
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 B. Landers to Mr. David Hanson, dated15 June 1995: The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question asking how many people were imprisoned in each of the last 10 years for the non-payment of fines relating to a television licence offence. The information requested is given in the table. No information is available for the period before 1991 because the offence was not separately identified in the prison statistics.
?
Receptions into Prison Service establishments in England and
Wales for non-payment of fine imposed for using a television
without a licence, 1991 to 1994
Year
Offence |1991 |1992 |1993<1>|1994<1>
---------------------------------------------------------------
Non-payment of fine
for using a TV without
a licence |394 |568 |825 |763
<1> Provisional information.
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Prison Assaults
Mr. Mike O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what ministerial approval was given to the Director General of the Prison Service to change the current indicator used for recording assaults by prisoners on prison officers and other inmates from one based on adjudications for disciplinary offences to one based on the seriousness of the assault; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the change on the assault figures. [28103]
Mr. Michael Forsyth: The current key performance indicator for assaults in the Prison Service has not been changed. The Prison Service's business plan for 1995 96, which was approved by my right hon. and learned Friend, explains that the Prison Service is developing proposals for new indicators of its performance for introduction in 1996 97. These will include a new measure of serious assaults as a possible replacement for the current indicator which is based on proven adjudications for disciplinary offences relating to assault. Under the terms of the Prison Service's framework document, any such change in the service's key performance indicators will be subject to agreement by the Home Secretary, the director general, the Treasury and the Office of Public Service and Science. The Prison Service will, in any event, continue to collect information about all reported assaults on staff and prisoners and disciplinary proceedings relating to such assaults.
Prison Accommodation
Mr. Mike O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what factors underlie the absence of a key target for the number of prisoners held two to a cell in cells designed for one person. [28080]
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 A. J. Butler to Mr. Mike O'Brien, dated15 June 1995: The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about the absence of a key target for the number of prisoners held two to a cell designed for one person.
When the Prison Service became an Agency in April 1993, it was agreed that the most serious problem relating to overcrowding was the practice of `trebling', which involved three prisoners sharing a cell designed for one person. As recently as 1987, over five thousand prisoners were `trebling'.
The targets set in relation to overcrowding have therefore been to eliminate trebling--which was achieved in March 1994--and to continue to avoid trebling.
However, against the background of the rapid increase in the prison population--from a low of 40,600 in December 1992 to around 51, 000 now-- and the need to hold unconvicted and unsentenced prisoners close to the courts--which can result in sudden uncontrollable fluctuations in the prison population in local prisons--it is neither feasible nor realistic currently to set a target for reducing the number of prisoners held two to a cell designed for one person. It is, however, a continuing priority to keep overcrowding to a minimum and to eliminate it wherever practicable.
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Prisoners (HIV and AIDS)
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of HIV and AIDS have been reported in prisons in England and Wales in each year since 1986. [28005]
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 A. J. Butler to Mr. Neil Gerrard, dated15 June 1995: The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about the number of cases of HIV and AIDS that have been reported in prisons in England and Wales in each year since 1986.
The information is as follows:
Year |Cases of HIV |Cases of AIDS
|(including AIDS)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1986 |<1>48 |1
1987 |75 |3
1988 |61 |3
1989 |54 |5
1990 |59 |7
1991 |26 |1
1992-93<2> |51 |7
1993-94 |27 |2
1994-95 |23 |-
1995-96<3> |3 |-
<1> Figure understates position since 27 other cases were reported
in the two years 1985 and 1986, but it is not possible to assign
them to a single year.
<2> 15 month period January 1992-March 1993 (to bring table in line
with financial year).
<3> Figures for 1995-1996 are as at 30 May 1995.
The table represents the number of new cases of HIV infection confirmed and reported by prison medical officers. The average number of cases in the prison system in England and Wales at any one time has varied between 30 and 70. There are currently 54 prisoners known to have HIV, confirmed and reported by medical officers in the system.
