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Investors in People
Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps his Department is taking to achieve investor in people status; when it started the process; when it expects to achieve investor in people status; and if he will make a statement. [2987]
Mr. Hague: The Welsh Office has been working towards the investor in people standard since December 1992. Following a period of assessment and planning, an action plan was submitted to investors in people UK in April 1995. The Department will seek accreditation when the action plan has been implemented.
Inspector Days (Allocation)
Mr. Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many inspector days allotted to Welsh primary schools in the academic year 1994-95 involved (a) inspectors who had teaching experience in primary schools and (b) inspectors who had teaching experience in secondary schools; and what was the total number of inspector days allotted. [3110]
Mr. Richards: Operational issues relating to school inspections are a matter for Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools in Wales. I have passed this inquiry to him: he will respond to the hon. Member in due course.
Urban Development Programmes
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what dates urban development programmes prepared by the Welsh Development Agency were submitted to
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(a) the European Commission and (b) the single programme document monitoring committees for industrial south Wales and rural Wales. [3385]
Mr. Hague: The Welsh Development Agency's urban development programmes are not submitted to either the European Commission or the single programme document monitoring committees for industrial south Wales and rural Wales.
Freight Terminals
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Welsh Development Agency in respect of the European freight multi-modal development for south Wales; when he anticipates approving the scheme; and if he will make a statement. [3387]
Mr. Hague: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Vale of Glamorgan (Mr. Sweeney) on 8 November, Official Report, columns 923-24.
Police Authority Funding
Mr. Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are his proposals for police authority revenue spending in 1996-97. [3912]
Mr. Hague: I propose to make £331.4 million available from total standard spending in Wales to fund police services in 1996-97. This sum comprises £165.2 million in cash-limited police grant to be paid by the Home Secretary and £166.3 million in standard spending
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assessments. It represents an overall increase of £15.7 million, or 5 per cent. on 1995-96. The sums for each police authority are set out in the following table: £ million
| Police grant | Standard spending assessment | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dyfed Powys | 24.2 | 24.3 | 48.5 |
| Gwent | 31.3 | 31.4 | 62.7 |
| North Wales | 34.6 | 34.7 | 69.3 |
| South Wales | 75.1 | 75.8 | 150.9 |
These figures include a transfer of around £10.5 million for the transfer of responsibility for policing the Rhymney valley area from south Wales to Gwent police authority.
The Welsh Office is today writing to each of the police authorities in Wales to consult them on their provisional standard spending assessments for 1996-97. This figure may alter slightly if the balance of the police funding formula as between English and Welsh police authorities changes as a result of consultation.
It is essential that police authorities budget wisely and do not impose an unreasonable burden on council taxpayers. I therefore propose provisional capping principles to inform their budget decisions. Police authorities would not be capped if their budget requirements for 1996-97 were:
I am still considering my capping proposals for the new unitary authorities in Wales. I propose to announce provisional capping principles and standard spending assessments for these authorities in mid-December.
Copies of the consultation letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Sweeney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what level of support for Welsh local authority revenue spending he proposes to provide through aggregate external finance for 1996-97. [3913]
Mr. Hague:
On 28 November, Official Report, column 600, I announced that I propose to set total standard spending in Wales for 1996-97 at £2,867.3 million; and central Government support for that level of spending through aggregate external fiance at £2,517.4 million.
Within aggregate external finance, I propose to make available £1,792 million in revenue support grant; £459 million in distributable non-domestic rates; £237.4 million in specific grants; and £29 million to damp council tax increases arising from the disaggregation of the county and district councils' 1995-96 standard spending assessments and budgets to unitary authorities. The threshold for damping will be set at 0 per cent.
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My Department has today written to the Welsh local authority associations to consult them on my proposals for revenue support grant in 1996-97.
