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London Fire Stations

Ms Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the average number of on ground calls for each category (a) A, (b) B, (c) C, and (d) D fire station in London for (i) 1992-93, (ii) 1993-94 and (iii) 1994-95 and (iv) for the latest period available; [6925]

(2) what (a) percentage and (b) number of incidents in London were attended by each London fire station within the recommended attendance standards in (i) 1992-93, (ii) 1993-94, (iii) 1994-95 and (iv) the latest period available; and how this breaks down by risk category. [6924]

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Mr. Sackville: The information requested is not available centrally.

UK Passport Agency

Mr. John D. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which consultancy firms have been employed in market testing the UK Passport Agency; how much each has been paid; and which offices they are considering for contracting out. [7212]

Mr Kirkhope: No consultancy firms have been employed in market testing the UK Passport Agency. There are no plans for contracting out passport offices.

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Mr. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if staff in the Belfast UK Passport Agency office will be permitted to submit in-house bids for any areas which are under consideration for contracting out. [7210]

Mr. Kirkhope: If any areas of work in the Belfast passport office are considered suitable for contracting out it would not be appropriate for staff to submit in-house bids.

Mr. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff (a) are currently employed in the UK Passport Agency Offices and (b) were employed 12 months ago. [7211]

Mr. Kirkhope: The UK employs a mixture of permanent staff and seasonal staff. The latter are either retained on part-year appointments or as casual employees. The number of seasonal staff in post varies according to demand for passports, which is abnormally high at present in anticipation of the abolition of the British visitor's passport from 1 January 1996. The information requested is as follows:

	Permanent	Part year	Casual
30 November 1995	1,213.5	123.5	155.5
30 November 1994	1,269.5	36	21

Mr. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many consultants have been employed to consider the contracting out of the UK Passport Agency Belfast Office; with what terms of reference; over what time period; to consider what functions of the agency; and how many staff were involved on each occasion. [7153]

Mr. Kirkhope: The UK Passport Agency has no plans to contract out the Belfast Office.

Civil Servants (Asylum Cases)

Mr. Mellor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civil servants were employed to deal with asylum cases on (a) 1 October 1980, (b) 1 October 1985, (c) 1 October 1990 and (d) 1 October 1995. [6944]

Mr. Kirkhope: The numbers of civil servants employed to deal solely with asylum cases--screening, determination and appeals--were as follows:

1 October 1980: 30
1 October 1985: 48
1 October 1990: 91
1 October 1995: 596

Prisoners (Shopping Visits)

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what shopping visits were made by prison officers for prison inmates detained in prisons in England and Wales during the week of 5 December. [6458]

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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Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 20 December 1995:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about shopping trips by prison officers for prison inmates.
No shopping trips by prison officers were made during the week of 5 December. This is in line with the Home Secretary's announcement in December 1994 that the practice of prison officers going shopping at the behest of prisoners had stopped.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the total cost for himself and other departmental Ministers for each year since 1991-92, including the current year of (a) overseas travel and accommodation expenses of Ministers and their advisers, (b) car and chauffeuring costs of Ministers, (c) ministerial security costs and (d) domestic travel and accommodation expenses of Ministers. [6400]

Mr. Howard: The estimated cost for myself and my departmental Ministers for the current year and for 1993- 94 and 1994-95 are as follows:

	1993-94	1994-95	1995-96
Overseas travel/accommodation	38,892	40,441	70,000
Car and chauffeuring costs	228,424	228,424	232,669
Domestic travel/accommodation	29,524	41,000	56,000

The figures for car and chauffeuring costs are inclusive of value added tax.

Ministerial security costs, which include the cost of chauffeuring myself, are not collected in the format requested. Part is included in the running cost expenditure of my Department which is published in the annual report, annexe 3, and part is covered by the Metropolitan police.

Figures for 1991-92 and 1992-93 can be made available only at disproportionate cost.

Prisoners (Education Provisions)

Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the minimum education provisions per prisoner per week in (a) Prison Service and (b) privately run prisons; what safeguards exist to ensure that these provisions are met; and if he will make it his policy not to reduce the minimum education provision during (i) 1995 and (ii) 1996 in respect of (1) the Prison Service and (2) privately run prisons. [6029]

Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange a reply to be given.

Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. George Howarth, dated 20 December 1995:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about education provisions in Prison Service and privately run prisons.
Statutory minima for education (which apply both to directly and privately managed establishments) are set out in Rule 35(2) of the Young Offender Institution Rules 1988, which states that young

20 Dec 1995 : Column: 1201

offenders under seventeen years old are required to attend classes for at least fifteen hours within the normal working week, and Rule 29(2) of the Prison Rules 1964, which states that evening classes must be provided.
The Prison Service Code of Operating Standards stipulate that establishments should provide an education programme, including vocational training courses, based on a needs assessment and that classes should, subject to local needs, be provided in the morning and afternoon, five days a week for fifty weeks in the year, and in the evenings five days a week for forty two weeks of the year. A system of standards audit has recently been put in place to monitor compliance with the code of operating standards, including those relating to education.
Within this framework governors are responsible for determining the level and nature of provision, having regard to the relevant Service-wide plans and policies, and to the resources available.
The Service's strategic plan for 1995-98 includes a strategic priority of improving the quality, relevance, and delivery of regime activities and to this end the 1995-96 business plan includes a commitment to implement a core education curriculum which will be common to all establishments.
Delivery of adequate education programmes is assured through the normal line management process of the Prison Service, supported by standards audit and specialist advice from the central education and training advisory service. In the case of privately operated prisons, and of Manchester prison, which operates under a service level agreement, this is underpinned by specific requirements in the contracts and service level agreement.

Small Firms

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings his Department has had since May 1995 with organisations representing small firms to review tendering procedures. [6626]

Mr. Howard [holding answer 19 December 1995]: The Treasury central unit on procurement arranged a meeting with the Confederation of British Industry small firms panel, the Association of British Chambers of Commerce and the Forum of Private Business in September 1995 to review tendering procedures. Representatives of some individual Departments attended; the Home Office will consider any recommendations which are made.

Home Office tendering procedures are subject to periodic review. Measures which may assist small firms include the use of simple written requests for quotations, rather than formal tenders, for lower value purchases of goods and services, and increased delegated powers to managers to buy locally.

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