These figures do not represent the totality of HIV infection in the prison system. Testing for HIV infection, as in the community, is carried out only with the consent of the prisoner.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Students
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to make students living on student grants and loans eligible to receive a full council tax and rent rebate on the same basis as people on income support. [27939]
Mr. Roger Evans: In general it is the educational maintenance system which is designed to provide support for students, not the social security system, and we have no plans to change this. However, council tax benefit and housing benefit are available to students in specified vulnerable groups such as students with dependant children and those who are disabled.
Income Support
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 5 April, Official
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Report , column 1224 , in respect of evidence of estrangement in the payment of income support to 16 and 17-year -olds, what changes his Department has requested in the practices operated by Benefits Agency officers; and what liaison he has had with the Department of Health in this respect. [28328]Mr. Roger Evans: Expanded guidance on dealing with claims under the severe hardship provision is expected to be issued to Benefits Agency offices shortly. The purpose of the guidance is to ensure consistency across the country in respect of the proper verification of claims. The guidance is being developed in consultation with the Department of Health.
Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to reintroduce a mortgage benefit to assist low-income owner occupiers who are not eligible for social security help with mortgage interest payments. [28302]
Mr. Roger Evans: There has never been a mortgage benefit for low- income owner occupiers and we have no plans to introduce one.
Crown Immunity
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list all areas within (a) his Department, (b) agencies under his Department's control and (c) organisations for which he has ministerial responsibility to which Crown immunity applies; what consideration he has given to removing this; and if he will make a statement. [28651]
Mr. Hague: Crown Immunity applies to the Department of Social Security and all its next steps agencies in all instances where the Crown is not included in a particular piece of legislation. Examples of this occur in the Employment Protection Consolidation Act 1978 in respect of redundancy and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 in respect of prosecution. Where the Crown is not so included it always endeavours to follow the legislation. The Crown is included in much legislation--for example the Data Protection Act 1984--and much employment legislation. The Department also has duties by virtue of social security legislation. Whenever a new piece of legislation is drafted, the question of whether the Crown should be included is always considered.
Housing Benefit
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the implications of the proposed revisions to housing benefit entitlement to those with special needs; and if he will make a statement. [28895]
Mr. Roger Evans: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) on 12 June, Official Report , column 420 .
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his Department's latest calculation of the proportion of GDP that will be spent on his Department in 1998, 2000 and 2005, assuming no change in DSS eligibility. [27041]
Column 647
Mr. Hague: The proportion of GDP that will be spent by the Department of Social Security is forecast to be:
1997 98: 11.7 per cent.
2000 2001: 11.5 per cent.
The information is not available for 2005.
(i) These figures assume constant unemployment and Departmental administrative costs and are in 1994 95 prices.
(ii) Source: Financial Statement and Budget Red Book
The 1995 Social Security Departmental Report
The Growth of Social Security
Scott Inquiry
Mr. Bermingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what legal advice he has sought from solicitors or barristers in respect of draft conclusions reached by the Scott inquiry; what is the estimated cost of such legal expenses to public funds; and if he will make a statement. [28898]
Mr. Lilley: The Government do not consider it right to publish the nature or costs of any advice which may have been given to individual witnesses to the Scott inquiry. This is a matter of confidence between them and any legal advisers they may have retained.