Copies of the consultation letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. William Ross:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons convicted of crimes connected with (a) republican and (b) loyalist violence have been transferred to prisons in Northern Ireland from (i) Great Britain and (ii) the Republic of Ireland; how many have been transferred from prisons in Northern Ireland to prisons in (i) Great Britain and (ii) the Republic of Ireland since 1 September 1994; and on what dates the transfers took place. [2373]
Sir John Wheeler:
Responsibility for this subject has been delegated to the Northern Ireland Prison Service under its chief executive, Mr. Alan Shannon. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. D. Shannon to Mr. William Ross, dated 30 November 1995:
Mr. Rathbone:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he intends to publish the policy statement produced by the Northern Ireland committee on drug misuse; and what proposals are planned based on that policy. [2137]
Sir John Wheeler:
Arrangements are in hand for publication of the policy statement of the Northern Ireland committee on drug misuse before Christmas. I have established a new top level central co-ordinating group for action against drugs, of which I am chairman. The group comprises senior representatives from Northern Ireland Government Departments, the medical profession and the Royal Ulster Constabulary. It will ensure that each Government Department in Northern Ireland is playing its full part to combat the drugs problem and that their action plans are driven forward in a co-ordinated manner and build the recommendations of the policy statement.
Mr. William Ross:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions since 1 September 1994 representations have been made to Her Majesty's Government for the early release of convicts serving sentences in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Great Britain for crimes related to (i) republican violence and (ii) loyalist violence (1) by Ministers of the Government
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of the Irish Republic directly, (2) via the Maryfield secretariat, (3) by the SDLP or (4) by Sinn Fein; and what representations have been made by Her Majesty's Government regarding the early release of loyalist convicts held in prisons in the Irish Republic for such crimes. [2371]
Sir John Wheeler:
It is not possible to provide an answer in the form requested and I can answer only for representations received by or on behalf of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Prison issues have been discussed at each meeting of the inter-governmental conference, of which there have been five since 1 September 1994. No representations have been received from the Irish side of the Anglo-Irish secretariat. Representations have been made on three occasions by members of the SDLP with regard to particular cases concerning those convicted of crimes of republican and loyalist violence. No representations have been made by Sinn Fein. Her Majesty's Government have made no representations to the Irish Government on the subject of the early release of prisoners.
Mr. Ross:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons convicted of crimes connected with (a) republican and (b) loyalist violence have been given early release or have had their remission extended in the period from 1 September 1994 to the latest available date. [2374]
Sir John Wheeler:
Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Northern Ireland Prison Service under its chief executive, Mr. Alan Shannon. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. D. Shannon to Mr. William Ross dated 28 November 1995:
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question regarding the number of persons convicted of crimes connected with Republican and Loyalist violence who have been given early release or had their remission extended.
Sir John Wheeler:
As this is a matter for the Government of the Republic of Ireland I am unable to supply the answer.
less than 12.5 per cent above the sum of the authority's standard spending assessment and police grant; and
I will make my final decisions on capping principles in the light of budgets set by police authorities.
did not exceed their 1995-96 base budget by more than the greater of the sum of the increases in their standard spending assessment and police grant of 3.5 per cent.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to this Parliamentary Question.
Since 1 September 1994 14 persons convicted of crimes connected with Republican violence have been transferred to prisons in Northern Ireland from Great Britain. In 9 cases the transfer was permanent and in 5 cases it was temporary. No person convicted of crimes connected with Loyalist violence has requested transfer. No persons convicted of Republican or Loyalist violence have been transferred from Northern Ireland to Great Britain or the Republic of Ireland.
Mr. Ross:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people convicted of crimes related to (a) republican and (b) loyalist violence have been given early release from prisons in the Republic of Ireland since 1 September 1994; and how many persons convicted of each such category of crimes are still serving sentences in the Irish Republic. [2372]
Since 17 November 85 releases have taken place under the terms of the Northern Ireland (Remission of Sentences) Act 1995. However, although the Northern Ireland Prison Service holds information regarding the parliamentary affiliation of individual offenders, the nature of the original offence could only be identified at disproportionate cost.
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