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Refugees Convention
Mr. Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those countries where circumstances which in the past have justified recourse to the 1951 UN convention on refugees have in the past 12 months ceased to exist. [554]
Mr. Kirkhope: All applications for asylum are considered in accordance with the criteria set out in the 1951 United Nations convention relating to the status of refugees. Decisions are based on all the relevant circumstances of individual cases as well as on an assessment of conditions in the country of origin. There is no question of our refusing to consider, or of our automatically refusing, an application because of the country of origin of the applicant.
Mr. Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those countries that are not generating refugees as defined by the 1951 UN convention on refugees at the present time. [553]
Mr. Kirkhope: Information about asylum decisions, broken down by the country of origin of applicants, is contained in table 3 and 4 of the Home Office statistical bulletin "Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 1994", a copy of which is in the Library.
Prisoners (Escapes)
Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have escaped whilst being transported to and from court appearances and hospital visits since 1990; and how many remain uncaptured. [165]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. Gerry Steinberg, dated 23 November 1995:
23 Nov 1995 : Column: 293
The information covers the period 1 January 1990 to 31 October 1995. Prison Service records show that 26 of the escapers from court appearances and hospital visits remain uncaptured.
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about how many prisoners have escaped while being transported to and from court appearances and hospital visits since 1990 and how many remain uncaptured.
The information is given in the table below:
Number
Crown Courts 50
Magistrates Courts 137
Hospital visits--outpatients 34
Hospital visits--inpatients 188
Prisons (VAT Payments)
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how much value added tax has been paid in addition to the published contract prices to the companies running (a) HMP Wolds, (b) HMP Blakenhurst, (c) HMP Doncaster and (d) HMP Buckley Hall for each financial year since the prisons opened; [388]
(2) how much value added tax has been recovered from the companies running: (a) HMP Wolds, (b) HMP Blakenhurst, (c) HMP Doncaster and (d) HMP Buckley Hall for each financial year since the prisons opened. [476]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for these matters has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Pearson to Mr. George Howarth, dated 23 November 1995:
23 Nov 1995 : Column: 294
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Questions about how much value-added tax has been paid in addition to the published contract prices to the companies running (a) HMP Wolds, (b) HMP Blakenhurst, (c) HMP Doncaster and (d) HMP Buckley Hall for each financial year since the prisons opened and how much has been recovered over the same period.
The Prison Service reclaims all VAT paid in respect of these contracts normally at the end of the subsequent quarter. The figures for the four contracted-out prisons are as follows:
Establishment and year VAT paid (£) VAT reclaimed (£)
HMP Wolds
1991-92 311,582 134,550
1992-93 862,872 788,658
1993-94 994,827 932,949
1994-95 1,254,501 1,183,715
1995-96 556,983 617,627
HMP Blakenhurst
1992-93 463,876 115,969
1993-94 1,499,327 1,400,602
1994-95 1,933,333 1,790,378
1995-96 732,443 1,029,053
HMP Doncaster
1993-94 254,475 0
1994-95 2,038,796 1,679,315
1995-96 966,712 1,137,398
HMP Buckley Hall
1994-95 294,657 145,250
1995-96 717,499 149,407
Mr. Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the application and collection of value added tax affects the budgets and accounting procedures of (a) Prison Service managed prisons and (b) privately managed prisons; and if he will make a statement. [389]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Pearson to Mr. George Howarth, dated 23 November 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about how the application and collection of value-added tax affects the budgets and accounting procedures of (a) Prison Service managed prisons and (b) privately managed prisons.
Directly managed prisons pay and can reclaim VAT on a wide range of the services they purchase. Sums included in the supply estimate are appropriated-in-aid towards expenditure under the Vote. Prison Service payments to companies running privately managed prisons include VAT, which is subsequently reclaimed. The Prison Service is not involved in VAT payments by those companies for services they purchase.
Sentencing Guidelines
Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give details of the guidelines governing sentencing for trafficking in class B drugs. [136]
Mr. Maclean: The Government do not issue guidance on sentencing. The Magistrates Association issues sentencing guidelines for its members, which are available in the Library, and guidance is provided by Court of Appeal judgments in individual cases.
Ms Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the sentencing guidelines for conspiracy to supply cannabis. [133]
Mr. Maclean: The Government do not issue guidance on sentencing. The Magistrates Association issues sentencing guidelines for its members, which are available in the Library, and guidance is provided by Court of Appeal judgments in individual cases.
Parkhurst Prison
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to decommission Her Majesty's Prison Parkhurst's category A status. [478]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Pearson to Mr. George Howarth, dated 23 November 1995:
23 Nov 1995 : Column: 295
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about the plans that are in place to decommission Parkhurst prison's category A status.
The Home Secretary announced on 16 October 1995 that Parkhurst prison was to be removed from the dispersal estate. The Director of Operations with responsibility for Parkhurst has set up
a steering group, headed by the area manager, to manage the process of downgrading Parkhurst prison. The prison service will announce its detailed plans for this process shortly.
Mr. Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent to date on improving security at Her Majesty's Prison Parkhurst since the escape of three prisoners on 3 January; and how much of this sum is due to additional costs caused by implementing recommendations of the Learmont inquiry. [391]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
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