Self-employment
Mr. French: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what guidelines, excluding case law, are used by the Contributions Agency to determine whether a person is employed or self-employed. [28339]
Mr. Arbuthnot: Liability to pay a particular class of national insurance contribution is determined by reference to the law on national insurance, which generally distinguishes between employees and self- employed persons by reference to contract of service. However, the law does not define contract of service. The Contributions Agency has no legal power to determine employment status, but will investigate, consider and advise individuals and business as necessary. When doing so the agency relies on tests which have emerged from the case law of the courts over many years and applies these to the facts of the individual case concerned. These are the only guidelines which the agency uses formally to advise whether someone is employed or self-employed.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Non-human Primates
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the maximum number of non-human primates which may be quarantined within a facility; and what is the ratio of trained staff to primates at any given location and time who are capable of dealing with a filovirus outbreak. [26670]
Mrs. Browning: The maximum number of non-human primates which may be quarantined within a facility depends on the size of the facility. Each facility has a superintending veterinary surgeon or doctor who is required to inspect the animals at least once a week and to report any deaths in quarantine to the Ministry. Guidance on how to handle non-human primates safely has been prepared by the Medical Research Council and has been issued to all quarantine facilities authorised to
Column 648
keep non-human primates. I have placed a copy of the guidance, which is entitled "The Management of Simians in Relation to Infectious Hazards to Staff", in the Library.Fishing Industry
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has on catches in each International Council for the Exploration of the Seas sub-region by each EU member's fishing fleet for each of the last five years. [27218]
Mr. Jack: Information on the uptake of quota by each member state, by stock, is provided monthly by the Commission to member states. This information is broken down by total allowable catch for each stock, whether it be by ICES sub-area or group of sub-areas. Copies of recent end year figures, as compiled by the Commission, are being placed in the Library.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on what catch records were decided when catch shares were allocated in the ICES sub-regions; if the United Kingdom submitted catch estimates for each EU nation; if each nation submitted its own estimates; and how differences in estimates were reconciled. [27217]
Mr. Jack: The allocation keys for member states were established by reference to the catch records for the years 1973 to 1978. Each member state was responsible for its own catch records. The keys were finally established in 1983 after six years of negotiation.
Food Safety
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what money is available to each local authority to cover the expense of implementing EC directive 93/99; and from which fund it is provided; [28374]
(2) what is the average cost of retraining an unqualified trading standards officer to the level required by EC directive 93/99; [28376]
(3) what is the estimated total of (a) retraining costs and (b) redundancy costs for environmental health officers and trading standards officers affected by EC directive 93/99; [28372] (4) how much money was (a) available to and (b) used by each local authority from the revenue support grant specifically aimed at food safety in each of the last five years; [28375]
(5) what is the average cost of retraining an unqualified environmental health officer to the level required by EC directive 93/95; [28377]
(6) what is the estimated number of environmental health officers and trading standards who will be affected by EC directive 93/99. [28373]
Mrs. Browning: Following the passage of the Food Safety Act 1990, £30 million which was indexed-linked, was added to the revenue support grant on a continuing basis to cover the extra costs arising to local authorities in discharging their responsibilities under the Act. The duties arising from the implementation of EC directive 93/99 are part of those responsibilities. The sum is not
Column 649
ring-fenced and it is therefore for each local authority to decide upon the exact allocation of its share of the sum towards food law enforcement activities. Directive 93/99 does not impose any new training requirements for trading standards officers and environmental health officers engaged on food work. The level of training required for their assistants who are also authorised officers under the Food Safety Act, and the associated costs, will be determined by their individual employing local authority. It is not envisaged that there will be any redundancies in either profession. The exact numbers of officers in each profession involved in food control are not held centrally.Sheep Dip
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the research funded by his Department in developing alternatives to organophosphorus sheep dip in each of the last 10 years. [28300]
Mrs. Browning: The information requested is as follows: 1985 86 to 1991 92
Nil
1992 93 to 1994 95
Immunological approach to the control of sheep scab. Pesticide reduction by developing tests to monitor resistance in sheep scab mites and other ectoparasites.
1995 96
Immunological approach to the control of sheep scab. Non-chemical methods for the control of ectoparasites.
Genetically Engineered Crops
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what studies are available to him of the environmental impact of genetically engineered crops designed to be resistant to herbicides; and what evidence there is of potential prejudice to the environment arising from their use. [28453]
Mrs. Browning: Under the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) Regulations 1992, the release or marketing of genetically modified organisms, including GM crops resistant to herbicides, is subject to prior consent. Applications for consent are required to be accompanied by a risk assessment. Scientific advice is given on applications by an independent committee of experts "The Advisory Committee on Releases into the Environment".
Information is also available from research programmes on the release of GM crops carried out by a number of Departments. Available scientific information, experience to date and independent expert advice have not raised concern in terms of adverse effects on the environment from the release of GM crop plants resistant to herbicides. We will continue to rely on such information and the advice of ACRE in the review of applications to release GM organisms, including herbicide resistant crops, in order to assess their environmental impact.
Column 650
Scott Inquiry
Mr. Bermingham: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what legal advice he has sought from solicitors or barristers in respect of draft conclusions reached by the Scott inquiry; what is the estimated cost of such legal expenses to public funds; and if he will make a statement. [28899]
Mr. Waldegrave: The Government do not consider it right to publish the nature or costs of any advice which may have been given to individual witnesses to the Scott inquiry. This is a matter of confidence between them and any legal advisers they may have retained.
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what communications he received from Lord Justice Scott over the evidence he gave to the inquiry into arms for Iraq; and what were the dates and the dates of his replies. [28866]
Mr. Waldegrave: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Members for Wallsend (Mr. Byers) and for Thurrock (Mr. Mackinlay) on 12 June, Official Report , column 373.
EMPLOYMENT
Job Creation Schemes
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many people attended and left the enterprise allowance scheme in each year of its operation, including those who left before the completion of the scheme; [27455]
(2) if he will list the numbers leaving the youth training programme as an actual number and as a percentage of total leavers for each year of its operation, including those who left before completion of the scheme; if he will indicate those who went into work, those who went into further employment schemes and those who became unemployed; and, of these, if he will list the type and level of qualification each leaver obtained, including those who failed to obtain any qualification at all; [27516]
(3) if he will list the numbers leaving the community enterprise programme and community programme as an actual number and as a percentage of total leavers for each year of that operation, including those who left before completion of the schemes; if he will indicate those who went into work, those who went into further employment schemes and those who became unemployed; and of these, if he will list the type and level of qualification each leaver obtained, including those who failed to obtain any qualification at all; [27524]
(4) how many people attended and left the training opportunity scheme, in each year of its operation, including those who left before the completion of the scheme; [27445]
(5) how many people attended and left the job training programme, in each year of its operation, including those who left before the completion of the scheme; [27447]
(6) how many people attended and left the training for work scheme, in each year of its operation, including those who left before the completion of the scheme; [27449]
Column 651
(7) how many people attended and left the youth training scheme, in each year of its operation, including those who left before the completion of the scheme; [27451](8) how many people attended and left thebusiness start-up scheme in each year of its operation, including those who left before the completion of the scheme; [27457]
(9) if he will list the numbers leaving the youth opportunities programme as an actual number and as a percentage of total leavers for each year of its operation, including those who left before completion of the scheme; if he will indicate those who went into work, those who went into further reemployment schemes and those who became unemployed; and, of these, if he will list the type and level of qualification each leaver obtained, including those who failed to obtain any qualification at all; [27514]
(10) if he will list the numbers leaving the business enterprise support scheme as an actual number and as a percentage of total leavers for each year of its operation, including those who left before completion of the scheme; if he will indicate those who went into work, those who went into further employment schemes and those who became unemployed; and, of these, if he will list the type and level of qualification each leaver obtained, including those who failed to obtain any qualification at all; [27530]
(11) if he will list the numbers leaving the employment training scheme as an actual number and as a percentage of total leavers for each year of its operation, including those who left before completion of the scheme; if he will indicate those who went into work, those who went into further employment schemes and those who became unemployed; and, of these, if he will list the type and level of qualification each leaver obtained, including those who failed to obtain any qualification at all; [27526]
(12) how many people attended and left the business enterprise support scheme in each year of its operation, including those who left before the completion of the scheme; [27456]
(13) if he will list the numbers leaving the training for work scheme as an actual number and as a percentage of total leavers for each year of its operation, including those who left before completion of the scheme; if he will indicate those who went into work, those who went into further employment schemes and those who became unemployed; and, of these, if he will list the type and level of qualification each leaver obtained, including those who failed to obtain any qualification at all; [27513]
(14) if he will list the numbers leaving the enterprise allowance scheme as an actual number and as a percentage of total leavers for each year of its operation, including those who left before completion of the scheme; if he will indicate those who went into work, those who went into further employment schemes and those who becameunemployed; and, of these, if he will list the type and level of qualification each leaver obtained, including those who failed to obtain any qualification at all; [27529]
(15) how many people attended and left theyouth training scheme in each year of its operation, including those who left before the completion of the scheme; [27452]
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